Cincinnati: 2020 Birmingham Bowl Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Cincinnati football knocked off an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in postseason play to clinch 11 wins for the second consecutive season.

The No. 21 Bearcats defeated Boston College 38-6 Thursday, thriving despite dreadful weather conditions to begin the 14th annual Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field.

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder rushed for a school bowl record three touchdowns, passed for a touchdown (the four total scores were also a UC bowl record) and totaled 200 yards to earn MVP honors.

UC (11-3) senior linebackers Bryan Wright and Perry Young, a Birmingham native, concluded their collegiate careers tied for team-best with four tackles. Wright had a fumble recovery, defensive lineman Elijah Ponder blocked a first-half field goal attempt and junior running back Michael Warren II recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of the season (105 yards on 21 carries).

There were moments when it appeared the game might not happen.

Two delays for lightning — one pregame and one midway through the first quarter that lasted 90 minutes — and consistent heavy rainfall in the first half placed the ability to stage the event in question. More than two inches of rain fell in Birmingham, but the lightning rolled to the east and rain stopped falling after halftime.

The outcome was no longer in question well before that.

That's because the Cincinnati defense stonewalled the Eagles (6-7), who were without their most productive star because running back AJ Dillon opted to skip the game to begin prep for the NFL Draft. Dillon rushed for 1,685 and 14 touchdowns in the regular season. Without him, BC managed just 164 total yards and eight first downs.

The Eagles only score came near the end of the third quarter on redshirt sophomore defensive back Brandon Sebastian's 67-yard return after Cincinnati kicker Cole Smith's long field goal attempt was blocked. A failed two-point conversion pass attempt ensured the Bearcats' defense didn't allow any points.

Quick hits: The Eagles were guided by interim head coach/wide receivers assistant Rich Gunnell after Steve Addazio was fired a month ago. ... The Bearcats won 22 of 27 games the past two seasons, including two wins in bowl games (Virginia Tech in least season's Military Bowl) ... Ridder gained 105 yards on 21 carries, his third 100-yard rushing performance of the season and second straight. ... UC senior Josiah Deguara's third-quarter catch set the school record for career receptions by a tight end with 92 receptions. He finished Thursday with three catches for 12 yards, and has accepted an invitation to compete in the Senior Bowl later this month in Mobile, Alabama. ... UC junior wideout Malick Mbodj scored his first career touchdown on a pass from Ridder in the third quarter. Mbodj became a frequent target late in the season, notching 19 of his 24 receptions on the season after November 1. ... Freshman running back Ryan Montgomery scored his second career touchdown with 39 seconds to play in the game.

Personnel matters: James Hudson and Bryan Cook, both transfers who did not receive an NCAA waiver for eligibility in the regular-season, each made their Cincinnati debuts. Hudson started at left tackle and Cook made his first appearance at safety in the second quarter. ... Wilson Huber, the sophomore tight end who previously wore No. 82, changed to No. 2 and played a series at linebacker in the second quarter. Huber entered Thursday tied with a team-high seven special teams tackles and spent time during bowl practices on defense. ... Jack linebacker Michael Pitts (shoulder) and tight end Josh Whyle (undisclosed) did not play.

Remember when: The Bearcats won the 2007 Birmingham Bowl (then called the PapaJohns.com Bowl) 31-21 against Southern Miss. Quarterback Ben Mauk was named MVP after passing for 334 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing for 41 yards.

Cincinnati: 2018-19 American Athletic Men's Basketball Champions

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- With conference player of the year Jarron Cumberland running the show, No. 24 Cincinnati pulled away to win its second American Athletic Conference Tournament.

Cumberland had 33 points and eight rebounds as No. 24 Cincinnati won its second straight AAC tournament title, defeating No. 11 Houston 69-57 on Sunday.

"Jarron was off the charts," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said, later adding: "Jarron is superhuman."

Cane Broome finished with 15 points and Tre Scott added 12 for Cincinnati (28-6), who had lost to Houston twice during the regular season, including 85-69 March 10 at Cincinnati. This time was different as the Bearcats shut down Houston's offense.

"We've had three terrific games with Cincinnati, at our place, at their place and (Sunday)," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Obviously, that's a difficult team to beat three times, especially over the course of five or six weeks.

"Watching how they played today, you can see how well we played the other two times when we beat them."

In the second half, Houston shot a mere 27.8 percent, including making 3 of 18 from 3-point range. That provided Cincinnati, the tournament's No. 2 seed, the opportunity to build a double-digit lead -- a margin that reached 15 three times in the final seven minutes.

Sampson said he could tell Cronin had the Bearcats "really ready to play. You could tell they had a little bit of an ax to grind."

Cronin had noted after Cincinnati's semifinal win over Wichita State that the Bearcats rarely lose to a team three times in a season -- another point of motivation for his team, along with holding the tournament trophy.

After Sunday's victory, the Cincinnati coach said the championship win gives his team a hint of the things necessary if they are to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and with an emphasis on the thin margin between winning and losing.

"You've got to be hard to beat," Cronin said. "You can't (miss) layups. You've got to block out. You can't make dumb fouls and you try to maximize your potential on offense."

Armoni Brooks led Houston (31-3) with 17 points and Corey Davis added 12 for the Cougars, who were the tournament's top seed.

While the Bearcat defense stifled Houston shooting in the second half, Cincinnati put the ball in the hands of Cumberland, voted the tournament's most valuable player, and he responded with 20 second-half points. Cumberland made 7 of 14 shots after halftime and also was 6 of 9 from the free throw line.

"Cumberland hit some tough shots," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "He hit some really, really tough shots."

Houston got in trouble early in the second half when two quick fouls sent forward Breaon Brady to the bench with four fouls. About the same time, Fabian White went to the bench holding his right wrist.

At that point, the Bearcats were taking the lead to 15 points and really weren't threatened the rest of the way.

"We would have liked to have won," Sampson said, later adding: "I'm not going to spend two minutes thinking about this game. I'm just excited about what's coming up."

BIG PICTURE

Cincinnati: Cumberland, who was limited to only 11 points in a semifinal win over Wichita State, had surpassed that at halftime with 13 but was still struggling from the field. After halftime, he took over the game as the Bearcats extended the lead.

Houston: The Cougars suffered through 35 percent shooting in the first half. Brooks made five of the nine Houston field goals in the half. But things got worse after halftime as Houston had trouble converting shots and could never really cut into the Cincinnati lead. Injuries and foul trouble only made things worse

UP NEXT

Cincinnati: The Bearcats are a seventh seed in the South Region and play Iowa, the region's No. 10 seed on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

Houston: Earned a third seed in the Midwest Region and will play Friday against No. 14 seed Georgia State.

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Cincinnati: 2018 Military Bowl Champions

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Racing back and forth on a drenched field, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech put up some lofty numbers as the rain came down in the Military Bowl.

Michael Warren found his footing when it mattered most, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:29 left for the Bearcats, whose 35-31 victory Monday ended Virginia Tech's run of 25 consecutive winning seasons.

Warren ran for a career-high 166 yards, including an 8-yard burst up the middle to cap a frantic five-play, 64-yard drive in which he had 54 yards rushing.

That was enough to decide a tight game that featured 905 yards in offense and seven lead changes.

"The O-line did a great job of getting the push, especially at the end," said Warren, voted the game's MVP. "When you keep running the ball and wearing the other team down, they're not going to want to see any more of that."

The Bearcats' offense got a big assist from backup quarterback Hayden Moore, a senior who made 12 starts last year. After throwing only 26 passes in 2018, Moore entered in the first quarter and completed 11 of 25 throws for 120 yards in addition to running for a 19-yard score.

The victory gave Cincinnati (11-2) its third 11-win season in the 131-year history of the program following two straight 4-8 finishes.

"We learned a lot from the failures from last year and even from the failures we had throughout January, February and March," second-year coach Luke Fickell said.

Playing in a bowl game for the 26th successive year -- the longest current run in the nation -- Virginia Tech needed a victory to avoid its first losing season since 1992. Ryan Willis threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, but it wasn't enough to put an upbeat finish on an unsatisfying season for the Hokies (6-7).

"It stings. It's disappointing," said Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, a member of the coaching staff since 1987. "I'm proud of the consistency and how we have played over the years. We've got a young group of men, and some of them need to realize what it takes to perform and play at this level."

A touchdown run by Moore put the Bearcats up 28-24 with 12:44 left, and two minutes later Willis ran it in from the 5 to give Virginia Tech its last lead. The Hokies had a chance to extend the margin with just under nine minutes left but failed on a fourth-and-1 at the Cincinnati 3.

"We had an opportunity to go up by two scores but we didn't," Foster said. "And then we didn't respond defensively. That's kind of how we've been this year, kind of up and down that way."

Ridder hurt his right leg after being tripped up out of the pocket during the Bearcats' second series. The American Athletic Conference rookie of the year went 4 for 7 for 86 yards and a touchdown before leaving.

Moore picked up the slack.

"I knew this opportunity was coming sometime in the year," Moore said. "I didn't blink an eye. I just went and grabbed my helmet."

After a back-and-forth first half that ended 14-all, Virginia Tech moved 69 yards to open the third quarter before Brian Johnson kicked a field goal for a 17-14 lead. After Warren put the Bearcats in front with a 40-yard touchdown run, Willis threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cunningham to make it 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

WET BALL

The Bearcats fumbled three times and recovered all of them, including a touchdown by Kahlil Lewis on a ball Warren lost at the Virginia Tech 1.

"It wasn't the cleanest (win) obviously," Fickell said. "Look at the weather."

THE TAKEAWAY

Cincinnati: The Bearcats are on the rise under Fickell, who can expect to accompany Cincinnati to more bowls in the years ahead.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies were way too inconsistent in a season that ended on a very disappointing note. Virginia Tech was 13th in the country in September and now must rebound from its first losing season in more than a quarter of a century.

Still, coach Justin Fuente had no complaints about his team's effort in this one.

"They laid it on the line today," Fuente said. "We had guys that wanted to finish this thing off the right way."

UP NEXT

Cincinnati: The Bearcats have 81 underclassmen but must replace 13 seniors, including Lewis, a three-year starter.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies lose rushing leader Steven Peoples and second-team All-ACC DT Ricky Walker, who led the team with 10 1/2 tackles for a loss during the regular season.

Cincinnati: 2012 Belk Bowl Champions

UC Bearcats win Belk Bowl against Duke, 48-34 Written by Kevin Goheen Enquirer contributor Dec 27

cincinnati.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of Cincinnati rallied from a 16-0 deficit in the first quarter with 27 consecutive points but needed an 83-yard touchdown pass from Brendon Kay to tight end Travis Kelce with 44 seconds left to beat Duke, 48-34, Thursday night in the Belk Bowl.

Nick Temple returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown with 14 seconds left after linebacker Maalik Bomar hit Duke quarterback Sean Renfree as he was attempting a pass.

UC got the ball back for its winning touchdown drive on a fumble recovery by senior defensive lineman John Williams at their 6-yard line when it appeared Duke was on the verge of the go-ahead score. UC forced four Duke turnovers without losing a turnover itself.

UC finishes the season 10-3, its second consecutive 10-win campaign.

Kay completed 17 of 25 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Renfree was 37-of-49 for 358 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Backup quarterback Brandon Connette, who also played running back and tight end, threw a touchdown and rushed for a score for Duke.

Running back George Winn rushed for 130 yards and one touchdown for UC, while Kelce had five receptions for 123 yards and his touchdown. Wide receiver Anthony McClung had three catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

UC played the game under interim head coach Steve Stripling, who replaced former coach Butch Jones when Jones left to take the job at Tennessee. New head coach Tommy Tuberville watched the game from a club suite at Bank of America Stadium.
Duke was appearing in its first bowl game since the 1994 season. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 6-0 lead on the opening drive of the game, going 79 yards in eight plays before capping the possession with a 5-yard touchdown run by Connette, who took a direct snap out of the wildcat formation. UC’s Adam Dempsey blocked the extra point.
The Blue Devils extended the lead to 9-0 on a 33-yard field goal by freshman Ross Martin on their second drive.
Duke had six plays of 10 or more yards and gained 123 yards on 19 plays on its opening two possessions. UC’s offense went three-and-out on its first two drives, totaling just 10 yards on six plays. Duke got its second touchdown on a blocked punt by Tony Foster that went 26 yards back into the end zone, where Foster fell on the ball, giving the Blue Devils a 16-0 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter.
UC got its initial first down of the game when Kay ran for 20 yards around the left end. The Bearcats eventually got on the board with a 45-yard field goal by Tony Miliano with 1:43 left in the first quarter.
UC grabbed a 17-16 lead at halftime on two touchdown passes from Kay in the final four minutes of the half. He connected with McClung on a 25-yard pass with 4:02 left. The drive started at UC’s 46-yard line when the defense held on downs.
Kay and Ralph David Abernathy IV hooked up for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 42 seconds left in the half to cap a 98-yard drive.

UC scored 10 points in the third quarter, getting a 27-yard field goal from Miliano and 46-yard touchdown by Winn.

Duke answered with 15 straight points to take a 31-27 lead.