4) Tulsa Golden Hurricane – (W) 49-38
Like the Miami win, or any of Cincinnati’s game this season really, this was not one without a litany of UC mistakes. The fact that this was a shootout wasn’t necessarily surprising and I wouldn’t necessarily say giving up 588 yards of total offense to Tulsa is a mistake. After all, that was really the only way either of these teams won games last year.
But UC lost the turnover battle three to one, committed 10 penalties, allowed a touchdown pass on third and goal from their 18 yard line, allowed a 65-yard touchdown run on fourth and one, allowed a 39-yard touchdown run on another fourth and short, and missed a field goal. So, yea, just your typical day for the 2015 Cincinnati Bearcats.
Despite the mistakes, this was yet another game where UC leaned on their talent advantage over Tulsa to guide them to victory. At no point after the first quarter, other than brief period early in the third, did the Bearcats trail in this game. The Golden Hurricane made it close but Cincinnati’s senior-laden offense always answered tit for tat. It’s the kind of attitude and executive that we had hoped to see from this team throughout the 2015 season, not mid-November.
Next: Did we mention cupcakes?