In September 2021, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF accepted bids to join the Big 12.[1] On June 10, the American Athletic Conference and the three schools set to depart from the league (Cincinnati, Houston, UCF) announced that they had reached a buyout agreement that allowed those schools to join the Big 12 Conference in 2023.[2] The 2022 season was the program's last season as a member of the AAC.
On January 1, 2022, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock who had been the Bearcats offensive coordinator the last five years left the school to take the same role at LSU.[4] On January 5, 2022, Brian Mason who had been with Cincinnati for the previous 5 seasons, including the last four as special teams coordinator was hired by Notre Dame in the same role.[5] On January 13, 2022, it was reported that cornerbacks coach Perry Eliano who spent the last two years at Cincinnati had accepted the safeties coaching job at Ohio State.[6]
On January 17, 2022, The Athletic reported that UC was promoting quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli to Offensive coordinator, and that Wide receivers coach Mike Brown was expected to add the role of passing game coordinator, previously held by Guidugli.[7] Cincinnati also promoted Safeties coach Colin Hitschler to Co-defensive coordinator.[8] Also on January 17, 2022 it was announced that Cincinnati was hiring current Central Michigan offensive line coach Mike Cummings in the same role at Cincinnati.[9]
On January 18, 2022, The Athletic reported that Kerry Coombs was being hired as the new cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator.[10] Coombs joins Cincinnati after serving most recently as defensive coordinator at Ohio State the previous two seasons. He also was an assistant coach at Ohio State from 2012 to 2017 where he developed five first-round NFL draft picks. Coombs previously coached at Cincinnati from 2007 to 2011, overseeing defensive backs and special teams. Additionally, he coached with the Tennessee Titans (2017–18) and was head coach at Colerain High School, from 1991 to 2006.[11]
On January 19, 2022, Cincinnati hired former Bearcats defensive linemen Walter Stewart to coach outside linebackers, Stewart played at Cincinnati 2008–2012. Prior to returning to Cincinnati Stewart coached at defensive line at Arkansas State. From 2019–2021 he was the defensive line coach at Temple, Defensive line at Northern Illinois in 2018. Prior to NIU Stewart was defensive line coach at Eastern Kentucky from 2016 and 2017. In 2015, Stewart coached defensive ends at Florida A&M after being on the Tennessee staff from 2013–14.[12]
On February 21, 2022, Cincinnati announced it has promoted offensive graduate assistant Nate Letton to tight ends coach.[13]
On March 3, 2022, it was reported that Greg Scruggs accepted an assistant defensive line coach position with the New York Jets.[14] After the departure of Scruggs, Walter Stewart was promoted to become the defensive line coach and James Ross III was hired as the outside linebackers coach.[15]
The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at AAC Media Day on July 28, 2022.[31] Cincinnati, the defending champions, were narrowly pipped by Houston to be preseason favorites, while obtaining 3 more votes for No.1.
Media poll
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Houston
243 (7)
2
Cincinnati
242 (10)
3
UCF
225 (7)
4
SMU
187
5
Memphis
162
6
East Carolina
157
7
Tulane
115
8
Tulsa
93
9
South Florida
71
10
Navy
61
11
Temple
28
Schedule
The Bearcats' 2022 schedule consists of six home games, five away games, and one neutral site game. Cincinnati will host two of its four non-conference games; against Kennesaw State (FCS) and Indiana. The Bearcats will travel to Arkansas to open the season in a one-game non-conference matchup, and also have play a neutral site matchup vs Miami (OH) at Paycor Stadium in the annual battle for the Victory Bell rivalry game.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Tony Simeone (play-by-play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 28 • FPI odds to win: Cincinnati 97.9% • Game summary: ESPN
Off of their season opening road loss to Arkansas, the now unranked Bearcats returned home for their season opener against FCS opponent Kennesaw State. The Bearcats came into the game with a 27 game win streak, and winners of 21 consecutive home openers but entered the contest wary of the Owls, who came into the game ranked 18th and feature a triple option rushing attack, similar to AAC foe Navy.
The game started inauspiciously as starting QB Ben Bryant got blasted on a sack on the first play from scrimmage and the Bearcats went three and out on their first offensive series while the Owls moved the ball methodically down the field on their opening drive, the Bearcats were flagged for roughing the kicker and failed to recover a fumble on this drive. The Owls got to the Bearcat 32 and attempted to take the lead on a 49 yard field goal attempt, that attempt was blocked by Deshawn Pace and recovered by Eric Phillips who returned the ball 22 yards. The Bearcats offense went to work and 4 plays later, Bryant found TE Josh Whyle in the end zone for a touchdown, the score being Whyle's 13th of his career and 3rd straight home opener score. After a short Owls drive, the Bearcats took possession again and crafted an 11 play 71 yard drive that crossed into the 2nd quarter. Bryant finding TE Leonard Taylor from 9 yards out to take a 14–0 lead. After the Owls failed to convert a 4th and short, the Bearcats need only 4 plays to find the end zone again, with Tyler Scott making a nifty juke to shake a would be tackler and racing into the end zone from 21 yards out to increase the lead to 21–0. Other than a fumble by freshman RB Myles Montgomery, the rest of the quarter was uneventful. The Owls did manage to notch a score with a 30 yard field goal. The Bearcats went to the half up 21–3.
The Owls took the kickoff to start the second half and its second play of the drive proved disastrous Owls QB Jonathan Murphy tried to run the option but got hit from behind by Ivan Pace Jr., Murphy fumbled and the ball was batted into the arms of Jabari Taylor who rumbled 23 yards with the stolen loaf for the score. The score was now 28–3 and fast turning into the expected rout. Charles McClelland scored on the next Bearcat offensive possession to make it 35–3, and senior QB Ja’Von Hicks picked off a wobbly Xavier Shepherd pass and raced back 45 yards for a touchdown to make the score 42–3. Coach Fickell got as many players into the game as possible with LSU transfer (and Cincy native) Corey Kiner scoring from 12, backup QB Evan Prater running for a 44 yard score, and Montgomery atoning for his earlier fumble with an electrifying 76 yard run for to close the scoring. The Owls did manage a short run for a score but the game had long been decided with the Bearcats winning their 28th straight home game at Historic Nippert Stadium with a 63–10 win. The Bearcats rolled up 525 yards on offense and the BlackCats defense held the Owls to 166 yards rushing breaking a 73 game streak dating back to 2015 of rushing for 175 yards or better. The Owls averaged 278 yards rushing in 2021. The 63 points matched a point total high in the Fickell era matching the 63 points scored against Alabama A&M in 2018. Bryant threw for 3 scores, and Montgomery led all rushers with 106 yards.
Game information
First quarter
(5:35) Cincinnati – Josh Whyle 17 yard pass from Ben Bryant, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 1:31; Cincinnati 7–0)
Second quarter
(12:59) Cincinnati – Leonard Taylor 9 yard pass from Ben Bryant, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 4:27; Cincinnati 14–0)
(9:59) Cincinnati – Tyler Scott 21 yard pass from Ben Bryant, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 4 plays, 34 yards, 1:12; Cincinnati 21–0)
(4:20) Kennesaw State – Nathan Robertson 40 yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:41; Cincinnati 21–3)
Third quarter
(14:15) Cincinnati – Jabari Taylor 23 yard fumble recovery, Ryan Coe kick (Cincinnati 28–3)
(7:50) Cincinnati – Charles McClelland 5 yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:15; Cincinnati 35–3)
TV announcers (ESPNU): John Schriffen (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 24 • Odds to win: Cincinnati 94.2% • Game summary: ESPN
Following their easy win against Kennesaw State, The Bearcats took what would likely be their shortest road trip, a lengthy 3 miles to downtown Cincinnati and the recently renamed Paycor Stadium to take on their longtime area rivals Miami of Ohio for the Victory Bell. The formerly named Paul Brown Stadium of course was the Bearcats home field for the 2014 season as well as a sometime home away from home in seasons past for the occasional marquee opponent. That said, the Bearcats were the designated road team, though a number of UC students and fans made the shorter trip than Miami fans had to as the Miami campus in Oxford is 33 miles away. The rivalry, the oldest west of the Allegheny Mountains was set to square off for the 126th time.
The Redhawks started fast, taking the opening kickoff as rolling 75 yards, Aveon Smith hitting Mac Hippenhammer for 22 yards to get Miami on the board first. The Redhawks fortunes looked even better when Jadon Thompson fumbled at midfield on the Bearcats opening drive, the Redhawks cashed that turnover in for more points as a 36 yard field goal gave them a 10–0 lead. The Bearcats responded with a solid drive with Charles McClelland scoring just before the end of the quarter. However, the Redhawks answered with another touchdown as Smith hit Jack Coldiron with a short touchdown pass. The Redhawk lead was now 17–7 and Miami's dreams of regaining the Victory Bell after 15 seasons looked like it could come true.
The Bearcats however, shook off the slow start and reintroduced Miami to cold reality. Local product Corey Kiner scored from a yard out to close the deficit to three and after Ryan Coe tied the game on the Bearcats next drive with a 26 yard field goal. After an exchange of punts, Miami was on the move but was intercepted by Arquan Bush deep in Bearcat territory. Taking advantage of the turnover the Bearcats went 88 yards in 10 plays with QB Ben Bryant hitting Hawai’i transfer Nick Marnder on a corner route in the end zone to give the Bearcats the lead with just 13 seconds left in the half. The Bearcats went to the half leading 24–17.
The 2nd half was dominated by the Bearcats as Bryant hit Tyler Scott on a 41 yard bomb in the 3rd quarter and McClelland rumbled in from 15 yards out in the 4th to give the Bearcats a 38–17 lead which would be the final score. The Bearcats retained the Victory Bell for the 16th year in a row, the longest streak by either team in the rivalry and took an overall series lead of 60–59–7, the first time the Bearcats have had the series lead since 1915. The win improved the Bearcats record to 2–1
Game information
First quarter
(11:34) Miami (OH) – Mac Hippenhammer 36 yard pass from Avon Smith, Graham Nicholson kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:26; Miami (OH) 7–0)
(6:04) Miami (OH) – Graham Nicholson 36 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 3:16; Miami (OH) 10–0)
(2:44) Cincinnati – Charles McClelland 2 yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 3:20; Miami (OH) 10–7)
Second quarter
(12:39) Miami (Ohio) – Jack Coldiron 2 yard pass from Avon Smith, Graham Nicholson kick (Drive: 3 plays, 20 yards, 00:46; Miami (OH) 17–7)
TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline)
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 16.5 • Odds to win: Cincinnati 87.79% • Game summary: ESPN
Coming off their retention of the Victory Bell, the Bearcats returned to the friendly confines of Nippert Stadium to host Big Ten opponent Indiana. The Bearcats defeated the Hoosiers 38–24 in 2021 and the Hoosiers off to a 3–0 start in 2022 looked eager to avenge the loss on their home field. This was the Hoosiers first visit to Nippert Stadium since 1998 when they romped to a 48–14 win over a Bearcats team that would finish 2–9.
The teams exchanged punt in the first quarter and the Hoosiers made the game's first mistake as QB Connor Bazelak badly overthrew a post pattern and S Byron Threats picked off the errant pass returning the stolen loaf to the Hoosier 6. The Bearcats couldn't move the ball though and settled for a 24 yard field goal by Ryan Coe. The Hoosiers grinded out a 16 play 66 yard drive to the Bearcat 9 and tied the score at 3 with a 27 yard field goal by Charles Campbell. The Bearcats wasted little time in breaking the deadlock. On the very first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, Bearcat QB Ben Bryant launched a deep pass to a streaking Tyler Scott who never broke stride in racing for a 75 yard touchdown. The Bearcats regained the lead at 10–3. After a 3 and out by the Hoosiers, the Bearcats went right back to work the Bearcats again for the deep pass with Bryant connecting with Tre Tucker on a 45 yard gain. Three plays later, Bryant again found Tucker, this time in the end zone on a 5 yard pass. The Bearcats increased their lead to 17–3. After an exchange of punts, the Hoosiers took advantage of a short field to close the deficit. Running a hurry up, no huddle offense, the Bazelak found Josh Henderson wide open on the sideline. Henderson streaked into the end zone and the Bearcats lead was trimmed to 17–10. Unfazed, the Bearcats answered with a 7 play, 75 yard drive capped by another connection between Bryant and Scott, this time on a 34 yard pass to return to a 14 point lead at 24–10. After another Hoosier punt the Bearcats grinded out another lengthy drive. Once again the Bryant-Scott connection yielded big yards and more points. This time Bryant found Scott on a pass on the left sideline, Scott shook a would be tackler raced up the sideline, made a nifty cut to angle back to the center of the field and cruised untouched into the end zone to increase the Bearcat lead to 31–10. The nightmare for the Hoosiers would continue on their very next possession. Bazelak dropped back to pass and was strip sacked by Eric Phillips. DE Domo Perry alertly scooped up the loose ball and rumbled into the end zone for the score. The Bearcats had scored 21 unanswered points in a little under 7 minutes of game time and the Bearcats headed to the half leading 38–10.
The second half in stark contrast for the Bearcats, was a grinding slog of poor passing, almost nonexistent running and a lot of penalties. After Bryant was intercepted on the Bearcats first possession, the Hoosiers drove a short field and Bazelak found Shivers on a short pass for a touchdown to cut the Bearcat lead to 38–17. The Hoosiers tried repeatedly to cut the lead in the 3rd quarter but despite getting inside the Bearcat 5 came away empty. In the 4th quarter Shivers, broke around right end and scampered 47 yards for a score to close the Bearcat lead to 38-24but that was as close as the Hoosiers would get. The Hoosiers would turn the ball over on downs deep in their own end and sophomore RB Corey Kiner would crash over from a yard out to finish the scoring at 45–24. Bryant threw for a career high 354 and four scores. Tyler Scott led all receivers with 189 yards on ten catches. LB Ivan Pace Jr. led the defense with 8 tackles, 4.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. The Bearcats improved to 3–1 and 5–0 against Power 5 Indiana based teams since 2013 (2–0 vs Indiana, 2–0 vs Purdue, 1–0 vs Notre Dame)
Game information
First quarter
(6:00) Cincinnati – Ryan Coe 24 yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 2:00; Cincinnati 3–0)
(1:15) Indiana – Charles Campbell 27 yard field goal (Drive: 16 plays, 66 yards, 4:45; Tied 3–3)
(1:00) Cincinnati – Tyler Scott 75 yard pass from Ben Bryant, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:10; Cincinnati 10–3)
Second quarter
(12:36) Cincinnati – Tre Tucker 5 yard pass from Ben Bryant, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:13; Cincinnati 17–3)
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NE 6 mph
Game attendance: 21,111
Referee: Hank Johns
TV announcers (ESPNU): Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Hutson Mason (analyst)
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 11.5 • Odds to win: Cincinnati 75.8% • Game summary: ESPN
After defeating Indiana to complete their non conference slate, The Bearcats traveled west to open conference play at Tulsa. This was the Bearcats first visit to Tulsa since 2016, A 40–37 overtime loss to end the season.
After a brief but ineffective opening drive, the Bearcats punted the ball to Tulsa. The defense wasted little time in showing that they were going to be factor and the Pace brothers were factors. 3 plays in to the Golden Hurricanes initial drive QB Davis Brin was hurried by LB Ivan Pace Jr. and tried to get a throw off to avoid a sack but the weak throw was intercepted by DeShawn Pace who weaved his way back 18 yards with the stolen loaf to score and give the Bearcats a 7–0 lead. Unfazed, the Golden Hurricane responded with a 14 play 79 yard drive to tie the game with a 2 yard run by Braylon Braxton. After an exchange of punts, the Bearcats went for the quick strike score as Ben Bryant found a wide open Tyler Scott for a 61 yard score on the first play of the first play of their 3rd possession. The Bearcats took a 14-7 lead into 2nd quarter. After a 31 yard punt return by Ryan Montgomery set the Bearcats up in excellent field position inside the Tulsa 25, only 3 plays were needed before sophomore running back Corey Kiner busted up the middle nearly untouched on a 4th and 1 for a 19 yard scoring run. The Bearcats were now up two scores at 21–7. Despite Tulsa closing the gap back to 7, The Bearcats added a 39 yard field goal by Ryan Coe at the halftime gun and took a 24–14 lead. Both teams exchanged 70+ yard touchdown drives on their initial possessions of the 3rd quarter. Tulsa's Deneric Prince scoring his second touchdown from 2 yards out and Josh Wylie snagging a short pass from Ben Bryant on 4th down for a score to push the Bearcat lead back to 10 at 31–21. Neither team would score again, though the BlackCats defense came up with a critical stop inside its own 5 in the 4th quarter after Bryant was intercepted inside his own 25. The story though was the BlackCats defense who made life miserable for Tulsa QB Davis Brin, sacking him 10 times, and recording 11 sacks overall. Senior DL Jabari Taylor led the barrage with 2 ½ sacks with 9 other players registering sacks on Tulsa QB's. The 31–21 win was the Bearcats 17th consecutive win over AAC opponents, gave the Bearcats an 18–17–2 lead in the overall series and their 4th straight over the Golden Hurricane.
Game information
First quarter
(10:23) Cincinnati – Deshawn Pace 18 yard interception, Ryan Coe kick (Cincinnati 7–0)
TV announcers (ESPN+): Richard Cross (play-by-play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 27.5 • Odds to win: Cincinnati 96.8% • Game summary: ESPN
Fresh off their conference opener win over Tulsa, the Bearcats returned home for their Homecoming game against South Florida. Wholly expected to be a fairly easy game with the Bulls on 3 game losing streak and having given up 40+ points in that losing streak, confidence was high on a cool and crisp yet sunny Saturday at historic Nippert Stadium. The Bulls won the toss and marched right down the field. An 11 play 75 yard drive was capped by a 22 yard touchdown run buy Brian Battie. The Bearcats took the ensuing kickoff and the first play from scrimmage was a long pass by Ben Bryant, but it was intercepted by the Bulls Aamaris Brown. The Bulls then promptly drove downfield, using a mix of runs by Battie and designated QB runs by Gerry Bohanon the BlackCats defense stiffened inside the 5 and the Bulls settled for 21 yard field goal by Spencer Shrader. The Bulls had 10–0 lead, had run 23 plays (to the Bearcats 1) and had possession for over 12 minutes in the opening quarter. The Bearcats took the ball on their 2nd possession and put together a mix of Bryant passes and Charles McClelland runs in a 6 play 75 yard drive. Bryant then found junior wideout Jadon Thompson on a short pass. Thompson put on a series of nifty jukes and cuts in evading or breaking would be tackles then raced down the sideline into the end zone for the score. The Bearcats now trailed 10–7 after 1 quarter of play. After forcing a Bulls 3 and out, the Bearcats went right back to work, passes to Tre Tucker and Josh Whyle mixed with more McClelland runs moved the Bearcats downfield where Bryant found a streaking Nick Mardner for a 14 yard touchdown pass. The Bearcats had taken the lead at 14–10 and many felt that this would be the beginning of the expected rout.
But the Bulls would not back down putting together another impressive time consuming drive. The Bearcats could not contain the quickness of Bohanon and in stark contrast to their 11 sack effort the week previous, would not register a single sack all day. Bohanon found WR Xavier Weaver on a corner fade from 9 yards out to give the Bulls a 17–14 lead which they would carry into the half.
Taking the 2nd half kickoff, the Bearcats assembled a 10 play drive, and needed no 3rd downs in marching 75 yards, the drive culminated in a 1 yard rush by McClelland and the Bearcats retook the lead at 21–17, a lead that they would take into the fourth though they failed to convert a 4th and 1 inside the Bulls 15 that could have extended the lead. The Bulls took over on downs and gashed the Bearcats with a 59 yard run by Bohanon that set the Bulls up inside the Bearcat 30. 4 plays later, Bohanon found Weaver on a deep crossing pattern resulting in a 16 yard touchdown pass and the Bulls retook the lead at 24–21. Many of the 38,577 at Nippert dressed in red for the game were now in a real worry mode. The Bearcats who were 28 point favorites trailed by 3 in the 4th. The worry deepened as Bryant was knocked out of the game when he was concussed after a 7 yard scramble. Backup Evan Prater was pressed into service but despite a first down run by McClleland was unable to move the Bearcats and was sacked pushing the Bearcats out of field goal range to tie. The Bearcats had to punt and the Bulls looked to extend their lead and possibly ice the game in their favor. Instead the BlackCats defense came up aces, holding the Bulls to a three and out to force a punt. The Bearcats took over at midfield and after a Prater to Whyle 15 yard completion. McClelland burst through a wide opening on the next play and raced 35 yards for the score to put the Bearcats back into the lead at 28–24. In what was a see-saw battle, the game had seen everything but an ending as the Bulls again drove back downfield. There were thoughts of the scary ending to last years homecoming where 4 stops inside the Bearcat 5 was needed to secure the win. Instead the BlackCats defense stalled the Bulls at the 30 where JaVon Hicks stopped a last gasp run by Battie on 4th down and the Bearcats were able to take possession and run out the clock to make it yet another happy Homecoming, winning 28–24.
The Bearcats win was their 18th straight over AAC opponents, 5th straight over South Florida, 4th straight homecoming win and extended the school record and nations 2nd longest home winning streak to 30 games. Charles McClelland's 179 rushing yards was a career high. Tre Tucker had 64 yards on 4 receptions. The win tied Luke Fickell with Rick Minter as the Bearcats all time winningest head coach. The announced crowd of 38,577 was the 8th largest crowd in Nippert Stadium history.
Game information
First quarter
(9:24) South Florida – Brian Battie 22 Yd Run, Spencer Shrader Kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:36; South Florida 7–0)
(3:16) South Florida – Spencer Shrader 21 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:00; South Florida 10–0)
(0:45) Cincinnati – Jadon Thompson 28 yard pass from Ben Bryant, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:31; South Florida 10–7)
Second quarter
(10:27) Cincinnati – Nick Mardner 14 yard pass from Ben Bryant, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:00; Cincinnati 14–10)
(5:03) South Florida – Xavier Weaver 9 yard pass from Gerry Bohanon, Spencer Shrader kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:24; South Florida 17–14)
Third quarter
(10:11) Cincinnati – Charles McClelland 1 yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 10 plays 75 yards 4:49; Cincinnati 21–17)
Fourth quarter
(14:56) South Florida – Xavier Weaver 16 yard pass from Gerry Bohanon, Spencer Shrader kick (Drive: 5 plays 88 yards 2:22; South Florida 24–21)
(9:24) Cincinnati – Charles McClelland 1 yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 2 Plays 50 Yards 0:35; Cincinnati 28–24)
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 3 • Odds to win: Cincinnati 60.1% • Game summary: ESPN
Armed with an 18 game win streak in the American and coming off a needed bye week, the Bearcats traveled to Dallas for a matinee start with Southern Methodist. The Mustangs, another team that the Bearcats will not face as a conference rival going forward were eager to avenge a pair of thrashings in the previous 2 years.
The teams exchanged punts on their initial drives and the Bearcats cashed in on the Mustangs' first mistake of the day as Mustang QB Tanner Mordecai was intercepted on his own 10, the Bearcats could not move the ball in spite of excellent field position. Ryan Coe drilled a 30 yard field goal to open the scoring. After another exchange of punts, 2 by SMU 1 by the Bearcats. The Cincy offense finally cranked up with an 11 play 62 yard drive that chewed up 5:38. Highlighted by passes from Ben Bryant to Nick Mardner and Josh Whyle along with crisp runs by Charles McClelland and Corey Kiner, the latter a 22 yard scamper by the sophomore transfer from LSU to set the Bearcats up inside the Mustang 5, 3 plays later Ryan Montgomery crashing into the end zone from a yard out. The Bearcats held a 10–0 lead after 1 quarter of play.
The Bearcats continued to put the pressure on, after another Mustang punt. McClelland burst through the line and sprinted 76 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the drive. The Bearcats looked to be in full command of the game up 17–0 early in the 2nd quarter.
The Mustangs got on the board after a failed Bearcat attempt to go for it on 4th and short near midfield, needing but 2 plays to crack the scoreboard after trashing the Bearcats secondary for a 43 yard completion to Jodran Kerley, TJ McDaniel scampered into the end zone from 3 yards out. Undaunted the Bearcats again drove a good portion of the field, again chewing up clock and again putting points on the board this time a 25 yard field goal. The Mustangs had a ready answer to the Bearcats score driving 77 yards in 13 plays with Mordecai finding Kerley in the end zone to cut the Bearcats lead to 6 at 20–14 at the half.
In the 3, the Bearcats increased their lead from 6 to 9 to 12 to 15 with short effective drives culminating in Coe field goals after Mustang punts after SMU was stopped on downs late in the 3rd, the Bearcats went on another time consuming drive and Coe lined up for his team record 6th field goal attempt having already set the record for made field goals in a game with 5. Unfortunately, Coe's attempt was blocked and the energized Mustangs raced down field on a 62 yard drive culminating in backup QB Preston Stone completing a 16 yard touchdown pass to RJ Maryland on 4th and 14 from the 16. Cutting the Bearcat lead to 8 at 29–21. The Bearcats could not run out the clock and again had to punt. The Mustangs again raced downfield on their subsequent possession aided by 3 costly penalties. Tyler Lavine scored from a yard out to narrow the score to 29–27 and the Gerald J Ford Stadium crowd were sure that their homecoming would be saved in overtime. The Bearcats had other ideas breaking up a pass for the tying two-point conversion to keep the score the same. The Bearcats recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt and were able to run out the clock to hang on to a narrow 29–27 win. The win extended the Bearcats conference win streak to 19 and their winning streak against the Mustangs to 3. Bryant finished with 200 yards passing, and McClelland rushed for 129 yards. With this being his 54th win, Luke Fickell moved into the all time coaching wins lead at Cincinnati, surpassing the 53 tallied by Rick Minter from 1994–2003. Fickell notched the record in only his 70th game coaching the Bearcats.
Game information
First quarter
(10:55) Cincinnati – Ryan Coe 30 yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, −3 yards, 1:25; Cincinnati 3–0)
(0:33) Cincinnati – Ryan Montgomery 1 yard rush, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 5:38; Cincinnati 10–0)
Second quarter
(13:34) Cincinnati – Charles McClelland 74 yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 1 play, 76 yards, 0:12; Cincinnati 17–0)
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: NE 10 mph
Game attendance: 44,313
Referee: Luke Richmond
TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III, Quint Kessenich
Pregame line: EVEN • Odds to win: UCF 60.4% • Game summary: ESPN
With a 19 game conference win streak on the line, the Bearcats traveled to another hostile venue for their homecoming. This time the infamous bounce house in Orlando to face bitter rival in Central Florida. The Knights and Bearcats have had a growing rivalry over the past 5 years, starting with a pair of one sided Knights win in 2017 and 2018, while the Bearcats have won the last three meetings upsetting the ranked Knights in a rowdy Nipp at Night game breaking the Knights 19 game conference win streak, then edging the Knights at a tense duel at FBC Mortgage Stadium before routing them last season at Nippert. Played on a muggy humid afternoon, a packed house of better than 44,000 settled in for this high stakes AAC matchup.
The Bearcats struggled early to find a rhythm and after an exchange of punts, the Knights took a 3–0 lead on 26 yard field goal by Colton Boomer, after another Bearcat punt the Knights went 84 yards in 10 plays, capped off by a 26 yard scoring run from RJ Harvey to increase their lead 10–0 and stoke the frenzy of the majority of the hyper Pro-UCF crowd. The Bearcats cut the lead to 10–6 on a pair of second quarter field goals by Ryan Coe and despite their rushing offense being near non-existent in the 1st half, the Bearcats still only trailed by 4 as their defense was keeping the highly mobile John Rhys Plumlee mostly in check and knocking him out of the game mid way through the 2nd after a hard hit by Arquon Bush resulted in Plumlee being removed from the game for safety precautions. Mikey Keene whom the Bearcats repeatedly victimized in their last meeting was inserted into the lineup at QB.
In the 3rd after another 3 and out by the Bearcat offense, the Knights crafted another lengthy drive by Ty Van Fossen forced a fumble by the Knights Isaiah Bowser at the Bearcat 5 and DeShawn Pace recovered to snuff out a potential big scoring opportunity. After a pair of short runs, QB Ben Bryant was back to pass on 3rd down, was flushed from the pocket and at first glance had fumbled the ball in the end zone which was recovered by the Knights for a crushing defensive touchdown. Replays would later show that Bryant's knee was down before his fumble but it was a defensive score nonetheless as a safety to extend the Knight lead to 12–6. The Bearcats kicked off to the Knights and again they drove swiftly down the field by again were victimized by a costly turnover as Harvey fumbled the ball and Dontay Corleone recovered deep in Bearcat territory snuffing out a potential backbreaking score. The Bearcats then put together their longest and best drive of the day so far. Mixing passes to Tre Tucker, Leonard Taylor, Jr. Tyler Scott and Josh Whyle, the Bearcats moved steadily downfield. Bryant hit Whyle on a 14 yard touchdown pass, and with the extra point the Bearcats had their first lead at 13–12 this despite only having the ball less than 5 ½ minutes in the entire 3rd quarter.
After an exchange of punts to start the 4th, the Knights put together an impressive drive. Mixing short passes by Keene and a punishing run game the Knights grinded out a 13 play 77 yard drive that took up 5:57, Bowser scored from 3 yards out and the Knights now held an 18 -13 lead after the 2 point conversion attempt failed.
The Bearcats had an answer, again Bryant was finding receivers and was moving the ball down the field, but on 3rd and 2 from the 39, the Bearcats looked to convert the short 3rd and 2 with a run, only to see Ryan Montgomery burst through the line and race into the end zone on a 39 yard run. The Bearcats added a stunning 2 point conversion on brilliant one handed snag by Tyler Scott. The Bearcat now had the lead at 21–18 and looked to escape with a hard fought win in the most difficult of circumstances.
The Knights had the last answer on a lightning quick yet punishing drive, going 75 yards in 7 plays in just 2:16 against an exhausted Bearcat defense. The nadir of the drive was the score, a whirling spinning run by Harvey from 17 yards out. The Bearcats were left with 46 seconds and no time outs to try to answer, and after a crushing fumble and sack resulting in a 20 yard loss on the first play after kickoff, the Bearcats were finished. The Knights ended the Bearcats 19 game conference win streak, handing them a 25–21 loss. The Knights ironically fell victim to the Bearcats in 2019 in Nippert to end their 19 game conference win streak which both team now share as the AAC record. The Knights dominated statistically, with 505 total yards, 258 on the ground, 30 first downs and had possession of the ball over 37 minutes. The Bearcats hurt themselves also with a minuscule running game, gaining only 35 yards. The loss dropped the Bearcats to 6–2 overall, 3–1 in the AAC
Game weather: Mostly Cloudy • Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: N 19 mph
Game attendance: 38,461
Referee: Nate Black
TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 18.5 • Odds to win: UC 93.7% • Game summary: ESPN
After the humbling defeat in Orlando, The Bearcats returned home to Nippert Stadium, to face the US Naval Academy. Played under a gray brooding cloudy yet warm afternoon. The Bearcats looked to get back into winning form but faced a difficult to prepare for triple option offense from Navy.
The Bearcats took an early lead on a pair of field goals from Ryan Coe, but seemed unable to assert their will over a dogged and determined Naval Squad that continued to grind at the Bearcats with their running game to chew up massive amounts of time. The Bearcats were able to crack the Naval defensive code midway through the 2nd quarter when Ben Bryant connected with Tyler Scott on a 38 yard touchdown pass. The Midshipmen scored their first ever points at Nippert Stadium (They were shutout in their first visit in 2018) on a 28 yard field goal by Daniel Davies, after having his first attempt blocked earlier in the quarter. The Bearcats went to halftime up 13–3.
The Bearcats extended their lead to 20–3 on their first offensive series of the 2nd half following a Midshipmen three and out. Bryant again finding Scott on a deep ball from 27 yards out. Though the Midshipmen were able to answer with a 16 play 75 yard drive that finally got them to the end zone. That would be all the scoring for the day, for either team as both defenses blunted any and all scoring drives and the Bearcats were able to slug through a less than aesthetically pleasing but effective 20–10 win. Ben Bryant had an efficient 25–35 for 299 and the two touchdown passes to Tyler Scott who had 10 catches for 139 yards. Though the Bearcats were outrushed 201–87 they managed to hold the Midshipmen to 15 first downs and only were gashed once for a run longer than 20 yards. The win improved the Bearcats to 7–2 and 4–1 in the American. The win also extended the school record home winning streak at Nippert to 31
Game information
First quarter
CIN 13:08 Ryan Coe 47 Yd Field Goal 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:52 UC 3–0
CIN 5:04 Ryan Coe 27 Yd Field Goal 14 plays, 60 yards, 6:03 UC 6–0
Second quarter
CIN 7:12 Tyler Scott 38 Yd pass from Ben Bryant (Ryan Coe Kick) 12 plays, 87 yards, 5:01 UC 13–0
USNA 1:55 Daniel Davies 28 Yd Field Goal 9 plays, 54 yards, 5:17 UC 13–3
Third quarter
CIN 9:51 Tyler Scott 27 Yd pass from Ben Bryant (Ryan Coe Kick) 8 plays, 98 yards, 2:57 UC 20–3
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: SE 12 MPH
Game attendance: 38,199
Referee: Henry Johns
TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 5 • Odds to win: UC 66.9% • Game summary:
After a less than aesthethically pleasing but needed bounce back win over Navy, the Bearcats geared up for a Nipp at Night battle against East Carolina. The Pirates came to Cincy looking for their first win against the Bearcats since 2017 and first win in Cincinnati since 2001. Despite the Bearcats recent dominance in the series having won the last 4, the Bearcats still trailed in the overall series 13–12.
With a rowdy Ruckus student section providing a noisy soundtrack to the evening, the Bearcats and Pirates started slow, exchanging punts on their initial drives. The Pirates pinning the Bearcats at their own 9 after their punt. The Bearcats second drive ended in disastrous results, after a short gain by Charles McClelland, Bearcats QB Ben Bryant dropped back to pass and in trying to evade a Pirate blitz retreated to the end zone where he was trapped by Pirate defenders Jeremy Lewis and Elijah Morris. Bryant was brought down in the end zone for a safety and a stunned Nippert crowd saw the Pirate take a 2–0 lead. On the subsequent possession following the free kick, the Pirates grinded out an 11 play drive that culminated in a Andrew Conrad to increase their lead to 5–0. The lead would be short lived as on the ensuing kickoff, the Bearcats Jaden Thompson fielded the kick at the goal line and after breaking a pair of tackles at the 20 found an alley of blockers and weaved his way to the sideline where he outraced the Pirate kick coverage team to the endzone for an electrifying 100 yard kickoff return to give the Bearcats a 7–5 lead.
The shaken Pirates tried to answer with a grinding drive of their own, but the drive stalled at the Bearcat 28 and Conrad's 45 yard field goal attempt to give the Pirates the lead was no good. The Bearcats took possession off the miss and after 5 plays, Bryant connected with Tre Tucker who eluded the Pirate defense en route to a 55 yard touchdown score to extend the Bearcat lead to 14–5 . After a pair of Pirate punts sandwiched around a Ben Bryant interception. The Bearcats found themselves starting a drive at their own 24, and wasted no time with Bryant connecting with Tyler Scott on a 76 yard pass play that further extended the lead to 21–5. The Pirates fought their way back with a quick score of their own, stunning the Bearcats with Holton Ahlers connecting with CJ Johnson deep down the right side with a 72 yard touchdown pass to cut the Bearcat lead to 21–12. The Bearcats answered the Pirates score with an 11 play 49 yard drive and Ryan Coe hitting a 37 yard field goal to push the lead back to 12 at 24–12 going into the half.
The Pirates opened the second half with an impressive 9 play 79 yard drive capped off with a 2 yard scoring run by Keaton Mitchell to cut the Bearcat lead to 24–19. The Bearcats offense suddenly went ice cold, going three and out on their next two drives. The Pirates again put together a solid drive, the key play being a targeting foul on Byron Threatts on a hit to Mitchell that set the Pirates up on the 15 and disqualified Threatts from the game. Ahlers hit Jaylen Johnson on his only catch of the night a 15 yard corner pattern into the end zone and suddenly the Bearcats were trailing 25–24, it stayed at that score when the defense broke up the attempted 2 point conversion and for the first time since playing Ohio in 2018 the Bearcats were behind in the 4th quarter. The Bearcats strung together a decent drive, it stalled but Mason Fletcher pinned the Pirates at their own 3 despite giving up an initial 23 yard run the BlackCats defense stiffened and the Pirates only got a 31 yard punt to the Bearcats 40. Stringing together a solid drive, the Bearcats pushed downfield stalling only inside the Pirate 5 where Ryan Coe connected on a 21 yard field goal to give the Bearcats back the lead at 27–25. The Pirates would have 3 more shots to take the lead, punting after the first, losing the ball on downs at the Bearcat 46 and one desperate play where a failed lateral ended the game deep inside Pirate territory. The Bearcats eked out a 27–25 win that improved their record to 8–2, kept them in a 3 way tie for first place in the American at 5–1, extended the country's 2nd longest home win streak to a school record 32 games and leveled the all time series with the Pirates (one that will not be a regular matchup with the Bearcats leaving for the Big XII) at 13 wins a piece
Game information
First quarter
ECU SFT 09:30 SAFETY Bryant Tackled in End Zone, :39 2–0 ECU
ECU FG 3:14 Andrew Conrad 47 Yd Field Goal 11 plays, 48 yards, 6:16 5–0 ECU
Pregame line: Cincinnati by 17 • Odds to win: UC 89.0% Game summary:
After securing their 2nd straight win, the Bearcats prepared to head to Philadelphia to face a Temple team that historically they have had difficulty playing on the road. The Bearcats demolished the Owls 52–3 in their previous meeting in 2021 but the last time the Bearcats played at Lincoln Financial Field they were knocked from the unbeaten ranks in 2018 in a humbling overtime defeat. Played on a chilly gray late afternoon the Owls took the initial kickoff and after gaining a single first down, punted the ball to the Bearcats who after a fair kick catch penalty started near midfield and steadily grinded their way toward the Temple end zone. Eschewing an early field goal try the Bearcats gambled on a 4th and goal from the 1 but were stonewalled when Ryan Montgomery was stopped short of the goal line. Unbothered by the early offensive failure, the Bearcats “BlackCats” defense kept the Owls offense relatively inert forcing punt after punt while the Bearcats offense tried to find its footing. Late in the 1st, Ben Bryant found a streaking Tyler Scott on a post pattern and with the 42 yard score the Bearcats were on the board with a 7–0 lead. The BlackCats defense then forced an Owls fumble, Dontay Corleone forcing the fumble and pouncing on the loose loaf to set the Bearcats up deep in Temple territory. The Bearcats cashed in on that opportunity, Montgomery bursting through the line on a counter and racing to the end zone from 14 yards out to start the 2nd quarter. With only six seconds elapsed in the 2nd the Bearcats held a 14–0 lead.
The rest of the game saw Temple put a futile attempt to move the ball against a BlackCats defense that was unwilling to yield yards and did so at a grudging pace. The Bearcats increased their lead to 17–0 on a 28 yard field goal by Ryan Coe. The Owls put together their best drive so far in the game with a 6 play 50 yard drive, and Camden Price hit on a field goal from 43 yards out to put Temple on the scoreboard. The 1st half ended at 17–3 which was the same score these two teams had in their last meeting.
The second half began with a change at quarterback for the Bearcats; Evan Prater, who took over in the 2nd quarter when Ben Bryant was hurt on a scramble, started the 2nd half and the Bearcats offense got quite conservative. On the 2nd drive of the quarter, the Prater cobbled together a short but effective drive that netted them another 3 points on a 37 yard field from Coe. The Bearcats time and again shutdown a Temple passing game that had thrown for well over 450 yards the week before. The Owls best chance at getting into the end zone was snuffed out when Bryan Threatts intercepted Owls QB EJ Warner in the end zone late in the 3rd, The Bearcats turned that drive into another long time consuming drive capped off by another field goal in the 4th by Coe from 24 yards out. The lead was now 23–3. The Owls tried gamely to stay in the contest crafting a 14 play 53 yard drive but that too ended in failure as Ty Von Fossen forced a fumble by Zae Barnes, with Von Fossen making the recovery at the Bearcat 28. The Bearcats secured a 23–3 win with defense as the Bearcats held Temple to 202 total yards and 13 first downs while forcing 4 turnovers, and holding an opponent to their fewest points since the last time the Bearcats played Temple and held them to 3 points as well. The Bearcats dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 37 minutes (36:51). The win improved their record to 9–2, 6–1 in the AAC and with a surprising upset of UCF by Navy, the Bearcats were now in a position to make the AAC Championship for the 4th straight time and host the game for the 3rd straight time
Game information
First quarter
CIN TD 1:19 Tre Tucker 42 Yd pass from Ben Bryant (Ryan Coe Kick) 4 plays, 66 yards, 1:08 UC 7–0
Second quarter
CIN TD 14:54 Ryan Montgomery 14 Yd Run (Ryan Coe Kick) 3 plays, 26 yards, 0:44 UC 14–0
CIN FG 9:55 Ryan Coe 28 Yd Field Goal 9 plays, 28 yards, 2:54 UC 17–0
TEM FG 8:24 Camden Price 43 Yd Field Goal 6 plays, 50 yards, 1:31 UC 17–3
Third quarter
CIN FG 7:22 Ryan Coe 37 Yd Field Goal 8 plays, 23 yards, 3:25 UC 20–3
Fourth quarter
CIN FG 14:40 Ryan Coe 24 Yd Field Goal 12 plays, 74 yards, 5:29 UC 23–3
The NCAA recognizes a selection to all five of the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN and WCFF first teams for unanimous selections and three of five for consensus selections.
