Cincinnati quiets Big 12 rival UCF offense for 19-13 victory

Updated Oct. 12, 2024 8:20 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Orlando, FL (AP) — Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 241 yards, including a critical four-yard touchdown to Tony Johnson late in the fourth quarter and Jared Bartlett recorded a game-clinching sack on the final play of the game, delivering the Bearcats a 19-13 win over conference rival UCF.

Cincinnati's (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) defense silenced UCF's usually high-scoring offense throughout the game. The Knights (3-3, 1-2) did not surpass the Bearcats in total yards until the game's final possession when they drove from their own 19-yard line to the Bearcats' 25.

With three seconds left, quarterback Jacurri Brown was unable to escape the rush and Bartlett recorded Cincinnati's fourth sack of the game as time expired.

“It's a whatever it takes mentality," Johnson said. "Sorsby talked to us going into the fourth quarter and told us we need to finish this game. No matter what it takes, we need to win this game.”

For Cincinnati to get the win, it was not easy with an uneven offensive performance.

The Bearcats put themselves in a hole thanks to two early interceptions inside UCF territory. But Sorsby and the offense settled down late in the first quarter to stay ahead and the defense kept the Knights off the board.

Sorsby completed 25 of 38 passes to tally his 241 yards, including completing 12 of 13 for 120 yards in the second half to help keep UCF at a distance.

“The message was we’re not leaving until we get the win,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “We’re not leaving until the job is done. We took to the very last play. It was not pretty. I am proud of our guys because we didn’t play our best and to still come out and get a win on the road like this is huge for our guys and their confidence.”

UCF suffered its third straight loss, marking the second straight season the team has had a losing streak of three games or more. The Knights are seeking answers on offense after struggling to score once again.

The Cincinnati defense held the high-powered UCF rush attack to 196 yards, including keeping star running back RJ Harvey to 94 yards on 17 carries.

It was the third straight game Harvey was held to less than 100 yards, after previously going on a streak of five games with at least 100 rush yards. UCF entered the game leading the Big 12 in rushing yards with 282.4 per game.

UCF entered the game averaging 489.2 total yards per game and 34.2 points per game, both in the top five in the conference. The Knights finished Saturday's game with 397 yards and just 13 points with one touchdown.

“They are usually a tempo team, us stopping that tempo gave us more time to make adjustments," Bartlett said. "It put us in a really good position to play the best defense that we could to win the game.”

The Knights' offense struggled to get itself going after opting to sit quarterback KJ Jefferson, who started the first five games of the season.

Brown, one of the two quarterbacks to play in his place, threw for 207 yards and rushed for another 94 yards. He threw his first touchdown for the Knights on a 15-yard pass to Kobe Hudson early in the third quarter. Hudson caught five passes for 82 yards.

The Knights had a chance to take the lead early but turned it over on their first two possessions with running back Johnny Richardson fumbling it twice, once in the red zone and another time inside the UCF 20. The second fumble set up Cincinnati's first field goal and first points of the game.

THIRD DOWN SUCCESS

The Bearcats converted on 9 of 16 third downs to keep the Knights’ offense off the field. Cincinnati kept one drive alive in the first and second quarters thanks to three third-down penalties from the Knights. That led to the Bearcats’ first touchdown, a three-yard score from Sorsby.

Sorsby was also deadly efficient on third downs, completing 9 of 11 passes on third down for 93 yards including the touchdown late in the game.

QB CHANGE

UCF opted to make a change at quarterback, starting true freshman EJ Colson over senior transfer KJ Jefferson.

Colson became the first freshman to start for the Knights at quarterback since Mikey Keene started games in the 2021 season for the Knights.

Colson reclassified to graduate as a junior, making him one of the youngest starters in FBS history.

Colson played in the first half and completed only one pass, a swing pass to Richardson that he fumbled for a loss of six yards, setting up Cincinnati's opening field goal.

The Knights relied primarily on Brown for the rest of the game.

OLD RIVALS

UCF and Cincinnati arrived in the Big 12 last year after establishing a heated rivalry in the American Athletic Conference over the last several years. The win for the Bearcats evened the all-time series between the schools at 5-5 and snapped a two-game losing streak against the Knights.

The win was Cincinnati's first road win against UCF since 2020 and just their second in Orlando against the Knights.

THE TAKEAWAY

Cincinnati: The Bearcats scored a big win over a former AAC rival and positioned themselves as one of the dark horse teams to compete for the conference crown in the bunched-up Big 12. Cincinnati, at least, inched closer to bowl eligibility with tough games ahead in the conference.

UCF: The Knights have now lost three straight games and face even bigger questions after replacing quarterback KJ Jefferson. The once-humming offense now faces questions as it struggled to clear 20 points for the second straight game.

UP NEXT

Cincinnati hosts Arizona State next week.

UCF heads to Ames, Iowa, next week to face No. 11 Iowa State.

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