Texas Tech at Cincinnati

Texas Tech at Cincinnati

This is Missed It. Texas Tech at Cincinnati, Saturday, October twenty-fourth, with the Red Raiders. 64 and clear at Nippert Stadium. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Six and oh. That's where we stand, Red Raiders. Six and oh, coming into Cincinnati to face a Bearcats team sitting at four and two. We're undefeated, we're rolling, and we've got the ball coming to us after Cincinnati gets the first crack. This is the kind of game that tests everything we've built. The Bearcats are solid, they're at home, and they're hungry to be the ones to hand us that first loss. We've been answering every question all season long. Tonight, we find out if we've got another answer in us.

Q1

The game starts with a feeling-out process. Cincinnati takes the ball first, runs five plays, and we hold them. They go for it on fourth down and we stuff them. That's the statement we needed. We take over and we're moving, Hammond under center, the offense finding its rhythm. Then it happens. the first quarter 12:41. Hammond takes the snap, rushes up the middle for a 3-yard gain, and the ball comes loose. Forced by Cannon, recovered by Peek Jr. at the Texas Tech 48. Fumble. Turnover. The air goes out of the building for a second, and Cincinnati takes over with a short field. We gave them a gift, and they take it. Five plays later, Rusnak drills a 47-yard field goal, and just like that, we're down 3 to 0. But we don't flinch. We take the ball back and we go to work. Thirteen plays. We're grinding, we're moving, and then at the first quarter 9:44, Hammond drops back and fires deep left to Johnson. Caught at the Cincinnati 18, a 28-yard strike that puts us at the Bearcats 17. First down. The sideline erupts, the momentum swings back to us, and you can feel the bench come alive. We're in business. We can't punch it in, but Harrington lines up from 32 yards out and splits the uprights. 3 to 3. We answered. We took their punch and we answered right back. Cincinnati gets the ball back, runs five plays, and punts. The quarter ends with us even, and it feels like we've weathered the storm.

The Sequence

This is where the game turns. This is where everything we've built gets tested. We get the ball back at the first quarter 4:55, drive 11 plays, and Harrington hits another one. 6 to 3. We've got the lead. We're in control. Then Cincinnati gets the ball, runs five plays, and we stop them on downs again. We're flying. We get the ball back, run seven plays, and we have to punt. Fine. We'll get it back. But then Cincinnati starts to move. Twelve plays. They're methodical, they're patient, and at the second quarter 7:48, French IV finds Tabb on a short pass right, caught at the Texas Tech 4, and he takes it in for the touchdown. 6 to 10. They've got the lead back, and it stings. We get the ball, run five plays, punt. Then Cincinnati goes on another march. Eleven plays. They're chewing up clock and they're chewing up our defense. At the second quarter 1:37, they punch it in again. 6 to 17. We're down two scores, and the clock is our enemy. We get the ball back with 1:31 left. We need something. We run five plays, and then it happens. the second quarter 0:20. Tabb takes a handoff up the middle and he's gone. 51 yards. He's at the Texas Tech 24 before anyone can even react. The defense is gassed, the sideline is stunned, and Cincinnati is knocking on the door. Then, with five seconds left, French IV finds Waters for a 2-yard touchdown pass. 6 to 24. The half ends with us down 18, and it feels like the walls are closing in.

Halftime

Let's be honest with ourselves. That half turned on one play, and it wasn't the fumble. It was Tabb's 51-yard run with 30 seconds left in the half. We had a chance to go into the locker room down 11, maybe even get a stop and go down 10. Instead, they turned a tight game into a blowout in the span of 25 seconds. That's the kind of play that breaks a team's spirit. We can't let it break ours. We're down 18. We've been here before, maybe not this deep, but we've been here. We need to come out with fire. We need to score early, we need to force a turnover, and we need to make them feel the pressure. This game isn't over. It's just going to take everything we've got.

Q3

We get the ball to start the half and we move. Thirteen plays. We're grinding, we're fighting, and we get down to the Cincinnati end of the field. Harrington lines up and hits another field goal. 9 to 24. We're back within two scores. We're breathing. Then it happens. the third quarter 8:49. Hammond drops back, and the pass is read perfectly. Morgan steps in front of it and takes it 53 yards to the house. Interception returned for a touchdown. Two-point conversion fails, but the damage is done. 15 to 24. Wait, no. That's not right. Let me look at that again. The score is 15 to 24, but that's for us. That's a defensive touchdown for us. We just scored on defense. We're back in this thing. Wait, I need to be clear. The feed says "Cincinnati drive, DEF TD, opponent +6." That means Cincinnati was on offense, and we scored the defensive touchdown. Peyton Morgan, 53-yard interception return. That's our guy. That's a Red Raider making a play. We're down 9, and the building is rocking. Cincinnati gets the ball back, and on their fourth play, French IV drops back, and Boyd steps in front of it. Intercepted at the Cincinnati 37. We've got the ball, we've got the momentum, and we're driving. Five plays later, we line up for a field goal, and it's no good. Missed. The momentum evaporates. Cincinnati takes over, and they start to move. Ten plays. At the third quarter 5:00, French IV rushes for 3 yards, and there's a holding penalty on us that moves them forward. Roberts is injured on the play, and you can feel the air leave our sideline. They keep driving. At the third quarter 1:59, French IV finds Fenner for 16 yards, a big third-down conversion that puts them at our 18. Then, at the third quarter 0:50, French IV finds Fenner again, this time for 17 yards and the touchdown. 15 to 31. The lead is back to 16, and we're running out of time. We get the ball back, run five plays, and we have to punt. The quarter ends with us down 16, and the mountain is getting steeper.

Q4

We need a miracle. We need to be perfect. Cincinnati gets the ball, runs four plays, and punts. We take over at the fourth quarter 12:29, and we start to move. Thirteen plays. We're fighting, we're clawing, and we get down to their end of the field. Harrington lines up and hits another one. 18 to 31. We're within two scores again, and there's still time. Then it happens. the fourth quarter 6:06. Tabb takes a handoff up the middle, and he's gone again. 58 yards. Touchdown. Two-point attempt fails, but it doesn't matter. 18 to 37. The game is slipping away, and we're running out of answers. We get the ball back, and we're desperate. At the fourth quarter 4:53, Hammond drops back, and he's under pressure. He throws it away, and the flag comes out. Intentional grounding. The drive is stalling. Then, at the fourth quarter 4:43, Hammond finds Eakin deep. He catches it at the Cincinnati 38, he's got room, he's fighting for more, and the ball comes loose. Fumbled. Recovered by Simms III at the Cincinnati 41. Turnover. That's the dagger. Cincinnati takes over, runs five plays, and we stop them on downs. We get the ball back with 2:22 left. We're down 19, but we don't quit. At the fourth quarter 2:07, Hammond finds Jones for 22 yards, a big first down that keeps the drive alive. Then, at the fourth quarter 1:19, Hammond finds Joyner for 24 yards, down to the Cincinnati 8. First down. Peek Jr. is injured on the play, and we're knocking on the door. At the fourth quarter 0:59, Joyner takes the handoff up the middle for 3 yards. Touchdown. Two-point attempt fails, but we've got one on the board. 24 to 37. We're down 13 with under a minute left. Cincinnati takes the ball, runs three plays, and the game is over.

Wrap-up

Final: Texas Tech 24, Cincinnati 37. The first loss of the season. We're six and one now, and Cincinnati moves to five and two. It stings. It stings because we had chances, we had moments, and we couldn't hold onto them. The fumble in the first quarter, the missed field goal in the third, the fumble in the fourth. Those are the plays that decided this game. We're still in the race, we're still a good football team, but tonight, Cincinnati was better. We take this one on the chin, we learn from it, and we move on. Six and one. The season isn't over. Not by a long shot.

By the Numbers

The Red Raiders by the numbers. Final score, Texas Tech 24, Cincinnati 37. 400 yards of offense to their 427, 227 through the air and 173 on the ground. 22 first downs. 3 of 15 on third down. 3 turnovers for us, 2 for them. We held the ball for just under 31 minutes.

Outro

That was Texas Tech at Cincinnati, from the Red Raiders side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Texas Tech at Cincinnati

This is Missed It. Texas Tech at Cincinnati, Saturday, October twenty-fourth, with the Bearcats. 64 and clear at Nippert Stadium. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Alright Bearcats faithful, welcome in. We've got a big one tonight. Texas Tech comes into our house undefeated at six and oh, and we're sitting at four and two, looking to make a statement. This is the kind of game that tells you what a season is made of. We've got the ball first, and the crowd is ready to let these Red Raiders hear it. Let's go get this one.

Q1

We start with the ball, and we're moving. Five plays to open the drive, and we're knocking on the door. But it stalls out, and we come away with nothing. Downs. We hand it back to Texas Tech, and the defense needs to set the tone. And they do. Hammond drops back, tries to get something going on the ground, and Cannon comes flying in. The ball pops loose, and Peek Jr. is right there to scoop it up at the Texas Tech 48. We've got the football, and the place is rocking. That's how you answer a stalled drive. We take over and we march. Five plays, and we're in field goal range. Rusnak steps up from 47 yards out, and it's good. We're on the board first. Three to nothing, and the defense gave us that chance. But Texas Tech isn't going to just roll over. They put together a long one, thirteen plays, chewing up clock. Hammond finds Johnson deep down the left side for 28 yards, and suddenly they're in our territory. They push it down to our 17, and Harrington ties it up from 32. Three to three, and we've got a ballgame on our hands. We get the ball back, five plays, and we're punting it away. Nothing doing there. But it's early. We're tied at three, and we've got the defense playing with fire.

The Sequence

This is where the game turns. Texas Tech takes over and grinds out an eleven-play drive, and they come away with a field goal. Six to three, they've got the lead. We answer with five plays, and we come up empty. Downs. We're giving them momentum, and we need to find something. They punt it back to us, and now it's time. We put together a twelve-play drive, methodical, patient. French is in rhythm, and he finds Tabb on a short pass to the right. Tabb catches it at the four, and he's in. Touchdown. Rusnak adds the extra point, and we've got the lead back. Ten to six, and the place is electric. They get the ball back, five plays, and they're punting again. We take over with just over five minutes left in the half, and we go to work. Eleven plays. We're moving the chains, we're bleeding the clock, and we punch it in again. Seventeen to six. We're rolling. Texas Tech gets the ball back with a minute and a half, and they're trying to get something before the half. But our defense is swarming. They turn it over. We take over at our own end with thirty seconds left. And then Tabb takes a handoff up the middle, and he's gone. Fifty-one yards to the Texas Tech 24. The crowd is losing it. French finds Waters from two yards out, and just like that, it's twenty-four to six at the half. We've seized control.

Halftime

Let's take a breath. That was a half for the ages. We were tied at three, and then the floodgates opened. The play that turned it all? That Tabb run with thirty seconds left. Fifty-one yards, and it completely broke their backs. We went from seventeen to six to twenty-four to six in the blink of an eye. We're up by eighteen, and we need to keep our foot on the gas. Texas Tech is undefeated for a reason, and they're not going to go quietly. We need to come out and answer any punch they throw.

Q3

They get the ball to start the half, and they're grinding. Thirteen plays, and they come away with a field goal. Nine to twenty-four. They're chipping away, but we're still up by two scores. And then, the dagger. French drops back, and he's looking downfield. But it's Morgan who makes the play. He steps in front of the pass, and he's off. Fifty-three yards to the house. Interception returned for a touchdown. The two-point try fails, but it's fifteen to twenty-four, and the place is in a frenzy. But we're not done. We get the ball back, and French tries to force one. Boyd steps in front of it at our own 37. Interception. They take over, and suddenly the momentum is shifting. They drive down, but the field goal attempt misses. We dodge a bullet. Now it's our turn. Ten plays, and we're moving. French takes off on a keeper, and there's a flag. Holding on Texas Tech, and we get a fresh set of downs. Then, on third and long, French finds Fenner over the middle for 16 yards, and we're in business. He goes right back to Fenner, this time from 17 yards out, and it's a touchdown. Thirty-one to fifteen. We've answered every single thing they've thrown at us.

Q4

We're up by sixteen, and we need to close this out. We punt it away, and Texas Tech starts to march. Thirteen plays, and they get a field goal. Eighteen to thirty-one. They're still hanging around. But then Tabb puts the game on ice. He takes a handoff up the middle, and he's gone. Fifty-eight yards to the house. Touchdown. The two-point try fails, but it's thirty-seven to eighteen, and this one is all but over. They get the ball back, and they're desperate. Hammond drops back, and he's looking for something downfield. But he's got nothing, and he throws it away. Intentional grounding. Then, on the next play, Eakin catches a pass over the middle, and Beeler strips it. Simms III recovers. We've got the ball back, and we're just running out the clock. They get it back one more time, and they manage to find the end zone. Joyner punches it in from three yards out. Twenty-four to thirty-seven. But it's too little, too late. We take the kneel-down, and that's the ballgame.

Wrap-up

Final score: Texas Tech 24, Cincinnati 37. We win by thirteen. We're now five and two, and we just knocked off an undefeated team. That's a statement. That's what this program is about. We took their best punch, and we answered every single time. The defense forced turnovers, the offense made plays when it mattered, and we sent them home with their first loss of the season. Bearcats football is alive and well.

By the Numbers

The Bearcats by the numbers. Final score, Cincinnati 37, Texas Tech 24. 427 yards of offense to their 400, 172 through the air and 255 on the ground. 21 first downs. 4 of 13 on third down. 2 turnovers for us, 3 for them. We held the ball for just over 29 minutes.

Outro

That was Texas Tech at Cincinnati, from the Bearcats side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.