The Cincinnati Bearcats had time to let everything marinate. On Nov. 1 t they took a 45-14 shellacking to Utah on the road for their first slip-up in the Big 12 standings. But everything still remained
in front of them as they controlled their own destiny for a December trip to AT&T Stadium for a conference championship.
Cincinnati returned home to Nippert Stadium where it wielded a spotless 5-0 record this year. But that was no longer the case when the Arizona Wildcats trekked several time zones east for the first-ever meeting between the relatively new Big 12 programs. Arizona escaped with a 30-24 victory, dominating the final three quarters 23-10 to disrupt the Bearcats’ clear path to a Big 12 championship.
“It’s an awesome day for our football program,” Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said. “We talk about it all the time, our commitment to building the best team in the Big 12. A team that plays for each other, a team that shows up for each other every day — practice, meetings, weight room. At this time of the year, it’s all about execution, and our guys executed when we had to… I couldn’t be more excited. The joy is contagious and fantastic.”
Arizona entered the game with one of the nation’s most heralded pass defenses, ranked seventh in yards allowed per game (160) and fifth in opponent completion percentage (52.1). That unit made its mark from the opening play. Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby took a sideline shot to Cyrus Allen as 15 minutes remained on the first quarter clock, but his pass was deflected by Jay’Vion Cole and snatched by strong safety Dalton Johnson for a takeaway. The Wildcats capitalized two snaps later with an Ismail Mahdi rushing touchdown to concot a 7-0 lead.
“Cyrus was covered. That’s an indication where you just have to take the underneath,” Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield said of the opening play interception. “We had (tight end) Joe (Royer) blocking on that one, and he leaks out late. We just have to take the underneath. We were anticipating a different coverage and they played zone on that, sunk everybody out there, and forced it in.”
It marked Sorsby’s third interception of an otherwise-efficient year, and his fourth transpired later in the second quarter — breaking his personal 15-game streak without throwing multiple picks. The quarterback finished 15-of-28 for 154 yards as Arizona’s man coverage stole the show at Nippert Stadium.
“When people play man against us, we’re having trouble right now,” Sorsby said. “We have to figure it out because that’s what we’re gonna get the rest of the way, and that’s what it really boils down to. We gotta stay within us and find a way to beat man coverage, or else, we’ll get beat these next two games.”
Cincinnati recovered from the early interception with poise, crafting two subsequent sub-3 minute scoring drives that traversed the length of the field. The Bearcats thrived on breakaway runs from feature tailback Tawee Walker and true freshman Zion Johnson, the latter whom earned expanded playing time due to Evan Pryor’s ankle injury. Cincinnati racked up a combined 134 rushing yards on the second and third drives of the game, using three 20+ pickups during that stretch to take a 14-7 lead at the 6:34 mark of the first quarter.
However, Cincinnati’s run game never replicated that success. Across its final eight drives, the unit attained 66 rushing yards as Arizona altered its defensive strategy and never surrendered a run of 10+ yards for the final three quarters. The Bearcats had countless opportunities to build on a 14-7 first half lead but never crossed midfield again until roughly three minutes remained in the third quarter.
“We caught them early in the game pretty good with some of the things they were trying to do,” Satterfield said. “But later on, particularly in the second half, they were walking backers up, slanting and stunting big guys up front, and bringing safeties down. They brought some safeties down so we were trying to make some throws on the outside… You gotta be able to make those plays down the field when guys are stacking the box, and we did not make those plays.”
Cincinnati trotted into the locker room at the break with a 14-10 lead, thriving on a relentless red zone defense. Throughout the entire game, Arizona only notched one touchdown in five red zone opportunities. On the other four chances, the Wildcats sunk a pair of chip shot field goals and also missed a pair — one that was badly shanked to the left and another that was blocked by Cincinnati cornerback Logan Wilson.
“We’ve done that all year,” Satterfield said about his red zone defense, which has only allowed 18 touchdowns on 39 opponent trips. “We give up yards, then they get in the red zone, and then we tighten everything up. There are a lot more shorter spaces when that happens, and that’s a thing that’s been our strength this year, to force guys to get field goal opportunities in the red zone. We just gotta get better outside of the red zone — try to knock the ball down and get off the field in those situations.”
Outside of the red zone, Arizona’s offense proved quite unstoppable. Quarterback Noah Fifita fired for 294 yards on a 23-of-31 showing, becoming the program’s all-time passing touchdowns leader on a strike to Gio Richardson in the early fourth quarter. Through Fifita’s arm, the Wildcats converted 8-of-16 third downs, regularly moving the sticks on 3rd and 5s and 3rd and 6s. Cincinnati already ranked last in time of possession and that statistic was further worsened by the Wildcats, which controlled the ball for 36 minutes and 41 seconds of action Saturday afternoon.
“Noah’s really special,” Brennan said. “I can’t speak to how unique he is. That man continues to choose the University of Arizona. He continues to choose Tucson. He continues to choose this program, his teammates, our staff, and he’s just magic.”
Arizona kicker Michael Salgado-Medina overcame his first half woes to sink a critical 51-yard field goal with 1:34 remaining, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 30-24. It was then touchdown or bust for Cincinnati, which previously executed a similar situation vs. Kansas this year. But on this occasion, the Bearcats committed an offensive pass interference on first down and never recovered. They ultimately failed a do-or-die 4th and 14 from their own 21 and potentially lost their Big 12 title aspirations during that last-gasp possession.
“We’ve done a decent job if we get behind the sticks or if something happens, we’re able to overcome it,” Cincinnati center Gavin Gerhardt said of the last drive. “We have to continue to try not be in those situations where we have to overcome it, but everybody out there was confident we were gonna out there and try to win the football game.”
Arizona (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) clinched its first winning season under second-year head coach Brent Brennan. The Wildcats are hitting their stride in November with three-consecutive victories, and two of their three losses occurred on the final play of previous conference clashes. Arizona looks to make a beeline for the rankings, and wins over Baylor and Arizona State could vault the Wildcats into the conversation as the season draws to a close.
“The goal isn’t six wins at the end of the day,” Fifita said. “We love each other. We play for each other. That’s what you see out there — the passion, the intensity — it’s because of what we have for each other.”
As for Cincinnati (7-3, 5-2 Big 12), the Bearcats’ title hopes remain alive, although they must seek help from other sources. They host a ranked BYU team next Saturday with a golden opportunity at a statement victory to buck this 2-game losing streak. Cincinnati ended last season on a 5-game skid, but the players believe the 2025 team is better equipped to handle adversity.
“Control what you can control, and that’s what we’re gonna have to do,” Gerhardt said. “Making sure we have the mindset and attitude toward that. We still got stuff in front of us that we can play for. Conference championship last year, everyone in it had two losses, so it’s a wide open conference.”
