JC French IV has 4 TD passes as Cincinnati stuns No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cole Tabb had a career-high 173 rushing yards and a touchdown and JC French IV threw for a career-high four TD passes as Cincinnati stunned No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 on Saturday.

It was the Bearcats’ first win over a top-10 team at home since Nov. 18, 2006, when they defeated No. 7 Rutgers 30-11. Cincinnati won at ninth-ranked Notre Dame in 2021.

The Red Raiders (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) failed go 7-0 for the first time since 2013 and were plagued by mistakes all afternoon.

Red Raiders QB Will Hammond lost a fumble and had an intentional grounding penalty forcing them to settle for field goals and take a 6-3 lead.

Hammond passed for 227 yards with an interception, and J’Koby Williams rushed for 81 yards on 11 carries for the Red Raiders.

The Bearcats (5-2, 2-2) scored 21 points in the second quarter.

Tabb’s four-yard TD catch put the Bearcats ahead 10-6. They extended the lead to 17-6 on a five-yard TD catch by Malachi Henry with 1:37 remaining in the half.

Following an interception by MJ Cannon, the Bearcats drove 75 yards in 27 seconds. Tabb’s 51-yard run set up a two-yard TD catch by tight end Lyviel Waters, making the score 24-6 at halftime.

The Red Raiders caught a break in the third quarter after safety Peyton Morgan intercepted French’s deflected pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. The play initially was negated by a targeting penalty on Brice Pollock, but then overturned by video review and the Bearcats’ lead was cut to 24-15 after the two-point attempt failed.

The Bearcats responded with a nine-play, 80-yard drive and French’s fourth TD pass, a 17-yarder to Larenzo Fenner that extended Cincinnati’s lead to 31-50 with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Tabb’s 58-yard touchdown run with six minutes left sealed the victory for the Bearcats.

The Takeaway

Texas Tech: Coach Joey McGuire wanted his players to focus on the pursuit of a College Football Playoff spot this week and not lingering bad blood after quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s transfer from Cincinnati fell through amid gambling allegations. Bearcats fans chanted Sorsby’s name at times during the game.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats came in averaging 231 rushing yards. After having minus-6 yards on the ground in the first quarter aided by a couple sacks, they finished with 252 yards averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

Up next

Texas Tech hosts Arizona on Oct. 31.

Cincinnati hosts No. 10 Utah on Oct. 31.

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