The University of Cincinnati got the kind of win that changes the conversation in a hurry.
On Oct. 24, 2026, the Bearcats knocked off No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 in front of a homecoming crowd at Nippert Stadium, and the result carried more weight than a single October upset.
It was UC’s 100th Homecoming, and it snapped a long dry spell against elite competition at home. The last time the Bearcats beat a top-10 team on their own field was Nov. 18, 2006, when they took down No.
7 Rutgers. It was also Cincinnati’s first ranked win since beating No.
14 Iowa State at home last season, and its first win over a top-10 opponent since the 2021 season, when it beat Notre Dame on the road.
The biggest reason the Bearcats controlled the night was the ground game. Third-year running back Cole Tabb put together the best performance of his career, gouging a Texas Tech defense that entered the game ranked fifth nationally against the run.
Cincinnati finished with 255 rushing yards as a team, and Tabb accounted for 173 of them, a personal best. He also found the end zone twice, once on a catch and once on the ground.
The rushing attack has carried this team all season, and it was the story again against a defense built to stop exactly that.
UC also answered last week’s disappointment in the most direct way possible. After giving up 45 points in a loss to West Virginia, the Bearcats’ defense tightened up and delivered a much cleaner outing.
Texas Tech was held to 24 points, and Cincinnati came away with two turnovers. One of the most important came right before halftime, when fifth-year defensive back MJ Cannon reached up and snagged a one-handed interception, handing the ball back to the Bearcats.
UC cashed in on that possession and stretched its lead before the break.
The atmosphere mattered, too. Nippert was reported as a sellout by the UC Athletic Department, and the crowd gave Texas Tech problems all night.
The Red Raiders had to burn timeouts to sort things out, and they were hit with delay of game and false start issues as the environment grew louder and more disruptive. Cincinnati is still unbeaten at home, and the home-field edge was on full display.
There was also some offseason noise hanging over the matchup. The two programs had been connected through drama involving former quarterback Brendan Sorsby, and Texas Tech came into the game with plenty of confidence about spoiling homecoming.
In a documentary about the team, TTU athletic booster and American businessman Cody Campbell said, "We’re not going to forget about that, and I don’t think they’ll forget about it either when we’re up by 40 and still throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. That’s where the retribution will come.”
That didn’t age well. Scott Satterfield and the Bearcats kept things muted after the game, saying there was no outside motivation behind the win. Cincinnati’s social media account, though, took a sharper tone, posting the final score while tagging Campbell and adding a shushing emoji.
Campbell responded after the loss by posting, tagging the Red Raiders and saying “There is no excuse or reason to lose a game like this. We have to be better. @TexasTechFB.”
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Jerrod Calhouns Bearcats Are Entering A High-Stakes New Era
Jerrod Calhoun is about to take over a Cincinnati program built for immediate competition, and the shape of this roster says plenty about how fast the expectations have changed. The Bearcats are heading into the new era with a group that includes 15 incoming transfers, a clear sign that this staff is trying to remake the team quickly and find enough proven production to stay in the mix at the top of the Big 12.
The harder part comes after the initial splash. A transfer-heavy roster can give a team a rapid talent upgrade, but it also raises the stakes for retention, chemistry and the next wave of recruiting once the first year is underway. For Calhoun, the question is no longer just whether Cincinnati can assemble a competitive roster, but whether his plan can keep the Bearcats stocked with enough talent to make this more than a short-term rebuild. [Read more 🡒]