Bearcats Rally, Take Down Indiana 38-24

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Desmond Ridder threw the go-ahead touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, then scored on a 7-yard TD run to help No. 8 Cincinnati seal a come-from-behind 38-24 victory Saturday at Indiana.

Jerome Ford ran for two scores and Tre Tucker scored on a 99-yard kickoff return as the Bearcats (3-0) won their first road game of the season. They've won 12 of 13 since the start of 2020.

“Hey, how 'bout them Bearcats?" coach Luke Fickell shouted to his team following the victory.

Indiana (1-2) lost despite taking a 14-0 lead — and playing in front of its largest crowd for a non-conference game since September 1987.

The turning point came when starting linebacker Micah McFadden was ejected for targeting late in the first half. The Bearcats, who struggled to move the ball, scored 10 points in the final 93 seconds of the first half and finally took the lead on Ford's 3-yard TD run in the third quarter.

“He’s really special," Indiana coach Tom Allen said when asked about McFadden. “We were dominating them till that point, one first down till that point. He’s our leader, he’s part of our pressure, he makes a lot of tackles, and when you lose a guy like that, that’s tough."

The Hoosiers regained the lead on D.J. Matthews Jr.'s 14-yard scoring run then gave it right back on the kickoff return. A missed extra point opened the door for Indiana, and the Hoosiers grabbed a 24-23 advantage on Charles Campbell's 49-yard field goal late in the third.

Then Ridder got hot. He made it 30-24 with the scoring throw to Pierce, scored on the run and delivered a successful 2-point conversion pass.

THE TAKEAWAY

Cincinnati: Fickell was worried about this season's first road trip — and with good reason. The Bearcats had five false starts and two turnovers in the first half. But Cincinnati cleaned things and rallied in the second half.

Indiana: Losing McFadden, a captain changed everything, for the Hoosiers' defense. Add their red-zone struggles, three turnovers and the special teams breakdown and it was the perfect combination for a loss.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Cincinnati: The voters may dock the Bearcats for lacking style points, which could cause them to slide a little — but not too far.

Indiana: The Hoosiers needed a win to return to the rankings. Their next chance could come in two weeks.

STAT PACK

Cincinnati: Ridder was 20 of 36 with 210 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran 10 times for 45yards and lost a fumble. ... Pierce had five receptions for 86 yards. ... Linebacker Darrian Beavers left briefly in the first half but forced and recovered a fumble to stop one Indiana scoring threat and sacked Michael Penix Jr. to start Indiana's second-to-last possession.

Indiana: Penix was 17 of 40 with 224 yards, two TD passes and three interceptions. He's been picked off three times in each of the Hoosiers losses. ... Stephen Carr rushed 21 times for 52 yards and scored on 5-yard TD reception. ... Matthews had five receptions for 120 yards, the second 100-yard game of his college career. ... Peyton Hendershot caught six passes for 60 yards and one TD.

UP NEXT

Cincinnati: The Bearcats have a bye week, then head to No. 12 Notre Dame on Oct. 2.

Indiana: visits Western Kentucky next Saturday.