Recap: Pitt 28 Cincinnati 27

The River City Rivalry returned to Nippert Stadium Saturday afternoon for a noon kickoff between the Bearcats and Pitt Panthers. Nippert was dressed in a sea of red as two former Big East rivals collided in front of a sold-out crowd. 

(Photo: Taylor Keeton)

Looking for a series sweep and win in consecutive seasons over the Panthers, Cincinnati raced out to a 17-6 halftime lead and led 27-6 with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter.

While it looked like the Bearcats were going to come away with a comfortable win, Pitt made the necessary adjustments over the final 15:46 and found a way to rattle off 22 unanswered points and walk off the field with a 28-27 win.

Game Recap 

The Bearcats' opening drive stalled at mid-field but they quickly regained momentum after Josh Minkins intercepted Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein in the end zone on the Panthers' opening drive.

The pick was Minkins' third career and first as a Bearcat.

Cincinnati's offense was able to take advantage of the Pitt turnover. 

After Corey Kiner ripped off a 28-yard run to move the Bearcats to midfield, quarterback Brendan Sorsby found wide receiver Jamoi Mayes down the sideline for a 52-yard touchdown. 

The throw was beautifully placed as Sorsby threaded the needle and dropped it over the shoulder of Mayes. The four-play, 80 yard drive took just 1:20 off the clock to give Cincinnati a 7-0 with 7:47 remaining in the first quarter. 

Pitt's second drive would end in a 47-yard field goal attempt after Eli Holstein failed to convert a 3rd-and-7 from the UC 29-yard line.

Cincinnati's next offensive possession would also result in a score.

Following a 34-yard completion to Xzavier Henderson down the sideline, in which a passing interference was also called, Sorsby connected with tight end Joe Royer down the middle of the field for a 32-yard gain to the Pitt 6.

Two plays later, Sorsby connected with Tony Johnson in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. With 1:11 remaining in the first quarter, Cincinnati led 14-3. 

Tyson Veidt's defense held strong on the next Pitt offensive possession, forcing a quick three-and-out.

An opportunity to take control of the game early presented itself. 

The Bearcats were able to convert a 3rd-and-18 from the Pitt 25 on their next offensive possession to the Pitt 6, but consecutive penalties would force the UC offense to settle for a 49-yard Carter Brown field goal attempt.

The 14-play scoring drive took 7:21 off the clock, giving UC a 17-3 lead with 8:11 remaining in the first half. 

Cincinnati's defense once again presented with UC offense with an opportunity to take control of the game with time winding down in the second quarter, but the offense was unable to take advantage.

Facing a 3rd-and-6 at the Pitt 7, Sorsby faced pressure and saw his pass to a wide open receiver sail out of the back of the end zone.

On the next play, Carter Brown missed a 25-yard field goal attempt, allowing Pitt to take over at their own 20 with :23 seconds remaining in the half.

Not an ideal way to close the half, as Pitt was able to move the ball 45 yards in four plays to close the half with a 53-yard field goal as time expired to cut the UC lead to 17-6. 

 Pitt opened the second half with a return to midfield but the defense didn't let the long return affect them.

With Pitt going for it on 4th-and-4 at the UC 42, Derrick Canteen knocked down a Holstein passing attempt to create a turnover on downs.

Needing to get something going following stalled drives to end the first half, Cincinnati's offense took advantage of the short field.

Brendan Sorsby completed passes to Tony Johnson and Xzavier Henderson for first downs to kick start a 10 play, 58-yard scoring drive over the next 5:13.

Sorsby capped the drive off with a 16-yard completion to tight end Joe Royer for his first career touchdown.

With 7:25 left in the third quarter, Cincinnati had extended their lead to 24-6. 

Carter Brown extended the UC lead to 27-6 on the next offensive possession, connecting from 26 yards out.

Pitt's offense finally came to life on their next possession.

Facing a 3rd-and-goal, Eli Holstein found Konata Mumpfield for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the Cincinnati lead to 27-13 with :46 seconds remaining in the third quarter. 

Pitt running back Desmond Reid picked up 48 yards on two carries during the 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive. 

Cincinnati's offense stalled at midfield on their next drive, leading to another Pitt score.

After a Dontay Corleone stop on 3rd-and-3 to set up Pitt with a 4th-and-2 at the UC 37, Eli Holstein found Mumpfield wide open across the middle for another touchdown.

The Panthers' two-point conversion was no good, but Cincinnati's lead was now 27-19 with 10:41 remaining in the 4th quarter. 

Cincinnati's offense would once again stall on their next possession.

Sorsby opened the drive with a first down completion to Xzavier Henderson but the run game picked up just five yards on the next two plays and Sorsby was sacked for a nine-yard loss on 3rd-and-5. 

The Bearcats received some good fortune on the punt as Mason Fletcher was able to flip field possession and pin the Panthers at their own 7 yard line. 

Pitt wouldn't take long to score, once again.

After advancing to their own 44 in six plays, Eli Holstein found Desmond Reid across the middle for a catch and score that covered 56 yards. While the two-point conversion was no good, the quick score would be a prelude to the ending. 

Cincinnati's offense stalled at the Pitt 48 on their next possession, giving the Panthers a shot at a game winning drive, down two. 

The defense did their part on the first three plays of the drive, putting Pitt in a 4th and 4 situation from their own 26-yard line. 

The game changing play, or call, would then completely change momentum, 

With Pitt staring at a 4th-and-4, the defense was called for a delay of game, giving the Panthers a first down and new life. 

Two plays later, Holstein completed a 34-yard pass to Mumpfield to the Cincinnati 19 for a first down. 

Pitt's offense would then send Ben Sauls out for a game-winning 35-yard field goal with :17 seconds remaining on the clock. 

The game would end with UC trying several laterals before a Corey Kiner fumble was recovered by Pitt's Javon McIntyre.

When it was all said and done, Cincinnati was outscored 15-0 and outgained 234-62 in the fourth quarter in a 28-27 loss to Pitt.

Final Stats:

- Brendan Sorsby finished 22-of-38 passing for 298 yards and three touchdowns. The Bearcat offense finished with 449 total yards

- Corey Kiner rushed for 149 yards on 20 carries. 

- Xzavier Henderson led the receiving group with five catches for 80 yards. Jamoi Mayes also had a nice game with three catches for 72 yards. Joe Royer was targeted eight times but was only able to haul in three catches for 49 yards, as Pitt started to change their coverage and how they attacked him in the passing game.

- Derrick Canteen and Mekhi Miller both finished with eight tackles, each, to lead the defense. Dontay Corleone made his return to finish with six tackles,as well as a tackle for loss. The defensive unit as a whole gave up 498 yards.

- Mason Fletcher was outstanding in the punt game, averaging 48.5 yards on three punts. 

Final Thoughts:

There are several different areas that you could point to as reasons for the loss, but at the end of the day, neither side of the ball executed and made plays when they needed to. The offense struggled to get anything going in the fourth quarter when Pitt adjusted their coverages and pressures up front, while the defense continually lost Mumpfield and Reid in the passing game and allowed Holstein to extend plays with his legs when pressured.

Mumpfield finished with five catches for 123 yards, while Reid had six catches for 106 yards. The Western Carolina transfer also rushed for 150 yards on 19 carries. 

Up Next:

Saturday 9/14 at Miami (OH) Noon