Cincinnati walked out of Morgantown with another frustrating chapter in its long search for a win over West Virginia, and this one had plenty of fireworks before it slipped away. The Bearcats blew a couple of leads and fell 45-42 in a game that turned into a shootout, with neither defense capable of stopping the other side for long.
West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins Jr. had a huge day, throwing for 464 yards and three touchdowns while adding 77 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. Cincinnati had chances to grab control, but the defense never produced the kind of game-sealing turnover it needed, and Nate Woody’s unit kept running into the same problem: injuries, leaks in the middle, and no clean answer for an offense that kept coming.
That’s been the story of this stretch for Cincinnati’s defense. The Bearcats have now given up 105 points across three conference games, and the issues were on full display again Saturday. Josh Hough left with an ankle injury, Gi'Bran Payne was already on the mend, and the unit kept taking hits while trying to keep pace in a game that became a track meet.
The offense, at least, showed up ready from the start. Cincinnati rolled up over 1,200 yards combined with West Virginia, and the Bearcats’ attack averaged an eye-popping 8.9 yards per play. That came against one of the nation’s weakest defenses, but it was still a sharp response heading into homecoming next week.
Brendan Sorsby matched the moment for stretches and at times outplayed Hawkins. His biggest throw came on a 59-yard third-down strike to Malachi Henry with less than seven minutes left. Sorsby finished with 389 passing yards, three touchdowns, 51 rushing yards, and one score, and he remains one of just four FBS passers not to throw an interception this season, among quarterbacks with at least 120 attempts.
The passing game found plenty of room against a West Virginia defense that entered the day allowing the most 20-plus-yard plays in the country. JV Gibson was again a factor, catching seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown after West Virginia had shut him down the way the Wildcats did. Sorsby kept finding scramble lanes and spread the ball around when plays broke down.
Cole Tabb stepped into a bigger role and made it count. He ran 15 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns, caught four passes for 51 yards and another score, and finished runs with authority all afternoon. Cincinnati also benefited from a deep, productive day across the offense, even with Payne out of the picture early.
The Bearcats did have their usual penalty problems, but this time they weren’t the kind that completely wrecked drives. The bigger issue was on the other side of the ball, where nothing seemed to hold up long enough to matter.
Even so, Cincinnati got a strong individual effort in the middle from its defensive leader. He posted a career-high 15 tackles and added a QB hit on Hawkins while trying to keep one of the Big 12’s best offenses from taking over the game for good. West Virginia came in averaging 295.8 rushing yards per game, but the Mountaineers were held under 200 on the ground.
That wasn’t enough to save the afternoon, though. Cincinnati is now 0-3 against West Virginia in the Big 12 and 4-2 overall, with four ranked opponents still waiting in the final six games.
Next up is a homecoming matchup with No. 10 Texas Tech next Saturday, and the kickoff time will be announced on Sunday.
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
Illinois is about to get a first look at a Cincinnati team that looks very different from the one it would have seen a year ago. The Bearcats have a new head coach in Jerrod Calhoun, and he has remade the roster quickly with transfers, giving this exhibition a feel more like an early-season test than a tuneup. For Illinois, the trip to Cincinnati comes with a chance to see how its own group handles a team that is still new, but already carries the edge of a program trying to establish itself under fresh direction.
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 Let A Winnable Shootout Slip Away At Worst Time
Cincinnati had a chance to turn a wild Big 12 shootout into a statement win, but instead watched it slip away in the closing minutes at the worst possible time. West Virginia edged the Bearcats 45-42, a result that left Cincinnati with more regret than answers after an afternoon that featured plenty of offense and not nearly enough stops.
The blow was made heavier by the injuries the Bearcats absorbed along the way, with defensive lineman Josh Hough and starting running back Gi'Bran Payne both leaving the game. Now Cincinnati has to regroup quickly with Texas Tech coming to Nippert Stadium on Oct. 24 for Homecoming, where the margin for mistakes will be just as thin. [Read more 🡒]