TicketsOXFORD, Ohio – A pass breakup in the endzone by redshirt junior cornerback Jordan Young on a 4th-and-4 and a 50-yard field goal by Nathan Hawks with 59 seconds remaining lifted the Cincinnati football team to a 27-16 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday in front of 24,717 fans inside a sold-out Yager Stadium.
The Bearcats took back the Victory Bell, avenging last season's overtime loss to take the lead in the 128th Battle for the Victory Bell. Cincinnati now holds a 61-60-7 record in the country's oldest non-conference rivalry. UC won its seventh-straight meeting at Yager Stadium.
"In our heads, before we even got here, we were getting that bell back and we knew it was going to be a fight," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "We knew it was going to be a dog fight. We didn't know how long it was going to take and it ended up taking up the whole game. What I loved about it was that it was a complete team win. Offense, defense and kicking. I can't say enough about the fight in those guys."
Senior running back Corey Kiner finished with 126 yards on 21 carries for his ninth-career 100-yard game.
Led by sixth-year senior defensive end Eric Phillips (career-best two sacks), the Bearcats held the RedHawks to only 24 rushing yards.
Fifth-year receiver Xzavier Henderson tallied 10 receptions for 108 yards. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brendan Sorsby completed 21 of 34 pass attempts for 186 yards and one touchdown.
Redshirt junior Evan Pryor's 65-yard touchdown on the Bearcats' first touch of the fourth quarter gave UC a 24-10 lead with 13 minutes left.
After Pryor's touchdown dash, Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cade McDonald with 7:57 left to bring Miami (Ohio) within eight points, but the RedHawks' two-point conversion attempt was stuffed by redshirt sophomore defensive back Antwan Peek Jr.
Following a Cincinnati punt, Gabbert found McDonald for a 51-yard completion before the Bearcats' defense proved too stout.
Hawks' 50-yard field goal with 59 seconds made the final score 27-16.
Sixth-year senior safety Derrick Canteen secured an end zone interception to stop the game-opening drive by the RedHawks.
Hawks drilled a 55-yard field goal with 3:27 left in the first quarter on his first career FBS field goal attempt to give Cincinnati a 3-0 lead. The remarkable field goal was tied for the second-longest in UC history and was the longest made since 2007. With his game-sealing kick in the final minute, Hawks became the first Bearcats kicker to connect on multiple field goals of 50 yards or longer in a single game. Hawks, a walk-on from Enon, Ohio, spent two years at NCAA Division III Wittenberg before transferring to Cincinnati prior to the 2023 season. He became the kickoff specialist midway through last fall and entered Saturday's game as the placekicker for the first time as a Bearcat.
"That's incredible story of what Nathan Hawks was able to accomplish today," Satterfield said. "I'm telling you, it just goes to show if you work hard, keep doing what you're supposed to do, when you get your opportunity, you're going to shine, and that's what he did. He never said anything. He just kept kicking. Kept kicking all camp. He did a great job for us, and never knew when his number was going to get called. He got called today in a big-time way and was able to make these two field goals. So, I'm really proud of him. It sets us up for conference season that starts next week with Houston."
Miami tied the game on a 30-yard field goal from Dom Dzioban in the first minute of the second quarter.
A fumbled snap by Miami punter Alec Bevelhimer led to a recovery by freshman defensive back Marqavious Saboor at the RedHawks' 3-yard line, setting up an easy touchdown toss from Sorsby to redshirt junior tight end Joe Royer to give the Bearcats a 10-3 lead at the 10:37 mark in the second quarter.
Sixth-year seniors Jared Bartlett and Phillips each tallied sacks midway through the second frame.
Sorsby engineered a 16-play, 95-yard drive at the end of the second half, completing eight passes. His pass to Royer 30 seconds before halftime appeared to be a touchdown, but it was reversed to a touchback after replays showed the tight end fumbled the ball into the end zone before crossing the plane as he broke numerous tackles, fighting for extra yards.
Later, Royer had a spectacular 80-yard touchdown wiped away in the fourth quarter due to an ineligible man downfield penalty.
Cincinnati got the ball coming out of halftime and promptly went 75 yards on 12 plays. Sorsby picked up first downs on third down and fourth down with QB keepers to keep the drive alive. His quick slant pass to Tony Johnson set up a 1-yard Kiner touchdown to put Cincinnati in front 17-3 with 7:44 left in the third quarter.
The RedHawks responded when quarterback Brett Gabbert zipped a 58-yard touchdown to Reggie Virgil to make the score 17-10 at the 5:32 mark in the third.
On Cincinnati's first drive of the fourth quarter, Pryor streaked past Miami's defenders for his 65-yard score.
Up Next
Cincinnati heads back home to Historic Nippert Stadium to welcome Houston at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FS1.
The Bearcats took back the Victory Bell, avenging last season's overtime loss to take the lead in the 128th Battle for the Victory Bell. Cincinnati now holds a 61-60-7 record in the country's oldest non-conference rivalry. UC won its seventh-straight meeting at Yager Stadium.
"In our heads, before we even got here, we were getting that bell back and we knew it was going to be a fight," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "We knew it was going to be a dog fight. We didn't know how long it was going to take and it ended up taking up the whole game. What I loved about it was that it was a complete team win. Offense, defense and kicking. I can't say enough about the fight in those guys."
Senior running back Corey Kiner finished with 126 yards on 21 carries for his ninth-career 100-yard game.
Led by sixth-year senior defensive end Eric Phillips (career-best two sacks), the Bearcats held the RedHawks to only 24 rushing yards.
Fifth-year receiver Xzavier Henderson tallied 10 receptions for 108 yards. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brendan Sorsby completed 21 of 34 pass attempts for 186 yards and one touchdown.
Redshirt junior Evan Pryor's 65-yard touchdown on the Bearcats' first touch of the fourth quarter gave UC a 24-10 lead with 13 minutes left.
After Pryor's touchdown dash, Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cade McDonald with 7:57 left to bring Miami (Ohio) within eight points, but the RedHawks' two-point conversion attempt was stuffed by redshirt sophomore defensive back Antwan Peek Jr.
Following a Cincinnati punt, Gabbert found McDonald for a 51-yard completion before the Bearcats' defense proved too stout.
Hawks' 50-yard field goal with 59 seconds made the final score 27-16.
Sixth-year senior safety Derrick Canteen secured an end zone interception to stop the game-opening drive by the RedHawks.
Hawks drilled a 55-yard field goal with 3:27 left in the first quarter on his first career FBS field goal attempt to give Cincinnati a 3-0 lead. The remarkable field goal was tied for the second-longest in UC history and was the longest made since 2007. With his game-sealing kick in the final minute, Hawks became the first Bearcats kicker to connect on multiple field goals of 50 yards or longer in a single game. Hawks, a walk-on from Enon, Ohio, spent two years at NCAA Division III Wittenberg before transferring to Cincinnati prior to the 2023 season. He became the kickoff specialist midway through last fall and entered Saturday's game as the placekicker for the first time as a Bearcat.
"That's incredible story of what Nathan Hawks was able to accomplish today," Satterfield said. "I'm telling you, it just goes to show if you work hard, keep doing what you're supposed to do, when you get your opportunity, you're going to shine, and that's what he did. He never said anything. He just kept kicking. Kept kicking all camp. He did a great job for us, and never knew when his number was going to get called. He got called today in a big-time way and was able to make these two field goals. So, I'm really proud of him. It sets us up for conference season that starts next week with Houston."
Miami tied the game on a 30-yard field goal from Dom Dzioban in the first minute of the second quarter.
A fumbled snap by Miami punter Alec Bevelhimer led to a recovery by freshman defensive back Marqavious Saboor at the RedHawks' 3-yard line, setting up an easy touchdown toss from Sorsby to redshirt junior tight end Joe Royer to give the Bearcats a 10-3 lead at the 10:37 mark in the second quarter.
Sixth-year seniors Jared Bartlett and Phillips each tallied sacks midway through the second frame.
Sorsby engineered a 16-play, 95-yard drive at the end of the second half, completing eight passes. His pass to Royer 30 seconds before halftime appeared to be a touchdown, but it was reversed to a touchback after replays showed the tight end fumbled the ball into the end zone before crossing the plane as he broke numerous tackles, fighting for extra yards.
Later, Royer had a spectacular 80-yard touchdown wiped away in the fourth quarter due to an ineligible man downfield penalty.
Cincinnati got the ball coming out of halftime and promptly went 75 yards on 12 plays. Sorsby picked up first downs on third down and fourth down with QB keepers to keep the drive alive. His quick slant pass to Tony Johnson set up a 1-yard Kiner touchdown to put Cincinnati in front 17-3 with 7:44 left in the third quarter.
The RedHawks responded when quarterback Brett Gabbert zipped a 58-yard touchdown to Reggie Virgil to make the score 17-10 at the 5:32 mark in the third.
On Cincinnati's first drive of the fourth quarter, Pryor streaked past Miami's defenders for his 65-yard score.
Up Next
Cincinnati heads back home to Historic Nippert Stadium to welcome Houston at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FS1.