Cincinnati needed Saturday’s 27-16 win over the Miami (OH) Redhawks. The Bearcats have long dominated the in-state rivalry. For 16 consecutive meetings, the Bearcats brought the Clifton faithful a victory against Miami. The 2023 season broke that streak. That matchup delivered a devastating 31-24 overtime loss on their home turf, relinquishing the Victory Bell to Miami. Their next game was UC’s Big 12 debut loss against Oklahoma, followed by a season not to be remembered.
After a messy, painful loss last week to Pitt, the Bearcats needed to get their mojo back. The 1-1 squad marched into Yager Stadium in Oxford. Early in the first quarter, defensive back Derrick Canteen intercepted a pass from Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert. Yet the Cats were unable to capitalize on it, getting stuck around the 50-yard line where their run game was nonexistent and Sorsby couldn’t seem to find an open man. Unfortunately, the drive resulted in a punt.
Early in the second quarter, Miami’s punter bobbled the snap giving the Bearcats possession on Miami’s three-yard line. The offense immediately capitalized with a pass from Sorsby to tight end Joe Royer putting them up 10-3. But with every big play, it seems, comes an error of some sort. On their next drive, Royer dodged and weaved his way into the endzone for a touchdown. Seconds later those points were taken off the board because the ball was dropped and rolled out of bounds.
Cincinnati finished the first half leading by just one score. Based on last week’s performance, it’s hard to believe in UC with that small of a lead going into halftime. The only touchdown they had scored resulted from Miami’s punter dropping the ball and practically giving UC points. And their second-half scoring and defense has been lackluster to say the least this season.
Yet, Cincinnati started the second half strong. A touchdown drive that took up much of the third quarter put the Bearcats up 17-3—reassuring for the many Cincinnati fans who made the trip to Oxford. After only a handful of successful carries in the first half, Corey Kiner broke loose in the second half, finishing the game with 21 carries, 126 yards, and a touchdown. A backfield of Kiner and Evan Pryor, who ran in for a 65-yard touchdown in the fourth, could make for a pretty effective duo this season, especially if they could get things going earlier in the game.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has yet to throw an interception this season, finished the game with 186 yards. Xzavier Henderson led the team in receiving with over 100 yards, easily becoming Sorsby’s favorite target. The defense had a better game this week, keeping Gabbert and the Redhawk offense to just two touchdowns and two field goals. They had three sacks and a big stop on a two point conversion attempt. Miami’s ground game was a non-factor, keeping the Redhawks to just 24 rushing yards.
Missed opportunities seem to be a common theme with this team, whether it be basic special teams plays or not piggybacking off explosive plays. Not every drive will lead to points, but when the ball is intercepted, riding the wave of adrenaline and momentum to score seems almost necessary. Holding on to the ball in the endzone… also seems necessary.
There is a lot of unwarranted panic when there is a bad loss at the beginning of the season like there was against Pitt. That being said, this victory is big. It instills confidence in not only the team but the fans too. While the Cats had to grind out this win, it wasn’t particularly a close game at the end, as Cincinnati seemed to find their rhythm in the second half. Special teams were firing on all cylinders, kicker Nathan Hawks hit a field goal from 50 yards out, and the defense had three sacks and had a few big stops.
UC is doing a good job patching the small issues on both sides of the ball. The Bearcats have a lot of talent and two wins under their belt, so the future seems bright if they learn from their experiences over the last few weeks. Bringing home the storied Victory Bell to Clifton propels UC into Big 12 conference play, which starts this weekend against Houston at Nippert.
Charlie Jaeb heads up Bearcat Football coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlieJaeb.
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