MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Cincinnati had the yards, the ground production and plenty of chances, but West Virginia had the final stop.
Jack Cassidy’s 35-yard field goal with the game on the line lifted the Mountaineers past the Bearcats 45-42 on Saturday in front of 48,106 at Milan Puskar Stadium. West Virginia denied UC on its last possession, then marched from its own 1-yard line to get Cassidy in range for the winner.
The Bearcats had three straight scoring drives before West Virginia finally slammed the door late in the fourth quarter. That last possession also marked the Mountaineers’ fourth consecutive scoring drive.
Cincinnati is still searching for its first win of October after opening September 4-0.
JC French IV led UC’s attack by going 22-for-30 for 389 yards and three touchdowns, while Cole Tabb delivered 118 rushing yards with two scores on the ground and another touchdown catch. Cincinnati piled up 622 total yards to West Virginia’s 598 and outrushed the Mountaineers 233-134, but it still wasn’t enough.
Michael Hawkins Jr. matched the shootout pace for West Virginia, finishing 25-for-33 for 464 yards and three touchdowns in the Homecoming win.
The result pushed West Virginia to a 19-3-1 lead in the all-time series and extended its winning streak over UC to five games. Cincinnati’s last victory in the matchup came in 2009, when Brian Kelly’s Bearcats went perfect in the regular season and won the Big East.
UC dropped to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big 12, while West Virginia improved to 4-3 and 1-3 in conference play.
The game turned into a track meet almost from the start. UC’s first snap from scrimmage was a deep shot from French to JV Gibson that fell incomplete, a clear hint at how the Bearcats wanted to attack. Gibson bounced back to lead Cincinnati’s receivers with seven catches after going without a catch at Arizona, and French spread the ball to nine different targets while again avoiding an interception.
On the ground, Cincinnati’s offense took a hit when starting running back Gi'Bran Payne went down. Payne, the Bearcats’ top rusher entering the game, was injured after carrying seven times for 26 yards.
Josh Hough also had to be helped off the field in the first quarter and was lost for the game. He was replaced by several defensive linemen, including Elijah Gunn and freshman Jonathan Rulo.
Even with Payne out, Tabb stepped in and kept the run game moving, with Zylan Perry also helping pick up the slack.
West Virginia entered the game averaging nearly 295 rushing yards per game, and Cincinnati had been averaging almost 231 on the ground. By the fourth quarter, though, neither Hawkins nor Cam Cook had reached the rushing numbers they had shown in previous games. Both quarterbacks, however, did their damage through the air, and both teams kept trading punches until the final stop decided it.
If you took the over of 63.5, you were more than correct.
UC returns home to Nippert Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24, to face Texas Tech in its Homecoming game. Kickoff time has not yet been announced.
In Other News...
Illinois Opens At Cincinnati With One Roster Battle Worth Watching
Illinois will get its first live tune-up of the 2026-27 season at Cincinnati, and even in an exhibition setting there should be plenty to watch for a roster still taking shape. Brad Underwood plans to use the entire bench, which means the game will serve as an early look at all of the freshmen while the Illini try to push the pace more than they did a season ago.
Among the newcomers, Stefan Vaaks figures to draw the most attention because of how he fits into that faster style of play. The game itself will not be televised, so the only real snapshots will come from those in the building, but for a team trying to establish its identity early, the rotation decisions and the way the freshmen handle their first real action should offer an important first read. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnatis Rebuilt Roster Could Test Illinois Right Away
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The challenge is not just the unfamiliar faces, but the way Cincinnati has already started to look organized under Calhoun. The Bearcats have mixed in plenty of new pieces, including several players from Utah State, and they already have one exhibition showing under their belt before Illinois arrives. That makes Saturday a useful measuring stick for the Illini, who will be facing a roster built almost from scratch and trying to sort out how ready it is to compete right away. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Still Have One Alarming Problem After Another West Virginia Collapse
Cincinnati walked out of Morgantown with another gut-punch loss, but the bigger concern from a 45-42 shootout is how familiar the pattern felt. The offense did enough to win, with Ben Bryant helping keep the Bearcats moving and Cole Tabb making his presence felt, yet the defense was again stretched thin while dealing with injuries and giving up far too much ground.
The result leaves Cincinnati at 4-2 and still searching for a cleaner answer on that side of the ball as the schedule tightens. Homecoming against Texas Tech now arrives as more than just a celebration game, because the Bearcats need a reset fast if they want the rest of the season to stay on track. [Read more 🡒]