Written by Francisco Vera.
Due to both sides of the ball being unable to work effectively in the first half, UCF drops its third straight game and is now 0-3 in Big 12 play after losing 20-11 against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The first quarter was all Bearcats football, and after the Knights’ offense struggled to keep up, UCF was quickly down by 14. The second quarter continued to be more of the same, and as the Knights’ defense remained on the field for most of the quarter, they continued to wear themselves out.
Cincy did not let their foot off the gas as quarterback Brendan Sorsby ended the first half with 105 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, and it looked like UCF was not able to stop him or the rest of the Bearcats’ offense.
The Knights were able to put together a favorable drive before halftime, which culminated in a Noe Ruelas field goal. The score at the half was 17-3, favoring the Bearcats.
Going into the second half, it was clear that the Knights needed a spark. Said spark was quickly put out by the Bearcats’ defense as UCF committed a turnover on downs on their first drive. The Knights were able to finally stop Cincy and get the ball back.
The fourth quarter seemed to be more of what had been seen all game. Cam Fancher scrambling for his life and the rest of the UCF offense unable to get open. Then, a pass interference call on the Bearcats gave the Knights a glimmer of hope but the drive was cut short with another turnover on downs.
The Knights would score on their next drive with 2:07 left and converted the two-point conversion but it was a little too late. The Bearcats would recover the onside kick and proceeded to run out the clock.
The final score from Nippert Stadium was 20-11, Cincinnati improves to 5-1 while UCF is now 3-3 after a 3-0 start.
The Knights will look to snap this 3-game losing streak next Saturday, when they face West Virginia for this year’s homecoming game at the Acrisure Bounce House.
