Cincinnati didn’t just beat No. 8 Texas Tech on Saturday. The Bearcats took control of the game in the second quarter and never let the Red Raiders find their footing, rolling to a 37-24 upset that stands as the biggest win of the Scott Satterfield era.
The victory pushed Cincinnati to 5-2 and gave the program a much-needed response after last week’s disappointing loss to West Virginia. It was the kind of performance that repairs some of the damage from that setback - and then some.
JC French IV set the tone for everything that followed. He threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter as Cincinnati built a 24-6 halftime lead, then kept the pressure on with key throws after the break as Texas Tech tried to claw back into it.
French finished 19-of-29 for 172 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. His first interception was wiped out after officials overturned a targeting call early in the third quarter.
The scoring spread around, too. French connected for touchdowns with four different Bearcats: Cole Tabb, Malachi Henry, Lyviel Waters and Larenzo Fenner. Fenner’s score in the third quarter pushed Cincinnati ahead 31-15 and effectively slammed the door on the Red Raiders.
Tabb was just as central to the win on the ground. He rushed for a career-high 173 yards and added a 58-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, putting the finishing touch on the upset.
Cincinnati’s defense backed up the offense with a night that left Texas Tech searching for answers. The Bearcats allowed just six first-half points, held the Red Raiders to four field goals while the game was still in reach, and forced three turnovers overall. Texas Tech also missed a field goal in the third quarter after an interception.
The result moved Cincinnati to 2-2 in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech dropped to 3-1 in the conference and 6-1 overall.
Next up, the Bearcats get a chance to stack another ranked win. No. 10 Utah visits Nippert Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, with kickoff set for 3:45 pm ET.
In Other News...
Cincinnati Made Texas Tech Regret All That Offseason Talk
Texas Tech spent most of the afternoon in control, but Cincinnati had the final say in a 37-24 win that left the visitors in no mood to celebrate. The Bearcats waited out the closing minutes and walked off with a result that landed hard in Lubbock, especially after an offseason full of big talk around the Red Raiders.
The reaction only sharpened the sting. Billionaire booster Cody Campbell criticized the loss publicly, and Texas Tech officials were seen at the postgame news conference with somber expressions. It was more than a bad setback in one game, too, because the loss leaves Texas Tech needing to run the table from here to keep its College Football Playoff hopes on solid ground. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Just Got A Fresh Boost In A Tight Bowl Race
ESPNs updated FPI numbers after Week 8 put a fresh spotlight on the middle of the Big 12 race, where bowl position and postseason survival can change quickly from one result to the next. Cincinnati was among the teams whose outlook shifted, alongside programs such as Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Texas Tech, as the model recalibrated after another busy weekend of conference play and the leagues ever-shifting pecking order.
For the Bearcats, the larger takeaway is that their path is still very much in motion, with every October result now carrying real weight in the projections. A strong recent showing helped move the needle in a way Cincinnati needed, and with the FPI board now updated, the pressure only grows as the next round of games will say even more about where the Bearcats fit in the postseason picture. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Just Changed The Season Conversation With One Huge Win
Cincinnati walked into Saturday carrying a fair amount of noise after its 4-0 start had been followed by two losses, but the Bearcats left with the kind of win that can reset the conversation in a hurry. A 37-24 victory over No. 8 Texas Tech was the sort of result that does more than tidy up a record - it gives a team something sturdier to stand on as the schedule gets deeper and the stakes get higher.
The details made it even more striking. Cincinnati kept finding the end zone through the air when it got into scoring range, while Texas Tech came away with far less from its own red zone chances. Cole Tabb gave the Bearcats a powerful ground presence too, running with control and burst throughout the afternoon as Cincinnati handled one of its biggest tests of the season. [Read more 🡒]