Memphis Falls at No. 7 Cincinnati

Saturday, October 31

Cincinnati, Ohio

11 AM

University of Memphis

3-2 , 2-2

Cincinnati

5-0 , 3-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Memphis

Cincinnati

Oct 31, 2020 | Football

Box Score Memphis at Cincinnati Game Book Memphis Postgame Notes Memphis Season Stats

CINCINNATI — Memphis had its five-game winning streak against Cincinnati snapped on Saturday at Nippert Stadium as the No. 7 Bearcats defeated the Tigers 49-10.

For much of the afternoon, Memphis (3-2, 2-2 The American) was unable to stop Cincinnati (5-0, 3-0) quarterback Desmond Ridder or find success against the American Athletic Conference's best defense. Ridder accounted for five touchdowns — three passing and two rushing — and the Tigers were held to a season-low 10 points.
Cincinnati has now won 15 of its last 17 games. The Bearcats' only two losses in that span were both at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium last season against the Tigers in the regular-season finale and AAC Championship Game.

Memphis quarterback Brady White completed 18 of his 35 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown. With a 27-yard pass to running back Rodrigues Clark in the third quarter, White moved into second all-time at Memphis in career passing yards. White now has 9,001 career yards and is behind only Danny Wimprine (10,215 yards) for No. 1 in program history.

Memphis wide receivers Calvin Austin III (121) and Tahj Washington (104) both eclipsed 100 receiving yards. This was the third consecutive game Austin has gone over 100 yards. He now has 22 catches for 456 yards in the last three games.

First Quarter
The Tigers' defense forced a three-and-out to open the game after defensive end Wardalis Ducksworth recorded his third sack of the season on third down. The Bearcats' defense also started the game strong, allowing nine yards in three plays and forcing a Memphis punt on fourth-and-1.

Cincinnati opened the scoring on its second drive with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Desmond Ridder to Alec Pierce. The touchdown was the Bearcats' ninth-straight pass play to begin the game.

After the teams traded punts, Washington turned a screen pass caught behind the line of scrimmage into a 92-yard touchdown to pull the Tigers even at 7-7 with 4:07 remaining in the quarter. The pass play is tied for the third-longest in school history.

Second Quarter
The Bearcats began the second quarter near the end of an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by an 11-yard run from Ridder.

Another Memphis punt gave Cincinnati a chance to extend its 14-7 lead, but the Tigers' defense halted the drive at midfield to even the first-half punts at three apiece. Backed up to its own 16-yard line, Memphis was forced to punt on fourth-and-1 for the second time in the half.

Ridder scored his third touchdown, second passing, when he connected with Michael Young Jr. to finish an eight-play, 70-yard drive. The junior Cincinnati quarterback accounted for 204 yards of the Bearcats' 250 first-half yards.

Austin III had his first catch with just over three minutes remaining in the half. The 16-yard reception for a first down helped spark a 12-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 42-yard field goal by Riley Patterson to make it 21-10 at the half.

Third Quarter
The Tigers began the second half with a nine-play, 55-yard drive that stalled deep in Cincinnati territory as Memphis turned the ball over on downs at the 10-yard line. The Bearcats promptly drove 90 yards in nine plays to take a 28-10 lead behind Ridder's second rushing touchdown and fourth overall.

A fourth-down stop on a second straight Memphis drive and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave Cincinnati the ball at the Memphis 40-yard line. Five plays later, Ridder found wide receiver Tre Tucker for a 21-yard touchdown pass to push the Bearcats' lead to 25 points heading to the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter
Memphis was stopped on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter, the third consecutive drive the Tigers turned the ball over on downs, allowing Cincinnati to take over at its own 22-yard line.

An interception by Tigers cornerback Jacobi Francis, his second in as many games, gave Memphis the ball back at its own 20-yard line. The offense was unable to produce any points of the turnover, going three-and-out and leading to Adam Williams' fifth punt of the game.

Tigers defensive lineman Morris Joseph had a third-down sack at the Memphis 43-yard line to force a punt with just under 10 minutes remaining, but a White fumble cut the ensuing drive short and gave the Bearcats the ball at the Memphis 33-yard line.

Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford rushed for a touchdown on the first play of the drive to make it 42-10. Ford added another touchdown with 1:30 to play for the final score of the game.