BYU Beats Cincinnati for First Big 12 Win

BYU overcame a rough offensive first half to beat Cincinnati 35-27 Friday night in Provo for its first ever Big 12 win.

An early pick 6 by Jakob Robinson put BYU ahead 7-0, but Cincinnati controlled the ball for much of the first half to get momentum on their side. The Bearcats couldn’t capitalize with enough points, and BYU went down the field in 30 seconds at the end of the first half to go ahead at halftime with an improbable 14-10 halftime lead.

BYU’s passing game came alive in the second half and the defense held Cincinnati scoreless in for most of the fourth quarter until the Bearcats scored a touchdown with 26 seconds left. Kedon Slovis completed just 13 passes the entire game, but finished with 223 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Chase Roberts was the main beneficiary with 131 receiving yards and freshman LJ Martin added two rushing touchdowns.

BYU won the turnover battle 2-0, both of which resulted in touchdowns. Jakob Robinson had his aforementioned pick 6 and Cincinnati muffed a punt in the fourth quarter inside their own 20-yard line. The Bearcats racked up 498 yards of total offense compared to BYU’s 295, but BYU stopped the Cincinnati twice on fourth down and came up in other key situations. All three starting linebackers racked up double-digit tackles, led by 16 from Max Tooley.

BYU heads into the bye week 4-1 and will next travel to TCU October 14.