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    UC football score today vs. Texas Tech analysis

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

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    LUBBOCK, Texas – One week your defense is throwing a shutout, the next it’s allowing a season-high 44 points. Welcome to Big 12 football.

    Under the lights of Jones ATT&T Stadium in front of a sellout crowd of 60,229, the Cincinnati Bearcats needed a 90-yard drive with 1:53 to play to tie or win the game. They reached the Texas Teh 32-yard line and set up a 51-yard attempt by Nathan Hawks that sent the game into overtime. The Hawks failed and UC fell to Texas Tech 44-41.

    “We battled the whole game,” UC head coach Scott Satterfield said. “Even when we fell behind in the fourth quarter and you think we have no chance.”

    Satterfield’s offense gained 555 total yards, but also gave up 482 to the Red Raiders, led by Tahj Brooks, a season-high 172 rushing yards. Brooks scored twice and quarterback Behren Morton threw a couple of touchdowns to Coy Eakin.

    The game featured a 426-yard rush by UC quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who threw four touchdowns and kept the Bearcats in the game. It was a career night in terms of yards and passes for the redshirt sophomore. That wasn’t enough, as officials tallied two costly 10-second runoffs while UC was in the final round.

    “The last trip was unfortunate,” Satterfield said. “Xzavier Henderson goes down and we had to get a 10-second run-off. We get a big play against (Joe) Royer, then Sorsby falters, he gives up and gets hit by two guys.”

    Alignment was called and reverted after verification. Another 10-second taper was then performed.

    “He calls the penalty, they end up taking it, and still we get a 10-second penalty,” Satterfield said. “We made a fool of ourselves.”

    The Red Raiders go 4-1 (2-0 Big 12). UC is 3-2 (1-1 Big 12).

    Which Texas gunslinger was more effective? Brendan Sorsby or Behren Morton?

    In the end, Sorsby, of Denton, Texas, won the stat line throwing with four touchdowns and 426 yards on a 31-for-45 night. He also ran for 52 yards. But Eastland’s Morton picked up the win by going 19-for-29 for 251 yards and two touchdowns and running for 46 yards as the Bearcats defense relied on running back Brooks.

    “They wanted to meet Tahj and that opened up a big alley for them,” Morton said.

    Sorsby played the second half with a glove on his non-throwing hand. He was able to do this last year in Indiana due to a thumb injury. After that, he didn’t feel like it would be a lasting problem.

    Sorsby’s 71-yard completion to Manny Covey gave him his second 300-yard game and gave Covey his first collegiate touchdown. That was after his first interception of the year, which fell into the hands of AJ McCarty for a 51-yard pick-six to Texas Tech. Sorsby had thrown 148 consecutive passes without an interception this season.

    “I threw one to the defense, and that’s never good,” Sorsby said. “I’ll take that. I gave them seven. I have to get better.”

    With many family and friends in attendance, Sorsby was pleased with the offensive performance, but not happy about boarding the plane back to Cincinnati in defeat.

    “It always burns, it hurts,” Sorsby said. “We have to find a way to get back on track in the bye week and get some wins in the column.”

    Corey Kiner leaves the game in the first quarter

    UC lost two players early when defensive lineman Cam Roetherford hopped off the field and then had to use crutches. In the backfield, Corey Kiner suffered a hit near the ribs after just three runs for nine yards and went for evaluation. With reserve Chance Williams unavailable, this left Evan Pryor with day-to-day duties.

    Pryor would gain 36 yards on a single run for 46 yards. Manny Covey and Victor Dawson also had carries, but aside from Kiner’s tough performance, the Bearcats’ offense had to rely heavily on the pass. UC was outrebounded 231-129 with Sorsby as the leading runner.

    Kiner remained on the Bearcats sideline in uniform but without a helmet. Typically, when a player’s helmet is taken away, he is done for the game, and that was the case on Saturday.

    “We’ll know more when we get back to Cincinnati,” Satterfield said of Kiner’s injury. “It was a rib or a slash. He just couldn’t leave. Then Pryor also had a bump. Then we had to go to Manny (Covey) and he made some great plays tonight.”

    Guard Luke Kandra was disappointed with UC’s running game on Saturday, which clearly would have been more effective with a healthy Kiner. Luckily, Sorsby was productive enough to keep the Bearcats in the game.

    “We didn’t know what happened with Corey, but Manny (Covey) really stepped up tonight,” Kandra said. “Brendan is such a good quarterback. What he can run or throw is just incredible to get us out of a problem as an O-line. He can do us right.”

    Could the Cincinnati Bearcats defense stop Tahj Brooks?

    Pretty much, no. At the start of the game he hit four times in a row and couldn’t be stopped. Once the Bearcats had the 230-pounder under control, Morton was able to get to the air and hit Eakins twice for touchdowns in the first half. Brooks had 82 yards at halftime, 107 at the end of the third quarter and finished with a season-high 172.

    “He’s definitely a good running back,” nose tackle Dontay Corleone said. “He is very patient. Probably the most patient back I’ve ever competed against.”

    It’s hard to put up 555 yards and 41 points and lose

    “They all hurt, we can’t bear to lose,” Satterfield said. “Just look at the Big 12, look at college football. There are tough football games. You have to continue to stick together as a team.”

    With the bye next week, he hopes several injuries can be resolved through the training room.

    At the moment, he doesn’t seem discouraged by the Hawks’ missed two field goals. A 42-yarder before halftime would have given UC a 27-24 lead at halftime, and the 51-yarder would have sent the game into overtime.

    “The first kick was a high snap and Fletch (Mason Fletcher) did a good job bringing it down,” Satterfield said. “I thought he hit the ball pretty well, but towards the end it just went left. I’m not sure he hit the last ball as well (far right).”

    Next on the menu

    The Cincinnati Bearcats have a bye week with a chance to heal some injuries. They could also make some redshirt decisions, as any player UC chooses to redshirt from here would not be able to play in any further regular season games if they had played in the first four games. Four is the NCAA limit, but new regulations would allow those who redshirted during the season to participate in potential postseason games.

    UC’s next game is another Big 12 away game when they visit UCF on Saturday, October 12th. UCF was clearly defeated by Colorado 48-21 in Orlando on Saturday. Before playing UC, the Knights travel to Gainesville to play Florida next Saturday, October 5th.

    The Bearcats return to Nippert Stadium for homecoming against Arizona State on Saturday, October 19th.

    Texas Tech now plays its first Big 12 road game as the Red Raiders play at Arizona next Saturday night.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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