Cincinnati came within seconds of ending a long drought in Morgantown, only to watch West Virginia steal the finish with a 35-yard field goal at the horn and walk away with a 45-42 win.
The Bearcats spent the entire night hanging on to the lead or sharing it. They opened fast, grabbed a 7-0 edge and never trailed until the final whistle.
But in a game full of offensive fireworks, West Virginia got the last burst it needed. Jack Cassidy’s kick as time expired capped a wild shootout and pushed the Mountaineers to a 19-3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Cincinnati had chances to close it out. The Bearcats had answered every West Virginia touchdown through the first five scores, but the late-game sequence turned against them.
After a quick three-and-out with a little more than two minutes left, Max Fletcher pinned the Mountaineers at their own 1-yard line with a 66-yard punt. From there, though, West Virginia found just enough space to survive.
On 3rd-and-9 from his own 2, Michael Hawkins Jr. uncorked a deep pass down the left sideline to Preston Strachan, who worked his defender in one-on-one coverage and made the play. That catch flipped the field position problem back onto Cincinnati. Strachan then added a 39-yard catch-and-run to move West Virginia into range for Cassidy’s winner.
That final sequence summed up what Cincinnati’s defense dealt with all night. West Virginia piled up 464 passing yards and three touchdown throws from Hawkins, who broke loose for seven completions of more than 30 yards.
His final four completions all covered at least 36 yards, including the 40-yard tying touchdown to Cam Cook. He was at his sharpest in the fourth quarter, when the Mountaineers put up 24 of their 45 points.
West Virginia’s passing game carried the day even though the Mountaineers are usually known for their ground production. DJ Epps was a constant problem for the Bearcats, catching eight passes for 163 yards. Strachan finished as the late hero, with two of his three receptions coming on the final march to set up the game-winning kick.
Cincinnati’s offense did its part for most of the afternoon. JC French IV threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, setting a new career high through the air and staying interception-free through six starts. Cole Tabb powered the ground game with 118 rushing yards and two scores, and the Bearcats outrushed West Virginia by 99 yards.
The game itself was a track meet. The teams combined for 1,220 yards, with Cincinnati finishing at 622 and West Virginia at 598.
Neither side turned it over, though the Bearcats did leave points on the field early when they failed on 4th-and-1 from the West Virginia 15-yard line on their second drive. A conversion there could have turned a fast start into a 14-0 cushion.
Instead, every answer had to be earned the hard way, and Cincinnati never managed to keep West Virginia down long enough in the second half. The Mountaineers answered all three Bearcats touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and they did it quickly. None of those touchdown drives took even two minutes of clock, and the final possession that set up Cassidy’s kick lasted only 2:05.
West Virginia improved to 4-3 and 1-3 in the Big 12, snapping a three-game losing streak and picking up its first conference win of 2026. Even with the defensive issues still hanging around, Hawkins’ performance stood out as one of the best passing days in program history.
His 464 yards ranked fifth all-time and marked the most in a game under Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez matched his win total from his first season of his second stint in Morgantown and will have a chance to top it next Saturday at TCU.
For Cincinnati, the loss dropped the Bearcats to 4-2 and 1-2 in the Big 12 and extended a rough stretch in league play. They have now lost six of their last seven Big 12 games and are still looking for their first road win of 2026.
Next Saturday, they return home to Nippert Stadium to face undefeated No. 8 Texas Tech.
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The more immediate challenge is that the Bearcats are doing it while managing some injury concerns, even as MJ Collins has returned to game action and remains eligible under a recent executive order. Calhoun also had reason to smile about the way the backcourt responded against Illinois, with Eric Mahaffey taking on the point guard duties in a stretch that showed the staff how flexible this roster may need to be if the early-season tests keep getting tougher. [Read more 🡒]
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The concern came at the other end, where Cincinnati had trouble controlling the glass and spent too much of the night chasing Illinois points. Giving up that many clean looks and losing the rebounding battle is the kind of early warning sign that can linger for a team still trying to sort out its identity, even with Calhoun acknowledging the defensive issues and pointing to the Bearcats' long-term potential. [Read more 🡒]