Cincinnati used 84 plays in all and 35 minutes of possession against……
BYU overcomes Cincinnati to win its first Big 12 game.
On Friday night, Kedon Slovis led BYU to a 35-27 victory over Cincinnati with two touchdowns and 223 yards passing.
With six catches for a career-high 131 yards, Chase Roberts helped the Cougars (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) win their first Big 12 game. Four of BYU’s touchdown drives lasted five plays or less.
After a poor start in which he completed just one of his first seven pass attempts, Slovis recovered. He led three straight touchdown drives and completed eight of nine passes to give BYU a decisive advantage.
We’re tough,” Roberts remarked. Our quarterback has our full trust. Kedon’s leadership is the foundation of everything.
To lead the Bearcats, Emory Jones passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns and gained 94 yards on the ground. Cincinnati (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) ran for 498 yards and 242 yards of total offence, but lost for the third time in a row.
Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield stated, “You have to make the plays when they’re there, and they were very good at that.” “They created the plays when they were required to.
Before halftime, BYU had trouble getting off the ground offensively. Only 38 yards were gained by the Cougars until their last drive of the first half. Jakob Robinson returned an interception 42 yards for BYU’s first touchdown, but they still had an early 7-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, Jones connected Chamon Metayer in the flat on third down, and Metayer sprinted in for a 27-yard touchdown to tie the game for Cincinnati. The Bearcats’ first touchdown possession spanned 17 plays and 90 yards.
Cincinnati led 10–7 after a 33-yard field goal by Carter Brown.
With six seconds remaining before halftime, Slovis completed three straight throws, the last of which was a 22-yard pass to a wide-open Darrius Lassiter, giving the Cougars their first lead since the game’s opening possession.
Coach Kalani Sitake of BYU stated, “I don’t really care how the points show up on the scoreboard.” “I only want them to be up there.
After the break, BYU continued to dominate. Early in the third quarter, LJ Martin broke free from a few of tackles and raced 29 yards to increase the Cougars’ advantage to 21-10. After dodging a sack, Slovis found a streaking Roberts for a 59-yard touchdown pass, putting BYU ahead 28–13.
After Matayer’s second touchdown reception, the Bearcats had cut the score in half, but BYU had the ball at the Cincinnati 15 due to a botched punt. Five plays later, with 12:41 left, Martin slammed it in from a yard out to put the Cougars up 35–20.
IMPORTANT LESSONS
Cincinnati: The Bearcats’ rushing attack proved effective in moving the chains early on. By halftime, Cincinnati had gained 154 yards through the air. Completing drives proved to be difficult.
BYU: After the break, the Cougars pulled away from Cincinnati thanks to a string of impressive plays. After punting on their first four possessions of the game, BYU rallied for a decisive third quarter, averaging 11.7 yards per play.
TURN THE SCRIPT OFF
A week after Kansas scored 21 points off of three turnovers against them, BYU took advantage of Cincinnati’s errors. With no turnovers, the Cougars scored touchdowns on an interception and a botched punt.
Sitake complimented his defence for its opportunistic play at crucial junctures and his offence for handling the ball well.
“If you’re doing your job, the turnovers will come,” Sitake stated.
Against BYU, Cincinnati ran 84 plays in all and controlled the ball for 35 minutes. The Bearcats’ failure to complete drives early in the game proved to be fatal as the Cougars executed several key plays to seize control of the contest.
Satterfield stated, “We dominated the yards, time of possession, and everything basically the entire first half with the ball.” “We really ought to have led by ten points at halftime, but we faltered.
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