Victory Bell Recap: Miami Defeated at Home, UC Reclaims Bell and Series Lead
By: Jack Mueller
The Cincinnati Bearcats took possession of the Victory Bell on Saturday in Oxford, defeating Miami 27-16 in front of a sellout crowd. The victory is Cincinnati’s 61st over Miami, taking the lead in the series after Miami drew level in 2023.
Saturday’s contest was arguably the biggest at Yager Stadium in the last twenty years, and it showed. Over 24,000 fans packed the bleachers in the gorgeous Ohio sunshine. More than 8,400 students were in the stands for the game, setting a new record for Miami home games.
The combination of a dominant rushing attack, timely defensive plays and solid quarterback play was enough for the Bearcats to claim the victory. Cincinnati rushed for 215 yards, with Corey Kiner leading the way with 126 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Evan Pryor added 76 more, including a 65-yard score.
“Their offense is good. I thought we played well against Kiner and he had six yards a carry.” said Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin. “He’s a good player, and his backup (Pryor) wouldn’t be a backup at a lot of other places.”
The rushing attack that was so strong for the RedHawks a year ago was absent for the second straight week. Miami had just 20 net rushing yards on Saturday, and only had 40 against Northwestern, in comparison to averaging 158.1 on the ground in 2023.
“We tried to run the ball, probably too much.” said Martin, “we have to do a better job to get more out of the ground game.” Martin emphasized that despite their struggles in the first two games, the rushing attack would be vital to the team’s success this season
“That’s how we play, that’s who we are.” said Martin, “We’re going to keep chipping away.”
Miami started out hot on offense, moving the ball 62 yards in six plays. Gabbert connected with Cade McDonald twice, before throwing a strike to Javon Tracy that allowed the sophomore receiver to pick up 37 yards, putting the RedHawks at the Cincinnati 30-yard line. The drive ultimately resulted in nothing though, as Brett Gabbert aimed to find Jack Coldiron in the end zone, but UC’s Derrick Canteen got there first, intercepting the sixth year QB.
Neither team could drum up momentum on offense in the first quarter. The RedHawks and Bearcats traded punts until Cincinnati was able to drive into field goal range with under four minutes left in the quarter. Sorsby led his team to a first down from the RedHawk 35. After a sack, a run for no gain and an incompletion, the Bearcats would have to settle for a field goal.
Miami responded in kind, tying the game after an eight play, 63 yard drive that could have ended with a touchdown if Brett Gabbert was able to connect with Cade McDonald in the corner of the end zone. Instead, Dom Dzioban connected for his third field goal of the season.
It looked like both teams would trade punts again, as a Cincinnati punt pinned Miami deep in their own territory. Miami was unable to progress the football, and Preseason All-American Alec Bevelheimer lined up to punt. The veteran punter had trouble with the snap, fumbling the ball and giving the Bearcats a chance to capitalize.
Cincinnati would do just that. On the first play following the fumble, Sorsby found Joe Royer from three yards out in the middle of the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. The transfer QB would end the half 15-22 for 124 yards for the Bearcats.
Miami’s next drive stalled, and Cincinnati drove down the field threatening to extend their seven point lead. With less than 20 seconds on the clock, Joe Royer caught the ball in the flat after Brendan Sorsby rolled out to the right. It looked like the big tight end found the end zone, but replay review showed that Kobe Hilton forced a fumble on the goal line, giving Miami the ball back and sending both teams into halftime with the score at 10-3.
If offense was lacking in the first half, it certainly wasn’t to start the second. Cincinnati opened the half with a 12 play, 75 yard drive that ended with a Corey Kiner dive up the middle for a touchdown. The drive killed over seven minutes of clock in the third quarter.
“They had a couple plays where they motioned guys and we got out of our gaps,” said linebacker Matt Salopek. “We had bad communication and that starts with me.”
Miami would respond in kind. After once again connecting with Cade McDonald twice to start the drive, Gabbert found Reggie Virgil deep down the field for a 58-yard touchdown, Miami’s first of the season.
The Bearcats did not wait around to extend their lead. On their first play in their first drive of the fourth quarter, Evan Pryor took the ball 65 yards to the end zone to give Cincinnati a two-score lead.
Brett Gabbert and Miami would bounce back with a crucial drive to stay in the ballgame. The veteran QB connected with Kevin Davis, Reggie Virgil and Cade McDonald to bring Miami into plus territory. Javon Tracy drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone to bring Miami to the seven yard line. The RedHawks would capitalize with a seven yard strike to Cade McDonald in the corner of the endzone.
“He’s (McDonald) half running back, half receiver… He’s a great receiver because he just competes… give him a chance to make a play and he’s going to make a play.” said Martin. Miami gambled and went for two, but came up short, leaving them with an eight point deficit to make up in the final eight minutes.
The offense wasted no time. Gabbert connected on a 51 yard deep strike to, guess who, Cade McDonald to take the RedHawks into the redzone. It looked like Gabbert and McDonald would come up big again, as the receiver appeared to draw a pass interference penalty on fourth down, but the flag was picked up, giving Cincinnati the ball back with an eight point lead with under four minutes to go.
The Bearcats took care of the football, and managed to break away for a 40 yard rush by Corey Kiner to bring the visitors into Miami territory. Nathan Hawks connected from 50 yards to give Cincinnati a two-score lead with just under a minute to go, essentially securing their possession of the Victory Bell.
Miami is now 0-2 on the season with two tough non-conference games remaining. The RedHawks will travel to South Bend next week to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Despite the winless start, the team remains focused.
“It’s a brand new week. We still have goals that we are trying to accomplish this season. We want to go to a MAC Championship and that’s still in play,” said Salopek “On Monday it’s a fresh start.”