Cincinnati made sure the final Victory Bell stayed put.
Down 28-7 at the half and staring at what looked like a RedHawk celebration, the Bearcats ripped off a wild second-half rally to beat Miami (OH), 35-31, on Saturday at TQL Stadium. It was the 129th meeting between the programs, and because this was the final matchup for the foreseeable future, the trophy now sits with Cincinnati after the Bearcats clinched the series.
That was the whole fight in a nutshell: Miami had the Bell within reach, Cincinnati yanked it away late. The Bearcats entered the day trailing the all-time series 61-60-7, so a win would give them the outright edge. They got it in dramatic fashion, surviving a furious finish and sealing win No. 62 in the oldest non-conference rivalry in college football.
Cole Tabb was the spark Cincinnati needed, even if he arrived at the rivalry without any real history. The Stanford transfer turned in a breakthrough performance with 78 rushing yards, 43 receiving yards and three total touchdowns. He scored Cincinnati’s only touchdown of the first half, cut into the gap in the third quarter, then delivered the knockout blow with 1:29 left, breaking free for a 53-yard touchdown run to give the Bearcats their first lead of the day.
Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV also played a major role, piling up a season-high 309 passing yards. He threw two touchdown passes and added another score on the ground, helping steady the offense as the comeback built.
Miami’s offense had its moments too, especially early. Redshirt freshman quarterback David McComb, making his third collegiate start, threw for 334 yards, the most by a RedHawk quarterback since the 2024 Victory Bell. The RedHawks came flying out of the gate before McComb even touched the ball, taking a 7-0 lead on the opening kickoff when true freshman Scoop Smith, listed at 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds, returned it for a touchdown.
Miami kept rolling from there. Lazaro Rogers scored on the ground, McComb added a rushing touchdown, and then McComb hit Maleek Huggins on a 36-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the half. That put the RedHawks up 28-7, their biggest lead in the rivalry since 2005.
But the second half belonged to Cincinnati, and Miami kept leaving the door open. The RedHawks missed a 36-yard field goal, threw an interception, kicked a field goal from the 1-yard line and then missed a 45-yard field goal on four straight possessions. Those wasted chances gave the Bearcats the runway they needed to keep climbing back.
The chaos wasn’t over after Tabb’s go-ahead score. Miami still pushed deep into Cincinnati territory on its final drive, reaching the Bearcats’ 33-yard line.
That’s where outside linebacker Antwan Peek Jr., who finished with a team-high nine tackles, came through with the game-sealing strip sack. Defensive end Drew Logan recovered the fumble, and that was that.
The RedHawks had already fumbled four times in the fourth quarter, recovering the first three before Logan finally landed on the last one. Cincinnati had waited all quarter for the takeaway, and when it came, it locked up the comeback and the Bell.
For now, the trophy stays in Cincinnati, where it will remain unless the schools decide to play again. And after a 21-point second-half rally, the final Victory Bell game will be remembered the way these games always are when they go off the rails: loud, messy, and impossible to forget.
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Bearcats Escaped A Scare But One Problem Still Looks Serious
The Bearcats survived a tense cross-town test with a 35-31 win over Miami (OH), erasing a 28-7 halftime deficit in a game that exposed some real early issues. JC French IV helped steady Cincinnati after the break, and the defense settled in enough to keep Miami out of the end zone in the second half, turning what looked like a damaging night into a comeback victory.
Still, the box score did not hide everything. Miami quarterback David McComb put together a career-best passing performance, and Cincinnatis first-half defense spent too much time on its heels before tightening up later. The rally was impressive, but the Bearcats also left with a reminder that the margin for error is thin if the early-game problems show up again. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnati Just Earned A New Ohio Bragging Right
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The study showed satisfaction rising across mega, large and medium airports in North America, with Tampa International Airport leading the large-airport category and Charleston International Airport topping medium airports. For Cincinnati, the state-level distinction is the kind of off-field bragging right that matters more than it might first seem, especially in a region where ease of travel can shape how fans, visitors and businesses move in and out of town. [Read more 🡒]
JC French Gave Bearcats Fans A Rivalry Win To Believe In
At TQL Stadium, JC French gave Cincinnati fans exactly the kind of rivalry performance they were hoping to see, and then some. The Bearcats quarterback turned in a career night with 309 passing yards, added two touchdown throws and also found the end zone on the ground as UC rallied for a 35-31 comeback win over Miami.
Miamis David McComb was nearly as sharp in a game that stayed tense into the closing minutes, piling up a career-best 334 passing yards. But the RedHawks could not overcome a late interception, and Cincinnatis defense made one final play to help seal a victory that felt especially meaningful in a game where both quarterbacks took their lumps and both offenses kept trading blows. [Read more 🡒]