One of the biggest upsets of the Big 12 season went down Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati. The Bearcats stunned No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 at Nippert Stadium, handing the Red Raiders their first loss of the season and completely shaking up the Big 12 Championship race. Texas Tech fell to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play, while Cincinnati improved to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Texas Tech actually led 6-3 late in the first quarter, but the game completely flipped before halftime.
Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV threw three second-quarter touchdown passes, including two in the final 1:37 of the half. After finding Malachi Henry for a five-yard touchdown, Cincinnati intercepted Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond and quickly turned the mistake into more points.
The Bearcats needed just 26 seconds to go 75 yards. A 51-yard run by Cole Tabb helped set up French’s two-yard touchdown pass to Lyviel Waters with five seconds remaining, sending Cincinnati into the locker room with a stunning 24-6 halftime advantage.
For a Texas Tech team that had been rolling through the first half of the season, almost nothing went right.
Texas Tech vs. Cincinnati Second Half
The Red Raiders finally showed some signs of life in the third quarter when Peyton Morgan returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown. Texas Tech added a two-point conversion to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 24-15 and suddenly had some hope.
But that hope didn’t last long.
Cincinnati responded with another touchdown drive, capped by French finding Larenzo Fenner for a 17-yard score to push the lead back to 31-15.
Every time Texas Tech appeared to have an opportunity to make things interesting, Cincinnati had an answer.
Tabb eventually delivered the knockout blow with a 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He finished with a career-high 173 rushing yards, while French threw for 172 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
For Cincinnati, this is easily the biggest win of the Scott Satterfield era and the program’s first home victory over an AP Top 10 opponent since beating No. 7 Rutgers in 2006.
For Texas Tech, the undefeated season is over. The Red Raiders still have everything in front of them in the Big 12 Championship race, but their margin for error just became significantly smaller after one of the most surprising results of the conference season. Texas Tech hosts No. 25 Arizona next week in Week 9, while Cincinnati hosts Utah next Saturday.
