TicketsTUCSON, Ariz. – The Cincinnati Bearcats football team suffered its first setback of the season falling on the road to the Arizona Wildcats 34-7.
Cincinnati had plenty of opportunities on Saturday night but were on the losing end of a fourth-down conversion review, came away with no points on an 86-yard drive that stalled on a fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 2-yard line and forced a fumble into the back of the end zone that stayed with Arizona on a rare penalty for batting the football. UC also missed a 53-yard field goal when it bounced off the right post.
Arizona rushed for 238 yards and was led by fifth-year quarterback Noah Fifita, who finished 25-of-37 for 284 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a rushing score.
The Bearcats fall to 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Big 12. The Wildcats improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
The 11:00 p.m. ET kickoff marked Cincinnati’s latest game start since kicking off at 11:30 p.m. ET at Hawai’i on Dec. 6, 2008.
Arizona scored in the opening minutes when running back Kedrick Reescano capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to put the host Wildcats in front 7-0 at 10:21 in the first quarter as they did not look back the rest of the night.
Later in the first half, Cincinnati intercepted Fifita and saw safety Jasper Beeler stuff a fourth-down attempt by Arizona by flying into the backfield for a one-yard TFL. However, Cincinnati couldn’t convert the big plays into points.
Kicker Stephen Rusnak’s 53-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right post after safety MJ Cannon’s first-quarter pick. Midway through the second quarter, French engineered a 14-play, 86-yard drive all the way to the 2-yard line, but his fourth-and-goal pass to tight end Gavin Grover was incomplete.
Following their fourth-down stop, the Wildcats took a 10-0 lead following a 16-play, 92-yard drive that culminated in a 23-yard field goal by Michael Salgado-Medina with one second left in the second quarter.
Arizona held a commanding 239-106 advantage in total yards at the break and converted 5 of 8 third downs before the break. Arizona scored touchdowns on each of its first two second half possessions to put the game away.
Arizona racked up 522 yards of total offense, including rushing for 238 on the ground.
First Quarter
Cincinnati won the toss and deferred to the second half. On the game’s opening play, defensive lineman Drew Logan sacked Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita. The Wildcats then marched down the field on a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by running back Kedrick Reescano to take an early 7-0 lead.
The Bearcats failed to move the ball on their opening drive, going three-and-out before punter Max Fletcher boomed a 62-yard punt to pin Arizona inside its own 20-yard line to the 16-yard line and flip field position.
Cincinnati’s defense responded on the second drive as safety MJ Cannon intercepted Fifita as the Bearcats brought heavy pressure off the right side. The pick was Cannon’s second of the season. Starting in Arizona territory at the 32-yard line following the turnover, Cincinnati was unable to convert the short field into points. French was sacked for a 7-yard loss on third down. Kicker Stephen Rusnak then missed a 53-yard field goal attempt off the right crossbar, leaving the Bearcats empty-handed after the turnover.
Arizona dominated the opening quarter stat sheet, outgaining Cincinnati 124-20 in total yardage and picking up six first downs to the Bearcats' one. Despite UC going 0-for-4 on third-down conversions in the frame, the Cincinnati defense held firm to keep it a one-score game at 7-0 after 15 minutes.
Second Quarter
The Cincinnati offense found its rhythm midway through the second quarter, putting together a 14-play, 86-yard drive that included a 21-yard rush from French and a 23-yard third-down reception by Tabb. The Bearcats drove all the way to the Arizona 2-yard line, but French’s fourth-down pass to tight end Gavin Grover was incomplete.
Following their fourth-down stop, the Wildcats took a 10-0 lead following a 16-play, 92-yard drive that culminated in a 23-yard field goal by Michael Salgado-Medina with one second left in the second quarter.
Third Quarter
A huge momentum shift occurred in the third quarter as Arizona's Antwan Roberts broke free for 70-yard run heading towards a score before Jacob Finley punched the ball out from behind to force a fumble at the Cincinnati 12-yard line that bounced into the endzone, but Antwan Peek Jr batted the ball out of the back of the endzone instead of attempting to jump on the fumble, being ruled an illegal bat penalty in the end zone, giving Arizona a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line. Several plays later, Fifita capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to extend the Wildcats lead to three scores, 17-0.
The Bearcats marched down to Arizona’s 36-yard line on the ensuing possession. French rushed up the middle on 4th-and-5 and appeared to get the first down, but a review ruled him short of the line to gain.
Arizona extended its lead with a six-play, 68-yard scoring drive capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass from Fifita to wide receiver Brandon Phelps. Phelps hauled in the pass at the Cincinnati 14-yard line and took it the rest of the way down the right sideline to push the Wildcats lead to 24-0.
Fourth Quarter
The Wildcats extended their lead to 27-0 on a 35-yard field goal with 12:11 remaining. Arizona added to the lead on its next possession, capping a 13-play, 71-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown reception to Tyler Powell with 5:21 remaining.
Cincinnati got on the board with 1:56 remaining when French scored on a two-yard rush up the middle. The touchdown capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive and made it 34-7, which would be the final score.
UP NEXT
The Bearcats are off next weekend (Oct. 10) for its only bye week of the season and will be back in action on Saturday, October 17, traveling to Morgantown to play West Virginia. A kickoff time and TV designation is expected to be announced on Monday, Oct. 5.