After jumping out to an early lead due to Deshawn Pace’s pick six in the first quarter, the Bearcats outlasted Tulsa 31-21 in the AAC opener tonight. With the win, Cincinnati extended its win streak against conference opponents to 17 games.
Tulsa cut the deficit to three points early in the third quarter before the Bearcats put together a 70-yard drive in five plays, ending with Ben Bryant hitting Josh Whyle on fourth and goal to extend the lead.
Mike Tressel’s defense clearly made it a point to put pressure on Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin and it led to the most sacks since 2007. The Bearcats recorded a conference-record 11 sacks with Jowon Briggs, Ivan Pace and Jabari Taylor in the backfield all night.
Following a quick start with 24 points in the first half, Luke Fickell’s team wasn’t as sharp in the second half for a second straight week. Most of that can be attributed to the Bearcats committing double-digit penalties for the third time already this season.
Reign Cats❕
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) October 2, 2022
Final from Tulsa.#Bearcats pic.twitter.com/U7IGjun4Pq
Cincinnati Football: Bearcats push past Tulsa in conference opener
Despite being called for 11 penalties, the Bearcats found a way to survive on the road against a quality opponent. Ivan Pace sealed the win with a clutch pass break up and finished with a game-high 10 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
The offense was in sync early on with three scoring drives in the first half including Tyler Scott’s 61-yard touchdown catch, Corey Kiner’s 19-yard touchdown run and a field goal from Ryan Coe to give Cincinnati a 24-14 lead as the first half came to a close.
Jabari Taylor was destructive with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in the win. Kiner had a major impact as well, going for a game-high 106 rushing yards on 12 carries, highlighted by a 52-yard run in the first half. Bryant had 166 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception late in the fourth quarter.
Even though it wasn’t a very impressive second half performance, the Bearcats are one step closer to a third straight conference championship and that’s the main goal moving forward. Cincinnati will return to Nippert Stadium versus South Florida next week.