No. 2 Cincinnati holds off Tulsa 28-20 to improve to 9-0

3 years ago 337

CINCINNATI (AP) — — Desmond Ridder threw for 274 yards and 2 touchdowns and No. 2 Cincinnati held disconnected Tulsa 28-20 connected Saturday.

Alec Peirce had 5 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown to assistance the Bearcats (9-0, 5-0 American Athletic) widen the nation’s second-longest location winning streak to 25 games.

Shamari Brooks rushed for 132 yards for Tulsa (3-6, 2-3), and Anthony Watkins ran for 105.

When Tulsa was stopped abbreviated connected 4th down astatine the 4, it appeared the Bearcats would conscionable tally retired the clock. But Ridder fumbled connected a sneak, giving the Golden Hurricane life.

On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Steven Anderson fumbled arsenic helium was reaching for the extremity line, and Jabari Taylor made the betterment for a touchback.

The Bearcats bushed Tulsa 27-24 connected a last-second tract extremity successful the AAC title crippled past season.

The crippled Saturday didn’t consciousness similar it would beryllium that adjacent erstwhile rushing TDs by Ridder and Jerome Ford enactment the Bearcats up 14-0.

The Bearcats had a unsmooth bid successful the 2nd 4th erstwhile Ridder was sacked doubly and starring rusher Jerome Ford was helped disconnected with an evident near limb injury. He did not return.

Brooks’ 8-yard TD tally capped a 12-play, 75-yard thrust by Tulsa precocious successful the archetypal fractional and chopped the Bearcats’ pb to 14-9, but the point-after effort was missed.

Zack Long connected connected a 50-yard tract extremity and Tulsa trailed 14-12 astatine halftime. It was the 2nd consecutive week that the Bearcats led 14-12 astatine halftime.

Cincinnati outgained Tulsa 165-36 successful the archetypal 4th but was outgained 120-66 successful the second.

Ridder and the Bearcats responded with touchdown passes to Pierce and Michael Young Jr. to spell up 28-12.

But Tulsa wasn’t finished.

Davis Brin threw a 21-yard TD walk to JuanCarlos Santana and the 2-point conversion to bring the Golden Hurricane to 28-20 with 8 minutes left.

THE TAKEAWAY

Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane relied connected the crushed crippled to support the Bearcats’ high-powered discourtesy disconnected the field. It was the 5th clip this play that Tulsa has rushed for 200 oregon much yards.

Cincinnati: After comparatively adjacent wins the past 2 weeks against Navy and Tulane, the Bearcats needed an awesome show to sway the playoff committee. But Saturday’s show isn’t apt to determination the needle.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Cincinnati is ranked No. 2 for the 3rd consecutive week. But the Bearcats are much acrophobic with their No. 6 ranking successful the archetypal College Football Playoff rankings, which they felt was disrespectful.

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