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UC looked to keep their momentum going after an impressive win over Al Golden and the Miami Hurricanes just one week ago. The Bearcats headed to BYU and were hoping to move to 4-2 on the season, but Bronco Mendenhall and the Cougars weren't having that on this day. Cincinnati fell to BYU by a final score of 38-24 only moments ago.
After BYU won the opening coin toss and decided to kick the ball away, Hayden Moore got the start and led the Bearcats down to the redzone but they couldn't punch it in. Kicker Andrew Gantz did, however, get UC on the board first as he knocked in a 29-yard field goal to put Cincinnati up 3-0. After a defensive stand for the Bearcats on the Cougars first series, the most unexpected touchdown of the year occurred on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line when Tion Green threw a pop pass to DJ Dowdy for six points to increase the lead to 10-0 before the conclusion of the first period.
In the second quarter, a 58-yard FG attempt from Gantz was blocked and gave the Cougars a short field in which they capitalized on. Kicker Trevor Samson put a 29-yard kick through the uprights to inch BYU closer with a 10-3 score. The Bearcats responded quickly as Tanner Mangum was intercepted by Kevin Brown on a pass that was deflected by Jaylyin Minor. The forced turnover led to 5-yard TD run by Mike Boone to push the Cincinnati lead to 17-3. Despite a Algernon Brown TD run to finish the scoring of the first half, the Cats went into the break with a 7-point advantage.
That would be the only lead Cincinnati had for the remainder of the game as the Cougars came out and took care of business in the second half. Tanner Mangum chucked two touchdown passes in the final two quarters and both landed in the hands of wide receiver Nick Kurtz. Adding to those scores would be two TD scampers from BYU's Francis Bernard and the aforementioned Brown. The only score UC put on the board after halftime was on a 2-yard run from Tion Green.
The Bearcats fall to 3-3 on the season and will look to rebound next week after a tough offensive performance in the second half. Next Saturday, UC will square off against Connecticut in hopes to get their feet back on the right track.