Overreactions, grades for UC Bearcats upset of No. 8 Texas Tech

The 100th Homecoming football game at the University of Cincinnati was one of the more memorable wins in Bearcats history.

UC took the lead midway through the second quarter on a four-yard touchdown pass to Cole Tabb to go up 10-6. They would never trail from that point and Tabb finished with a "dagger" run late in the fourth quarter to give UC a 37-18 lead. The Red Raiders added a touchdown with 59 seconds left, but not long after, UC fans were on the field in a sea of red celebrating a 37-24 triumph over No. 8 Texas Tech.

"To beat a No. 8 Texas Tech team with a ton of resources, yeah, this is probably one of the greatest wins I've been a part of," UC head coach Scott Satterfield said. "It's not about the offseason stuff. It's about the overall things that have happened in college football and for our guys to go out there and perform like we did."

It's UC's first Top 10 win since beating Notre Dame in South Bend in 2021 and first at home since knocking off No. 7 Rutgers back in 2006.

Grading Cincinnati Enquirer's predictions for Cincinnati Bearcats, Texas Tech

We predicted a UC Bearcats home loss

Outcome: To the delight of the sellout crowd at Nippert Stadium, that was incorrect. Most outlets missed on the game with Texas Tech being a double-digit favorite. The Red Raiders went to the airport with a 13-point defeat.

We said UC would need creative ways to gain yards

Outcome: Texas Tech was allowing only 82 yards per game rushing and gave Arizona State just 35 rushing yards Oct. 17. After a sluggish first quarter where they had minus-6 yards on the ground, the Bearcats got it in gear and put 21 on the board for a 24-6 halftime lead. They wound up with 252 yards on the ground, 21 yards above their average and quarterback JC French was able to throw for a career-best four touchdowns.

We said JC French IV would make plays, but throw his first interception

Outcome: His first interception was a pick-six by Peyton Morgan. Brice Pollock broke up a pass intended for Isaiah Johnson. There was originally a targeting call, which would have wiped away the touchdown, but it was reversed on review. On the next series, Amier Boyd picked off French.

On the upside, French rebounded and added a fourth touchdown pass in the third quarter to Larenzo Fenner, to finish with four scoring passes in the game.

Finally, we said if Texas Tech had momentum, they wouldn't go conservative

Outcome: The Red Raiders lost momentum and therefore couldn't take retribution as billionaire donor Cody Campbell had insinuated. Instead, Campbell tweeted his displeasure with the loss after the game.

There is no excuse or reason to lose a game like this. We have to be better. @TexasTechFB

— Cody Campbell (@CodyC64) October 24, 2026

Overreactions from Cincinnati Bearcats vs. No. 8 Texas Tech

Cincinnati Bearcats should be ranked

Hit the brakes on that.

UC is 5-2, a win away from bowl eligibility, but still has currently ranked teams ahead in the next two weeks, with Utah at home and a game in Houston.

Utah improved to 8-0 with a a 21-13 home victory over now 6-2 Houston Saturday night. The Bearcats also have BYU in Provo Nov. 28. The Cougars will drop from No. 2 after getting knocked off by UCF in Orlando, 39-31 in overtime. But that's the two-time zone thing coming into play, just as it could again with UC traveling back to Mountain Time around Thanksgiving.

The opportunity to be ranked is certainly there in the coming weeks.

UC Bearcats defense is amazing!

After Morgantown, fans were upset that the Bearcats shut down the No. 4 rushing offense on 134 yards, but allowed West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. to throw for 464 yards in a 45-42 loss.

Texas Tech came in averaging 38 points per game, with 192 yards on the ground and 230 yards through the air. The Bearcats held them to a season-low 24 points, 173 yards on the ground and 227 yards passing in the upset.

Patrick Bauer had a pair of sacks, MJ Cannon had an interception and the Bearcats had seven tackles for loss. Until a garbage-time touchdown by Quinten Joyner in the final minute, UC gave up four field goals and Morgan's pick-six, which seemed controversial.

UC defensive coordinator Nate Woody won this over former coaching colleague and Red Raiders defensive coordinator Shiel Wood, but one week doesn't make a season.

Playing at home in Big 12 is an advantage

Just as home field was insurmountable at Arizona and West Virginia, the 38,088 at Nippert Stadium made life difficult all day for quarterback Will Hammond and Texas Tech.

Grades for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Texas Tech

Overall: A-

It wasn't a wipeout, but UC led the game for 37 of the 60 minutes. Once they seized momentum in the second quarter with 21 unanswered points, the crowd and team were locked in.

Offense: B

French didn't have a 300-yard passing game, but he didn't need them. Going 19-for-30 for 172 yards was good enough to get him a personal-best four touchdown passes to Tabb, Malachi Henry, Lyviel Waters and Larenzo Fenner. Cole Tabb had a career-high 173 yards rushing with a touchdown catch and the first rushing touchdown allowed by Texas Tech this season.

Defense: A-

Texas Tech scored 52 points on Arizona State in its previous game and the Red Raiders' season-low was 28 at Colorado. J'Koby Williams had 165 yards rushing against Arizona State and was held to 81 by UC. MJ Cannon picked off Will Hammond and UC sacked him four times.

Special Teams: B

Max Fletcher averaged 43.5 yards per kick and pinned the Red Raiders inside the 20-yard line once. Stephen Rusnak connected on his lone 47-yard field goal, but the Bearcats had no punt or kick returns due to fair catches or touchbacks.

Coaching: A-

Give Scott Satterfield and Nate Woody credit as they took a lot of heat after losing a game late at West Virginia 45-42. Against Texas Tech, offense and defense contributed evenly. Also credit offensive line coach Nic Cardwell, who lost center Taran Tyo early in the game and replaced him with Grant Edgington, who didn't miss a beat.

Utah makes their 1st visit to Nippert Stadium vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Ranked No. 10 this past week, Utah has never been to Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:45 p.m. A Halloween win would give the Bearcats a second straight Top 10 win and a bowl berth. The Utes beat Houston Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Overreactions, grades for UC Bearcats upset of No. 8 Texas Tech

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