Cincinnati Football: Live coverage as Bearcats battle rival RedHawks

The latest edition of the Battle for the Victory Bell kicked off at noon as the Bearcats look to beat Miami for a 16th consecutive season. Despite being double digit underdogs, Miami jumped out to an early lead in the storied rivalry that initially took place in 1888.

Aveon Smith started a second straight game and the redshirt freshman quarterback came out with a lot of confidence. In the first quarter, Smith hit senior wide receiver Mac Hippenhammer for a touchdown to give Miami a 7-0 lead.

It was a sloppy start for the Bearcats on offense and defense as Jowon Briggs picked up a false start on the first drive, followed by a costly lost fumble from Jadon Thompson as Miami extended the lead to 10-0 with a 36-yard field goal.

On the following drive, Charles McCelland stepped up with a 30-yard run that led to a touchdown to get Cincinnati on the board. Midway through the second quarter, Miami took a 17-7 lead before Corey Kiner responded with a short touchdown run of his own.

Cincinnati Football: Live coverage as Bearcats battle rival RedHawks

• Date: Saturday, September 17 at 12:00 PM
• Location: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati
• Pregame Spread: Cincinnati (-22.5)
• TV Broadcast: ESPNU and fuboTV

Following another Bearcats defensive stop, Ryan Coe converted a 26-yard field goal to tie the game and keep the momentum going. On the next possession, Arquon Bush picked off Smith and gave Cincinnati a chance to go up before heading into the locker room.

Ben Bryant led another scoring drive with first down completions to Tyler Scott and Leonard Taylor before throwing a fade to Nick Mardner for a 10-yard score to give the Bearcats a 24-17 lead at halftime.

Despite a slow start, Cincinnati looked superior in the second quarter and should be able to secure a win as Miami hopes to at least stay within striking distance. The Bearcats will receive the upcoming kick off with an opportunity to build on the 24-17 lead.

Both teams were forced to punt to start the second half before Bryant connected with Tyler Scott on a post route for a 41-yard touchdown to go up 31-17. It looked like the Bearcats were going to score again but the drive ended as Bryant was intercepted.

Heading into the fourth quarter, Miami is hoping to take advantage of the turnover and get within one possession but the Bearcats seem to be on the verge of wrapping up another victory over the RedHawks as the defense attempts to get a stop.

Following a slow start against Miami on Saturday afternoon, Cincinnati took control in the second half and cruised to a blowout win to clinch a 16th straight victory in the annual 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 more than 100 yards each since Fickell was hired in 2016. Tyler Scott had a game-high 119 yards, while Tre Tucker racked up 105 yards in the 38-17 win.