That was a tough finish. Cincinnati put up a fight in their 44-41 loss against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock. A game that displayed a whole lot of adversity ended much closer than I thought it would. Both teams came in with 3-1 records and proved to be a pretty even matchup. This game featured a few new faces, as the Bearcats injured list grew throughout the game.
UC wasted no time putting a touchdown on the board in their first drive of the game. The defense followed, forcing the Red Raiders to turnover on downs. Henderson once again proved himself with a 42-yard touchdown catch on the next play. Striking first, fast, and aggressively set the tone early for both sides of the ball.
Corey Kiner left the game in the first quarter with an apparent rib or oblique injury, taking away one of the Bearcat’s offensive weapons. But Sorsby took it upon himself to do a decent amount of running in the first half. The game was knotted at 24 going into halftime after Nathan Hawks missed a 42-yard field goal.
To open the second half, Evan Pryor fumbled the ball, resulting in a Texas Tech touchdown. With Kiner out, and Pryor pretty battered, third-stringer Manny Covey entered the game. Sorsby ran for a few first downs but ultimately, there was too much pressure in the moment, being sacked numerous times and scrambling.
Late in the third quarter, Sorsby went absolutely insane. He lowered his shoulder and ran on multiple plays, getting first downs, and taking big hits. But the dreaded day finally arrived, Brendan Sorsby, who had yet to be intercepted, was picked off for the first time all season. The pass was immediately returned 51 yards for a touchdown.
Running the ball, taking a few hits, and being picked for the first time didn’t deter Sorsby from collecting himself and confidently taking the field again. He found Covey, who ran the ball 71 yards to the house, making a name for himself with his running back counterparts dinged up. The Bearcats were back in the game, only down by a touchdown.
The defense had an incredible amount of strength in the red zone, keeping the Red Raiders to a field goal. With half of the fourth quarter gone, and UC down 44-34, the offense needed to focus. Tony Johnson stepped up for an 18-yard grab for a first down. Covey, Royer, and Henderson pitched in making explosive plays, and moving the ball down the field. Sorsby was locked in, constantly dodging pressure. Covey ran it in for a touchdown.
Less than three minutes left, down by three, Texas Tech with the ball, the Bearcat defense finds the strength for some big, important stops. The Red Raiders had to punt, giving UC the opportunity they needed. With Sorsby’s confidence and performance so far, I had no doubts they could at least tie the game.
With less than a minute remaining, a controversial play unfolded as Sorsby scrambled for a few yards, slid, and was hit late in the head by Texas Tech’s defense. Visibly frustrated, fuming at the referees, he got a very late flag. The play was put under review for targeting. After review, it was decided there was no targeting. But the decision somehow lacked a personal foul for unnecessary roughness despite obvious contact with a quarterback attempting to give himself up. Satterfield couldn’t contain himself, shaking his head, stunned at the referee’s decision.
The team had been riding a crazy wave of momentum throughout the game. With Sorsby at the helm, they bulldozed through every mishap, mistake, or injury they came across. But this finally killed their MOMENTUM. Out of time and options, Nathan Hawks took on a 51-yarder and missed wide right as the clock went down to zero.
Sadly, losing by a field goal is a common theme this season. An extremely unfortunate ending to a game played extremely well on all fronts. Sorsby’s “do it himself” mentality when all other options were lost gave the offense many more opportunities to restart and refocus. He was the Bearcat’s rushing leader with 52 yards, while simultaneously throwing 31/45 with 426 yards and four touchdowns. Despite two losses, he has cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation The next-man-up nature of Manny Covey’s performance put much-needed points on the board with many injured Bearcats.
The reality of Big 12 football is setting in. This team is talented, and they are not letting adversity get in their way. Sorsby has shown he is a leader who can run and sling it with the best of ‘em. But this is the big leagues: strong opponents, and highly ranked teams, week after week. Officiating got in the way of what could have been an amazing comeback win. After a bye week, they travel to Florida to take on UCF.
Charlie Jaeb heads up Bearcat Football coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlieJaeb.
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