UC holds on for sloppy win in Houston
Nov. 23, 2013 3:43 PM
Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Chris Moore (15) catches a pass for a touchdown. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Written by
Tom Groeschen
HOUSTON — It was a good, old-fashioned mud bowl. The cold-weather Midwestern team managed it better than the warm-weather Southwestern club here Saturday afternoon, as the Cincinnati Bearcats beat Houston 24-17.
The game was played in raw, damp conditions on a muddy grass field at BBVA Compass Stadium. There was intermittent rain and the temperature was around 50, which is cold for Houston. Attendance was not announced but was relatively sparse.
UC (9-2, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) held on after building a 24-7 lead in the third quarter, and kept alive its hopes of winning or sharing the league championship. The Bearcats and Louisville both were 5-1 in the AAC entering Saturday, with Central Florida atop the league at 6-0.
UC quarterback Brendon Kay was 29-for-50 passing for 386 yards, with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Chris Moore caught four passes for 72 yards and two TDs for UC. Anthony McClung had nine catches for 137 yards. Shaq Washington had 10 catches for 132 yards.
Hosey Williams led UC in rushing with 13 carries for 84 yards. The Bearcats held a 573-236 edge in total yards.
Houston QB John O’Korn was limited to 12-for-28 passing for 148 yards, with one TD.
Defensive end Silverberry Mouhon forced two fumbles for UC, part of a strong overall defensive effort. The Bearcats forced 10 punts.
UC now is off until Thursday Dec. 5, when it finishes its regular season against Louisville at Nippert Stadium. Central Florida still must play South Florida and SMU.
Houston (7-4, 4-3 AAC) lost its third consecutive game.
The Bearcats now are 4-2 on the road this season.
Houston entered the game leading the nation in takeaways (33) and turnover margin (plus-22) this year. The Cougars did hold a 3-2 edge in takeaways on Saturday, but UC survived.
UC took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, on a 40-yard pass form Kay to a wide-open Moore down the right side. The TD came with 14:32 left in the second quarter.
The Bearcats made it 10-0 on a 25-yard field goal by Tony Miliano with 8:13 left in the second quarter.
Houston cut the Bearcats’ lead to 10-7 on a 12-yard TD pass from O’Korn to wideout Deontay Greenberry with 5:56 left in the second quarter. The TD was set up by a Houston interception of Kay, the second time Kay was picked off while throwing from his own end zone.
Kay redeemed himself with a 3-yard TD pass to Moore, which put UC ahead 17-7 with 1:29 left until halftime.
The Bearcats’ outstanding defensive effort included two forced fumbles by Mouhon. The second put UC at the 13-yard line for Houston. After a loss, Kay scrambled 14 yards and scored to put UC up 24-7, with 7:35 left in the third quarter.
Houston chipped UC’s lead to 24-14 with 5:22 left in the third quarter, when Kay was hit and fumbled. Cougars safety Trevon Stewart returned the fumble 15 yards for a TD.
The Bearcats’ lead then slipped to 24-17 on a 27-yard field goal by Houston’s Kyle Bullard, with 23 seconds left in the third quarter.
Miliano missed a 43-yard field goal attempt with just under 10 minutes left, which would have put UC up 27-17. Miliano slipped on the wet grass while kicking, and the ball sailed low and just wide right.
Miliano also missed a 24-yard attempt with 1:24 left, giving Houston one last chance. The Cougars started at their own 20-yard line and drove to the UC 31-yard line, but the clock ran out on the home team.
The win also should help UC on the national front. The Bearcats entered Saturday ranked No. 27 in the latest USA Today coaches’ poll, No. 29 in the BCS standings and tied for No. 30 in the Associated Press poll.
The game was played at BBVA Compass Stadium, a 22,000-seat soccer-specific facility home to Houston Dynamo (Major League Soccer). With the Dynamo out of town Saturday, Houston players voted to move the game from 70,000-seat Rice Stadium.
The intimate BBVA Compass atmosphere literally was dampened by the weather, with most estimates saying the stands were maybe half full.
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...069&Ref=AR