Box Score CINCINNATI – Miami football grabbed a 10-0 first quarter lead in its rivalry game at Cincinnati, but could not sustain that start as it fell 35-13 on Saturday afternoon.
The RedHawks drop to 1-2 with the setback.
The Bearcats forced the RedHawks to go three-and-out on their opening possession and took control with good field position at their own 40. Miami's defense was even more stout, however, opening with an
Andrew Sharp sack. A holding penalty on Cincinnati pushed it back even further and Miami forced a pair of incomplete passes for a three-and-out of its own.
Taking over at its own 40, MU's second drive went right to work, picking up a first down on the ground in two plays before
Brett Gabbert hit
Jack Sorenson for 13 yards into UC territory at the 37. After the ground game grabbed another first down, MU took advantage of a pass interference penalty to get to the UC 11. After
Tyre Shelton got another first down inside the one on three carries, Shelton capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Red & White a 7-0 lead.
Playing with a lead, the RedHawks forced the Bearcats to move backwards again, stuffing an opening run for a one-yard loss before
Kameron Butler sacked Desmond Ridder on second down of an eventual three-and-out drive that gave Miami the ball at its 44.
A roughing the passer penalty moved the RedHawks into Bearcat territory and they got another first down to sniff the red zone before eventually stalling. Nevertheless, Samuel Sloman put points on the board with a 41-yard field goal to give Miami a 10-0 lead with 3:13 to go in the opening frame.
Cincinnati's offense countered by driving the field for the first time, going 77 yards in 10 plays. The Bearcats eventually capped the drive with a Michael Warren eight-yard touchdown rush to pull to within 10-7 early in the second.
It appeared Miami was poised to answer that touchdown as Gabbert evaded pressure and hit
Jalen Walker for a 23-yard completion and dropped a dime over the top to
Dominique Robinson for 42 yards to get into the red zone. After MU got to the UC 13, a sack and fumble stopped the drive in its tracks as Cincinnati regained possession and kept points off the board. The RedHawks' defense pushed the Bearcats back thanks to a holding penalty and
Dean Lemon sack that recorded the unit's third three-and-out of the first half.
The teams traded punts near midfield as some promising drives stalled around there. Miami then went three-and-out deep in its own territory as Cincinnati took over in plus territory with just over two minutes left until the break. The Bearcats went for it on 4th-and-6 at the RedHawks' 40 and Ridder found Rashad Medaris for an 11-yard gain to keep the drive going and eventually Warren ran in his second score of the day to stake UC to a 14-10 halftime lead.
Cincinnati began the second half with possession. A Butler sack made it 3rd-and-20, but a pair of MU penalties allowed UC to escape and continue driving into plus territory. Miami forced a 4th-and-5 situation, but Ridder hit Josh Deguara for a 27-yard score to make it 21-unanswered points for UC as it took a 21-10 lead.
Miami was forced to punt again, but this time its defense came up with a big play as
Travion Banks intercepted a third-down pass from Ridder at the Bearcats' 40 to set the RedHawks up with a short field. However, MU was unable to capitalize as it could not pick up a first down in four tries. Four plays later, Ridder hit Thomas Geddis for a 51-yard touchdown to make it a 28-10 ballgame with 5:27 left in the third.
On the ensuing possession, Gabbert quickly moved the Red and White into plus territory as far as the 18-yard line, but the drive stalled there. Still, Miami stopped the scoring drought with a 36-yard field goal by Sloman to pull to within 28-13. However, the Bearcats added another score two plays from scrimmage later as Warren ran 73 yards for his third touchdown of the day to make it 35-13.
Cincinnati outgained Miami 420-207 on the day, including 234-64 on the ground. Gabbert finished the day 10-of-18 with 143 yards passing while Shelton led MU with 39 yards rushing.
Miami wraps up non-conference play at Ohio State on Sept. 21. Opening kick is slotted for 3:30 p.m.
