Cincinnati holds off UCF in low-scoring Big 12 battle

Brendan Sorsby completed 25 of 38 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown to lead Cincinnati to a 19-13 road win over Central Florida on Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

The Big 12 contest was played after Hurricane Milton ravaged the area earlier in the week.

Corey Kiner rushed for 83 yards on 17 carries for Cincinnati (4-2, 2-1 Big 12), which came off a bye week following a 44-41 loss at Texas Tech on Sept. 28.

Jacurri Brown threw for 207 yards and a touchdown and added 84 yards on 16 carries in defeat for UCF (3-3, 1-2).

The Bearcats took a 13-10 lead on a 51-yard field goal by Nathan Hawks with 3:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Cincinnati then went up 19-10 with 6:32 left in the game on a 4-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal from Sorsby to Tony Johnson. Hawks’ extra point was no good.

The Knights drove 65 yards and pulled within 19-13 on Grant Reddick’s 29-yard field goal with 2:59 to play before forcing a punt on the Bearcats’ ensuing possession.

UCF got the ball back on its own 19-yard line with 55 seconds remaining. The Knights moved to the Cincinnati 25-yard line before Brown was sacked on the game’s final play.

The Bearcats committed four fewer penalties than UCF and recovered fumbles on each of the Knights’ first two possessions.

Cincinnati took a 3-0 lead with 8:36 left in the first quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Hawks. Holding the Bearcats to a field goal was a win for UCF after Johnny Richardson’s fumble set up Cincinnati at the Knights’ 5-yard line.

The Bearcats went up 10-0 on the first play of the second quarter when Sorsby scored on a 3-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal.

UCF made it 10-3 with 1:56 remaining in the second quarter on Reddick’s 22-yard field goal, capping a 13-play, 93-yard drive.

The Knights tied the game at 10-10 with 8:26 left in the third quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Kobe Hudson.