TicketsLAWRENCE, Kan. – The Cincinnati football team was unfazed by Kansas’ late touchdown and lead, answering with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive that was capped by Tawee Walker’s two-yard score with 29 seconds left, stunning Kansas’ sold-out crowd in a 37-34 win on Saturday afternoon at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby (440 total yards, two touchdowns) outdueled Kansas' Jalon Daniels (445 passing yards, four touchdowns) in a historic shootout that featured exactly 1,200 combined yards.
Noah Jennings’ one-handed catch-and-run on 4th-and-10 with a minute left kept the Bearcats’ hopes alive and brought them into KU territory. Back-to-back Sorsby completions pushed it to the red zone, and Walker darted 17 yards up the middle to reach the Kansas 2 with 32 seconds left, scoring on the very next play.
Kansas’ aforementioned late lead was its first since the opening minutes, coming by way of a 6-yard Daniels' touchdown pass with 1:45 remaining.
The Bearcats were without injured All-America nose tackle Dontay Corleone, but the defense made the plays when in counted most, including a forced fumble by Antwan Peek Jr. stopping Daniels inches from the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
Sorsby finished 29-of-43, completing passes to nine different Bearcats. Cyrus Allen’s 11 catches were a career-high to go with 128 yards and two scores. Evan Pryor (90 yards) and Walker (73) carried the run game on a combined 24 carries, while Sorsby had 13 for 52.
The Bearcats improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12, while Kansas dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
"I'm extremely proud of our guys," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "To come on the road in our first Big 12 game, and to get not just any victory, but this kind of victory in a back-and-forth game with both offenses in good rhythm is huge. I thought Antwan Peek knocking that ball out at the goal line was the play of the game. Brendan Sorsby played his butt off. He was running, throwing, playing with poise and never hung his head. We also had four touchdowns called back, three on offense and one on special teams, and a couple of deep balls as well because of penalties. It says a lot about our guys. We're excited about celebrating this win for a few hours, and then it's time to move on to Iowa State."
Daniels finished with 500 total yards and tossed touchdown passes of 93 yards and 75 yards to receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr., who finished with five catches for 214 yards.
Linebacker Jake Golday led the Cincinnati defense with eight tackles, including timely stops down the stretch.
First Quarter
After a 53-yard Max Fletcher punt pinned Kansas back at their own 7-yard line, Daniels found Henderson sprinting down the sideline for a 93-yard touchdown on the home team’s first play from scrimmage.
The Bearcats answered with a 13-play 75-yard drive, converting two fourth downs on the series. Sorsby found sophomore Isaiah Johnson for a 33-yard reception that set up a 1-yard touchdown rush by Walker to tie the game, 7-7, at the 6:10 mark in the first quarter.
Second Quarter
Kicker Stephen Rusnak drilled a 29-yard field goal to cap an 11-play 61-yard drive to start the second quarter. Kansas answered with a field goal of its own – a 27-yarder from Laith Marjan – to make the score 10-10 with 10 minutes left in the first half.
The Bearcats quickly marched down the field on their first full possession of the second quarter with Sorsby finding Allen for a 10-yard touchdown to put UC back in front 17-10 at the 7:09 mark in the second quarter.
The two teams traded field goals at the end of quarter with Marjan making a 35-yarder at the 3:15 mark and Rusnak hitting a 43-yader as time expired. Rusnak’s field goal was set up by a 46-yard run from Pryor.
Cincinnati led 20-13 at halftime.
Third Quarter
Kansas tied the game, 20-20, when Daniels found tight end Boden Groen for a 20-yard touchdown on the Jayhawks’ first possession of the second half.
Cincinnati regained the lead with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sorsby to Allen to make the score 27-20 at the 8:54 mark in the third quarter.
Kansas answered right back when Daniels found Henderson – again – for a 75-yard touchdown to tie the game 27-27 10 seconds later.
Sophomore tight end Gavin Grover’s first career catch went for 33 yards and he nearly found paydirt, but he was stopped at the 1. After Walker’s 1-yard TD run was called back due to a holding penalty, Cincinnati settled for a 24-yard field goal from Rusnak and took a 30-27 lead into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Kansas drove down to the Cincinnati 2-yard line and looked to take the lead, but Peek Jr. forced a fumble on Daniels and recovered it to give the Bearcats the ball back.
The Jayhawks converted a fourth down by inches before the 2-minute timeout at the UC 21. It led to Daniels lofting a six-yard pass to a standing Levi Wentz in the back of the endzone to give Kansas a 34-30 lead with 1:45 left.
Sorsby’s 38-yard completion to Johnson down to the KU 27 was negated after it was ruled he stepped out of bounds before the catch. Still, Jennings’ miraculous grab, followed by its succeeding completions and Walker’s two clutch carries did the rest en route to the Cincinnati victory.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati returns to a sold-out Historic Nippert Stadium to host Iowa State at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 4. The game will be televised on ESPN2.