TicketsORLANDO – Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brendan Sorsby shook off two first-half interceptions to pass for 241 yards and a touchdown to lead the Cincinnati football team to a 19-13 victory over UCF at FBC Mortgage Stadium.
The Knights managed to drive to the Cincinnati 25-yard line with two seconds left and had a chance to win, but linebacker Jared Bartlett sacked UCF quarterback Jacurri Brown to emphatically end the game.
The Bearcats improved to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, while the Knights dropped to 3-3 and 1-2 in the conference.
Sorsby completed his first 10 pass attempts of the second half. After his first incompletion after halftime, he lofted a perfect 4-yard touchdown pass to Tony Johnson to extend the Bearcats' lead to 19-10, with 6:30 left in the game.
The Knights gave true freshman E.J. Colson his first career start at quarterback, but redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown played the majority of the game under center. Previous starter and Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson did not play.
Brown zipped a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Hudson to tie the game 10-10 with 8:26 left in the third quarter.
Cincinnati took the lead back, 13-10, when Nathan Hawks drilled a 51-yard field goal at 3:06 in the third.
Sparked by a sack from linebacker Jake Golday, the Bearcats forced the Knights to punt on the next possession.
UC's drive to start the fourth quarter stalled at midfield, but senior Mason Fletcher unleashed a 45-yard punt that was downed at the 1-yard line with 12:32 left in the game.
After a UCF 3-and-out, Cincinnati took advantage of a short field and marched 52 yards for the score. The drive was capped by Sorsby's TD toss to Johnson.
The Bearcats led 10-3 at halftime during a wild first half that featured three turnovers in the game's first 15 plays and three fumbles and two interceptions overall before the break.
UCF moved the ball near the red zone on the game's opening drive, but Bartlett ripped the ball loose from Knights' running back Johnny Richardson.
Kiner had a season-long 46-yard rush on Cincinnati's second play, but the Bearcats gave the ball back to the Knights after Sorsby was intercepted by cornerback BJ Adams.
UC had another takeaway when Richardson fumbled again – this time on a screen pass, as UC linebacker Jake Golday poked the ball free and pounced on it, giving Cincinnati 1st-and-goal from the UCF 5-yard line. The Bearcats were unable to punch into the endzone, however, and took a 3-0 lead on a 22-yard field goal from Hawks.
On Cincinnati's third drive, Sorsby converted three third downs and picked up another when wide receiver Jamoi Mayes drew a pass interference penalty. UC's 6-3, 228-pound signal-caller capped the 11-play, 61-yard drive by bulldozing into the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown rush that staked the Bearcats to a 10-0 lead with 14:56 left in the second quarter.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati head back to Historic Nippert Stadium to host Arizona State on Oct. 19 at 12 p.m. ET for a homecoming clash on ESPN+.