The No. 21 Ranked 6-1 Bearcats were greeted by a large Homecoming crowd at Nippert Stadium Saturday afternoon for their game against the 4-3 Baylor Bears. The Bearcats wasted no time, with Tawee Walker rushing for a touchdown on the game’s first drive. Cincinnati’s next drive featured QB Brendan Sorsby showcasing his rushing, running multiple times for large gains, before Evan Pryor ran in to put the Bearcats up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bearcat defense dominated the second quarter, forcing a turnover on downs early. On the next defensive series, Logan Wilson stripped the ball and recovered it himself. The offense responded quickly with Sorsby finding Cyrus Allen in the endzone. Baylor finally put points on the board with just seconds left in the half, but when attempting a 2-point conversion Quarterback Sawyer Robertson got smothered. The Bearcats lead 24-6 at the half.
Baylor opened the second half with the ball, but again the Bearcat defense was showing its strength. Several passes were almost intercepted, and the run game continued to be shut down. Baylor did inch their way to the endzone and again missed a 2-point conversion.
Baylor caught up in the fourth quarter, with a nearly seven-minute touchdown drive and finally a successful 2-point attempt to tighten the score to 27-20.
Sorsby and the offense were not in sync in the second half, only adding three points and up by just one score with 12 minutes remaining. On a 3rd & 9, Sorsby found Noah Jennings for a first down, which seemed to calm the nerves of the entire offense. Sorsby capped the drive, showing off his legs with a 23-yard run for a touchdown right in front of the student section, firing up the crowd.
The momentum continued on the kickoff, as the Bearcat defense forced a fumble at the Baylor 17-yard line. Three plays later, Sorsby found Isaiah Johnson in the endzone. The game ended as Baylor turned the ball over on downs, and the Bearcats won 41-20.
In just a few minutes, the dormant offense was able to take a close game and shut the door with two scores. This was an all-around team win.
Sorsby continues his dominance and leads the nation with 27 touchdowns. He was 13-of-21 with 111 yards and two passing touchdowns, plus one on the ground. He led the team in rushing with 11 carries for 85 yards and showed he can quickly turn up the heat if the offense is cold.
Kicker Stephen Rusnak still has a perfect season. He is 11-for-11 in field goals and 37-for-37 on extra points. His consistency is felt especially after last season’s special teams struggles.
Defensively, the Bearcats are firing on all cylinders, forcing two fumbles in big moments and stuffing two of three Baylor 2-point attempts.
The Bearcats improve to 7-1 and move up to No. 17 in the AP rankings. It’s an exciting time to be a UC football fan. The Bearcats travel to No. 24 Utah on Saturday for a 10 p.m. showdown that will host ESPN’s College GameDay traveling circus.
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