TicketsAMES, Iowa – The Cincinnati football team rushed for a season-best 287 yards, but committed a season-high 13 penalties and ultimately fell to Iowa State, 34-17, on Saturday night at MidAmerican Field at Jack Trice Stadium.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby rushed for a career-best 143 yards, including two 41-yard rushes, but he was held to a season-low 66 yards passing on 11-of-19 attempts. Senior running back Corey Kiner added 120 yards on 18 carries. The duo became the first pair of Bearcats to rush for at least 100 yards in a game since Kiner and Ryan Montgomery did so last year vs. UCF.
The Bearcats held Iowa State to just 114 yards in the first half, but were doomed by penalties, while Iowa State had several chunk plays on special teams, including a 22-yard rush on a fake punt in the third quarter.
Cincinnati dropped to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12, while Iowa State improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the league.
"We did some good things tonight, but obviously we did some bad things as well," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "Ultimately, it was a great battle. I thought it was a great football game up until the last seven minutes. We need to learn how to finish, as a program. You can't play well for 54 minutes, you have to play well for 60 minutes. You can't relax or give in, you can't make mistakes in the last six minutes against good football teams because this is what will happen. That's the bottom line. They finished, we didn't."
The Bearcats scored first in the game, taking a 7-0 lead on 10-play, 75-yard opening drive when Sorsby orchestrated a perfect option pitch to Evan Pryor for a 12-yard score five minutes into the game. After forcing a UC punt later in the first quarter, Iowa State returned Jaylin Noel returned the kick 28 yards to set up a short field for the Cyclones. ISU took advantage and tied the game on 2-yard touchdown rush by Carson Hansen at the 1:56 mark in the first quarter to cap a five-play 39-yard drive.
On UC's third possession, Sorsby completed a 10-yard strike on third down to keep the drive alive and then sprinted 41 yards on the first play of the second quarter – the longest rush of his career – to place the Bearcats in the red zone and set up kicker Nathan Hawks' 29-yard field goal that gave Cincinnati a 10-7 lead with 12:18 left in the first half.
Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrady's 37-yard field goal tied the game 10-10 with eight seconds left in the second quarter.
The Cyclones took their first lead, 17-10, on the opening drive of the third quarter when quarterback Rocco Becht found tight end Stevo Klotz for a 26-yard score at the 10:04 mark in the third quarter.
Cincinnati was in position to tie the game a few plays later, having driven to the Iowa State 13-yard line, but ISU defensive back Malik Verdon punched the ball loose while Sorsby was falling to the ground on an 8-yard run.
After forcing the turnover, Iowa State lined up to punt on 4th-and-9 from its own 42-yard line and executed a perfect fake with up-back Klotz taking the direct snap and rumbling 22 yards for the first down. Four plays later, Konrady made a 52-yard field goal to put the Cyclones in front 20-10 at the 2:53 mark in the third quarter.
The Bearcats snatched momentum back early in the fourth quarter when freshman safety Jiquan Sanks forced a fumble, while stuffing ISU running back Carter Hansen. The play gave Cincinnati the ball in plus territory.
Cincinnati took advantage, with Sorsby sprinting 41 yards to paydirt to bring UC within three, 20-17, with 11:44 left in the game.
After UC's score get within a field goal, ISU put the game away with a seven-and-a-half-minute, 15-play, clock-churning drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown run by Becht to put Iowa State ahead 27-17 with four minutes left.
The Cyclones capped the scoring with a 27-yard rushing touchdown from Abu Sama on a 4th-and-2 with 1:14 to play to bring about the final score of 34-17.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati heads to Kansas State next Saturday to face the Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. Kickoff time and TV network are still to be determined.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby rushed for a career-best 143 yards, including two 41-yard rushes, but he was held to a season-low 66 yards passing on 11-of-19 attempts. Senior running back Corey Kiner added 120 yards on 18 carries. The duo became the first pair of Bearcats to rush for at least 100 yards in a game since Kiner and Ryan Montgomery did so last year vs. UCF.
The Bearcats held Iowa State to just 114 yards in the first half, but were doomed by penalties, while Iowa State had several chunk plays on special teams, including a 22-yard rush on a fake punt in the third quarter.
Cincinnati dropped to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12, while Iowa State improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the league.
"We did some good things tonight, but obviously we did some bad things as well," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "Ultimately, it was a great battle. I thought it was a great football game up until the last seven minutes. We need to learn how to finish, as a program. You can't play well for 54 minutes, you have to play well for 60 minutes. You can't relax or give in, you can't make mistakes in the last six minutes against good football teams because this is what will happen. That's the bottom line. They finished, we didn't."
The Bearcats scored first in the game, taking a 7-0 lead on 10-play, 75-yard opening drive when Sorsby orchestrated a perfect option pitch to Evan Pryor for a 12-yard score five minutes into the game. After forcing a UC punt later in the first quarter, Iowa State returned Jaylin Noel returned the kick 28 yards to set up a short field for the Cyclones. ISU took advantage and tied the game on 2-yard touchdown rush by Carson Hansen at the 1:56 mark in the first quarter to cap a five-play 39-yard drive.
On UC's third possession, Sorsby completed a 10-yard strike on third down to keep the drive alive and then sprinted 41 yards on the first play of the second quarter – the longest rush of his career – to place the Bearcats in the red zone and set up kicker Nathan Hawks' 29-yard field goal that gave Cincinnati a 10-7 lead with 12:18 left in the first half.
Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrady's 37-yard field goal tied the game 10-10 with eight seconds left in the second quarter.
The Cyclones took their first lead, 17-10, on the opening drive of the third quarter when quarterback Rocco Becht found tight end Stevo Klotz for a 26-yard score at the 10:04 mark in the third quarter.
Cincinnati was in position to tie the game a few plays later, having driven to the Iowa State 13-yard line, but ISU defensive back Malik Verdon punched the ball loose while Sorsby was falling to the ground on an 8-yard run.
After forcing the turnover, Iowa State lined up to punt on 4th-and-9 from its own 42-yard line and executed a perfect fake with up-back Klotz taking the direct snap and rumbling 22 yards for the first down. Four plays later, Konrady made a 52-yard field goal to put the Cyclones in front 20-10 at the 2:53 mark in the third quarter.
The Bearcats snatched momentum back early in the fourth quarter when freshman safety Jiquan Sanks forced a fumble, while stuffing ISU running back Carter Hansen. The play gave Cincinnati the ball in plus territory.
Cincinnati took advantage, with Sorsby sprinting 41 yards to paydirt to bring UC within three, 20-17, with 11:44 left in the game.
After UC's score get within a field goal, ISU put the game away with a seven-and-a-half-minute, 15-play, clock-churning drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown run by Becht to put Iowa State ahead 27-17 with four minutes left.
The Cyclones capped the scoring with a 27-yard rushing touchdown from Abu Sama on a 4th-and-2 with 1:14 to play to bring about the final score of 34-17.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati heads to Kansas State next Saturday to face the Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. Kickoff time and TV network are still to be determined.