3 takeaways from the Bearcats' 34-20 over Bowling Green

Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Noah Jennings (8) is tackled by Bowling Green Falcons cornerback MJ Cannon in the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Bowling Green Falcons at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Sept. 6, 2025.
Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Noah Jennings (8) is tackled by Bowling Green Falcons cornerback MJ Cannon in the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Bowling Green Falcons at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Sept. 6, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Passing Game Shows Promise

After just passing for 69 yards on 52% completion and an interception, Brendan Sorsby bounced back against the Bowling Green Falcons. He passed for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 70.8% of his passes.

Sorsby spread the ball to six different receivers, four of them reaching over 45 yards and two of them reaching over 100 yards. Joe Royer and Jeff Caldwell are the first Bearcats to both catch for 100 yards in a game since Tre Tucker and Tyler Scott in 2022 against Miami, Ohio. Caleb Goodie caught four passes for 49 yards, and Cyrus Allen caught three passes for 45 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bearcats should be back with another pass-dominant day against Northwestern State.

Jake Golday Might Finish First team All-Big 12

After receiving the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Jake Golday, the Cincinnati Bearcats standout linebacker, followed it up with another fantastic performance.

Golday had 14 total tackles, 8 of them being solo. He also added one sack and one tackle for a loss. In two games, Golday has 26 total tackles and 2 sacks.

Golday did not win the Big 12 defensive player of the week award; however, it went to Skyler Gill-Howard and Tamatoa McDonough, both defensive linemen for Texas Tech and Iowa State.

Running Backs Need to be More Involved

The Cincinnati Bearcats running back seemed underutilized in the Bearcats' 34-20 win against Bowling Green. Tawee Walker and Evan Pryor combined for 65 rushing yards on 17 attempts and 1 reception for -2 yards.

Pryor is a fantastic pass-catching back and needs to be involved in the passing game more, while Walker is a hard-nosed running back who has proven that he can succeed in a power 4 conference.

While this game was definitely focused on getting the passing game going, an easy way to do that is to establish the run and get the pass going through play-action. With a running back duo like Pryor and Walker, and an offensive line that just got a Big 12 weekly award, they need to prioritize the run over the pass going forward.

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