Houston defense attempts to get Cincinnati off the field during the second quarter of a Sept. 23, 34-0 Houston loss in Cincinnati, Ohio. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
Houston football arrived at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 21 for their first Big 12 matchup against Cincinnati. After taking back the Bayou Bucket from Rice in the Bayou Bucket Classic the weekend prior, Houston looked to have a spark of life. That momentum went up in smoke as the Cougars got shut down by the Bearcats 34-0.
In their last two matchups before the conference opener, the Cougars held then No. 15 Oklahoma and Rice to just 23 points. That was not the team that took the field on Saturday and gave Cincinnati their fifth straight win of the series.
In the first half, Houston’s offense struggled, as they only entered Cincinnati’s territory on only one of their five offensive drives, with that one drive ending in a missed field goal attempt.
On the other hand, after punting on their first drive, the Bearcats stepped on the gas pedal and never let go, scoring on their next four drives, including two passing touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Brendan Sorsby to senior wide receiver Xzavier Henderson and a 44-yard rushing touchdown from senior running back Corey Kiner, to give Cincinnati a 24-0 lead heading into halftime
In the second half, the Cougars got their offense rolling in their first drive, even making it to Cincy’s 31-yard line. But on third and sixth, redshirt freshman running back Re’Shaun Sanford II fumbled the ball near the red zone, and the Bearcats recovered it.
Houston had two more drives where they entered Cincinnati territory, but both ended in a turnover on downs. The Bearcats kept the score rolling, with an 8-yard rushing touchdown from Sorsby and a second field goal to make it 34-0 to put the game to bed.
Senior quarterback Donovan Smith went 11 for 16, 73 yards, and an interception.
Sanford II was the team’s leading rusher with 62 yards on six carries, but also fumbled the ball twice, leading to the Cats regaining possession.
The Houston defense allowed over 400 yards of offense and four touchdowns.
“I’m disappointed. We made some progress in week one, week two, week three,” head coach Willie Fritz said “We sure as heck didn’t make any progress today.”
The Cougars will have some soul-searching over the next few days before taking on the No. 18 ranked Iowa State Cyclones at home
on Saturday.
