The Cincinnati Bearcats survived a scare in the Battle for the Victory Bell, slipping past Miami (OH) 35-31 after spending much of Saturday night on the ropes.
This was not a clean win. Cincinnati opened flat, looked unprepared for the variety Miami threw at its passing game, and spent the first half giving away control. The Bearcats fell behind 28-7 at one point and were never really comfortable until the final stretch, when they finally pieced together enough stops to keep Miami out of the end zone in the second half.
Miami quarterback David McComb made the Bearcats work for every inch. He finished 17-of-28 for 334 yards with one touchdown and one interception, a line that reflected how much trouble Cincinnati had containing him. The RedHawks even opened the game with a kickoff return touchdown, and Cincinnati never led until the last five minutes.
The numbers from the first half were rough. Cincinnati allowed 10 yards per play before the break and simply did not have answers for Miami’s passing attack. The Bearcats also handed away momentum with a missed field goal and a turnover in the third quarter, piling more pressure onto a team that was supposed to cruise as a 14-15 point favorite with a 93% win probability on ESPN’s Matchup Predictor.
Scott Satterfield’s team needed this one badly, especially with a chance to start 4-0 in the September games across the Queen City. That goal is still alive, but the margin for error keeps shrinking with one of the tougher remaining Big 12 schedules ahead. Next up is a projected coin-flip matchup against Kansas State, and Saturday’s first half made clear how quickly a promising season can wobble.
Cincinnati’s offense eventually did enough to save the day, and JC French IV was the engine behind the comeback. He went 31-of-43 for 309 yards, two passing touchdowns and a rushing score, taking six hits and getting sacked three times while facing his toughest pressure of the year. He opened hot, starting 8-of-9, then faded before finding another gear and directing four second-half touchdown drives.
Cole Tabb also gave the Bearcats a jolt, needing just six carries to pile up 78 yards and score twice. That burst helped steady a game that had been spinning out of control.
Defensively, though, Cincinnati has plenty to clean up. Miami freshman McComb looked completely comfortable, especially early, when he posted a 227.8 passer rating in the first two quarters and helped set a career-best passing day for himself along with a receiving-yardage high for Maleek Huggins. Five different Miami receivers topped 30 yards, and Cincinnati never really adjusted to the rhythm McComb found.
Jacob Finley spent much of the afternoon on the wrong end of those plays, with Miami repeatedly attacking his side of the field. He was beaten on several routes, though he did come through with a huge pass breakup in the end zone on Miami’s final drive to help seal the win.
Cincinnati has now taken the all-time series 62-60-7 in the nation’s longest-running non-conference FBS rivalry, with no other matchups scheduled. The Bearcats escaped, but only just.
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