Cincinnati Football: Bearcats outlast rival Miami to secure all-time series lead

Following a slow start against Miami on Saturday afternoon, the Bearcats took control in the second half and cruised to a blowout win to clinch a 16th straight victory in the annual in-state rivalry game.

In addition to surpassing Miami in the all-time series for the first time since 1915, Luke Fickell picked up his 50th win as head coach and tied Sid Gillman for second most victories all-time in program history.

It was also the first time multiple receivers recorded 100+ yards since Fickell was hired. Tyler Scott had a game-high 119 receiving yards and Tre Tucker racked up 105 yards in the win.

Ben Bryant played another great game under center for the Bearcats, finishing with 337 passing yards and two touchdowns including a 10-yard score to Nick Mardner in the first half and a 41-yard pass to Scott to extend the 31-17 lead in the third quarter.

Cincinnati Football: Bearcats outlast rival Miami to secure all-time series lead

Prior to a strong showing in the second quarter and beyond, the Bearcats didn’t look great to start the game. Jadon Thompson fumbled in the first quarter and Miami took a 10-0 lead with a field goal.

Charles McCelland had a key 30-yard run in the first half to set up a touchdown that helped Cincinnati gain some momentum. The senior running back totaled 115 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Arquon Bush came up big as well with a toe-tapping interception on the sideline. The turnover eventually led to Mardner’s one-handed touchdown catch to take a 24-17 lead just seconds before halftime.

After going down 17-7 early in the second quarter, Cincinnati outscored Miami 31-0 en route to a fourth consecutive double-digit win in the rivalry matchup. Additionally, junior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. finished with a team-high eight tackles and one sack against his former school.

Even though it wasn’t exactly a clean performance from start to finish, Fickell should be proud of his team for taking care of business. The Bearcats had 459 total yards and 25 first downs in the blowout.

Fickell will have a chance to become the winningest coach in school history relatively soon as he tries to pass Rick Minter with 53 career wins. Cincinnati is scheduled to take on Indiana at home next week before beginning conference play in October.