Bearcats finish 4-8 with OT loss to Tulsa
Tom Groeschen , tgroeschen@enquirer.com 12:28 a.m. EST November 26, 2016


TULSA, Okla. – Given little chance to win, the Cincinnati Bearcats came close to ending their football season with a stunning upset here Friday night.

Instead, UC lost a 17-point lead and fell 40-37 in overtime to Tulsa. A crowd of 18,550 watched on a cold night at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

The Bearcats entered as 23-point underdogs, but never trailed until the last play.

After Josh Pasley put UC up 37-34 on a 33-yard field goal to start overtime, Tulsa won it on a 4-yard run by running back James Flanders on the Golden Hurricane’s possession. Each team gets a chance from the 25-yard line in overtime.

UC (4-8, 1-7 American Athletic Conference East) finished its worst regular season since also going 4-8 in 2010.

Tulsa (9-3, 6-2 AAC West) had figured to win comfortably. The visiting Bearcats were reeling with a four-game losing streak, during which UC had scored only 26 points.

But, UC raced to leads of 14-0 and 24-7 in the first half. It was 24-14 at halftime.

A big key was UC hitting deep passes. The Bearcats had tried and failed to throw the deep ball in recent weeks, but Friday night connected on passes of 82, 70, 48, 38 and 29 yards.

UC also entered Friday having scored 7 or fewer points in each of its last three games. The last time that happened was 1989, when UC went 1-9-1 under first-year coach Tim Murphy.

GAME SUMMARY: UC gained a 7-0 lead on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Moore to true freshman wide receiver Thomas Geddis. That was with 8:31 left in the first quarter.

The score was set up by UC safety Carter Jacobs forcing a fumble by Tulsa running back James Flanders. UC defensive tackle Chris Burton recovered at the Bearcats’ 38-yard line, and the TD pass followed shortly thereafter.

UC soon forced another turnover. Defensive back Mike Tyson made his fourth interception of the year, setting UC up at the Tulsa 29-yard line.

Then, razzle dazzle. Moore passed backward to tight end Tyler Cogswell, who then tossed the ball back across the field to Moore. Moore followed a wall of blockers for a 29-yard score, and UC led 14-0 with 7:25 left in the first quarter.

Cogswell, a junior from Coral Springs, Florida, was a quarterback in high school.

Tulsa responded on its next drive with a 5-yard TD run by Flanders, which cut the UC lead to 14-7.

The Bearcats then delivered another scoring drive, featuring a 48-yard pass from Moore to Geddis. UC finished the march with a 23-yard field goal by Josh Pasley, which put the Bearcats up 17-7 with 3:06 left in the first quarter.

The 17 points were the most UC has scored in any quarter all year. It also was more points than the Bearcats had scored in their last three games combined (13).

After the UC defense stopped Tulsa on a 4th-and-1 situation at the Bearcats’ 7-yard line, UC soon struck again.

This time, it was an 82-yard TD pass from Moore to Devin Gray. That made the score 24-7 with 9:56 left in the second quarter.

Tyson then claimed his second interception of the night for UC, which put the Bearcats at their own 40-yard line. UC could not convert that into points.

Tulsa trimmed the Bearcats’ lead to 24-14 with 43 seconds left in the first half, on a 17-yard TD pass from quarterback Dane Evans to wide receiver Keevan Lucas.

Tulsa scored on its first drive after halftime, which put the Golden Hurricane down only 24-21. The scoring play was a 2-yard pass from Evans to wideout Justin Hobbs.

UC pushed its lead to 31-21 on a 70-yard TD pass from Moore to true freshman Jerron Rollins, with 4:43 left in the third quarter.

Tulsa drew within 31-24 on the first play of the fourth quarter, on a 24-yard field goal by Redford Jones.

UC went ahead 34-24 on a 39-yard field goal by Pasley, with 5:57 left.

Tulsa came back with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Evans to wideout Chris Minter. That made the score 34-31 with 3:12 left.

Tulsa then forced a UC punt, and the Golden Hurricane took over on their own 12-yard with 1:19 left. Tulsa was able to quickly march down to the Bearcats 5-yard line, and Jones kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.

UC 34, Tulsa 34. Overtime.

UC got the ball first in overtime. The Bearcats scored on a 33-yard field goal by Pasley on the opening possession, for a 37-34 lead.

UC held Tulsa without a yard on the Hurricane’s first two plays of their overtime possession. Then, Evans hit a 21-yard pass to wideout Josh Atkinson.

That put the ball at the UC 4-yard line, and Flanders scored on the next play. Tulsa fans went crazy, and UC went home with a 40-37 overtime defeat.

TUBERVILLE FUTURE: Speculation continues about whether UC coach Tommy Tuberville will return next season.

UC athletic director Mike Bohn, speaking with The Enquirer in the Tulsa press box before kickoff Friday, said he preferred to not comment on the situation.

With UC sliding to its worst season in six years, some UC fans have taken to social media demanding that Tuberville be fired.

Tuberville is now 29-22 at UC, after completing his fourth season with the Bearcats. UC went 9-4 in each of Tuberville’s first two years, then slipped to 7-6 last year and 4-8 this year.

The 62-year-old Tuberville has said that he wants to return to UC, with no intention of resigning or retiring.

“Everybody’s asking, ‘Are you worried about your job?’ I never worry about my job,” Tuberville said earlier this week. “I don’t control that. What I control is our players. I worry about our players more than I worry about anything else."

UC sources say that neither Tuberville nor the assistant coaches have been told anything about next year. Several UC assistants have recruiting trips planned this weekend, Tuberville said.

It remains uncertain whether UC would be willing or able to pay off Tuberville’s contract.

Tuberville has a UC contract through 2019, with a buyout of $2.4 million if he is fired before Dec. 7, 2016. The payment would be $1.5 million if he is fired before Dec. 7, 2017; $1 million before Dec. 7, 2018; and $1 million before Dec. 7, 2019.

HONORING PEAD: UC senior running back Tion Green switched from his usual No. 7 jersey to No. 23 Friday night, to honor Bearcats great Isaiah Pead. Pead lost part of his left leg in an automobile accident Nov. 12 in his native Columbus, Ohio.

Pead is the third-leading rusher in UC history, gaining 3,288 yards from 2008-11. Pead played in the National Football League for the then-St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins, and was a free agent at the time of his accident.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../94439648/

please let this be the last game grandpa suckerville coaches at UC...ever

I like the no comment. It was not we support coach tuberville etc... They either have not come to a consensus or he is gone.

(11-26-2016 07:59 AM)rosewater Wrote:  I like the no comment. It was not we support coach tuberville etc... They either have not come to a consensus or he is gone.

Absolutely, the "no comment" is a GREAT SIGN imo. As far as I know, this is the first and only time Bohn hasn't responded with a supportive-like response for TT. I now have some hope that TT will be gone (and soon).

If he is not gone, I will not be renewing season tickets. My oldest is 5 now, and starting to form some long term memories. I don't want his childhood memories with dad to be filled with Tuberville level effort.

‘Are you worried about your job?’ I never worry about my job,” Tuberville said earlier this week.

That about says it all.