No. 23 Cincinnati Bearcats drop opener at No. 19 Arkansas Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Cincinnati football team's 2022 season began the same way its last two seasons ended – with a loss to a Southeastern Conference opponent.
No. 23/22 (Associated Press/coaches polls) Cincinnati committed 10 costly penalties and allowed 223 yards rushing – including 14 yards on a late third-and-9 – en route to a 31-24 loss Saturday at No. 19/22 Arkansas. It marked the Bearcats' first season-opening loss under sixth-year head coach Luke Fickell and just Cincinnati's third defeat (22-3) in as many seasons (Alabama in 2021 and Georgia in 2020).
"This is an incredible learning experience," Fickell said. "This is a growing time and opportunity for us as a team as we continue to find out and figure out and develop who 'us' really looks like. I don't let those guys or myself or any of these coaches hang their heads. We found out a lot about ourselves and our fight and our toughness. We just didn't get it done. We didn't play well enough on both sides of the ball to get the job done in a tough environment."
With 74,751 fans packed inside Arkansas' Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fickell gave senior quarterback Ben Bryant the start, his first for the Bearcats since Nov. 29, 2019 (34-24 loss at then-No. 18 Memphis). The senior Eastern Michigan transfer completed 26 of 43 passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. That turnover came on Cincinnati's opening drive.
Bryant tossed a pass intended for wide receiver Tyler Scott who ran a quick out route. Arkansas cornerback Dwight McGlothern jumped the route, picked off Bryant's pass and returned it 51 yards to the Cincinnati 29-yard line.
"I thought we were moving the ball well," Bryant said. "The corner made a really good play. He kind of baited me into that one. It's tough to start the first drive of the game with a pick, but I thought we bounced back from that."
Bryant's turnover led to a 15-yard touchdown run by Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson. The 6-foot-3-inch, 242-pound junior is one of two returning FBS quarterbacks (Louisville's Malik Cunningham) who led their team in both passing and rushing yards a season ago.
Jefferson finished the day with 223 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-26 passing. He also had 62 yards on 18 carries and another score.
"I didn't think he would run the ball as much as he did," Fickell said. "I thought that going into this year they would be a little bit more of him slinging the ball around and relying on the running backs. He's a dynamic runner as well. It makes it difficult to prepare for."
To make matters worse for the Bearcats, Cincinnati's kicking woes from a season ago continued on its next possession. After Bryant couldn't connect with wide receiver Will Pauling for a likely touchdown from 7 yards out, Delaware transfer kicker Ryan Coe missed a 25-yard field goal.
Coe missed another attempt in the opening half from 48 yards out.
With Bryant struggling with his deep ball and thus struggling to move the chains, Cincinnati went scoreless on each of its seven first-half possessions.
Arkansas grabbed a 14-0 advantage when Jefferson found tight end Trey Knox on a 5-yard score to close out the first half.
"There was no hanging their heads," Fickell said. "I thought at halftime they were really poised. They knew they would come out swinging, and they did. It just wasn't enough to get it done."
After yet another overthrown pass from Bryant to Scott, this time in the back of the end zone, the Bearcats finally got on the board on a five-yard run by LSU transfer and former Roger Bacon High School standout Corey Kiner at the start of the third.
Arkansas answered the sophomore running back's touchdown with one of its own, as Jefferson linked up with Oklahoma transfer Jadon Haselwood on a 19-yard strike to go up 21-7 at the 2:59 mark in the third quarter.
Bryant then seemingly settled down. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound La Grange, Illinois, native thew a dime to Scott for a 30-yard gain down the left sideline. Bryant then connected with Hawaii transfer Nick Mardner for a 35-yard score through the middle of the Razorbacks defense. Bryant's first touchdown pass of the season made it 21-14 Arkansas with 6:50 to play in the third.
The Razorbacks fumbled on the ensuing drive, as Jefferson coughed it up on Arkansas' own 8-yard line. Defensive lineman Eric Phillips recovered the loose ball.
Cincinnati was in position to tie the game at 21-21, but a false start penalty by tight end Leonard Taylor and a pair of delay-of-game calls on Bryant foiled Cincinnati's plans for a touchdown. The Bearcats had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Coe that made it a 21-17 game with 4:44 left before the final frame.
Arkansas countered with its own field goal, a 32-yarder, to go back up seven at the end of the third.
The Bearcats committed several costly penalties. One negated a big play at the beginning of the fourth. Bryant threw a screen pass to Charles McClelland for a 24-yard gain that set up the Bearcats at the Arkansas one-yard line. But a holding penalty by offensive lineman Jeremy Cooper halted the drive, and after another delay-of-game call, Cincinnati was forced to punt.
"I probably shouldn't talk about that," Fickell said of the penalty. "It is what it is. You've got to be able to overcome things like that. That's where I think the youth of us just didn't get it done. Overcoming the missed field goals, overcoming a big play like that where it's a difference-maker. But you've got to be able to overcome them."
After Arkansas stalled on its next drive, the Bearcats bit themselves in the foot yet again. Bryant fumbled after being blasted on a blindside sack. Bryant's turnover led to another Arkansas score, as Jefferson found Knox again to put the Razorbacks ahead 31-17 with lest than 10 minutes to play.
But the Bearcats weren't finished yet. Bryant found Taylor for a 15-yard touchdown to pull Cincinnati within a seven with 5:49 remaining. Taylor's score capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive by Bryant and the Cincinnati offense.
Jefferson then used his big frame to run through the Bearcats defense and run down the clock. He had a 14-yard scamper on a late third-and-9 to seal the victory.
"There was a big play down there on the third down with four minutes to go in the game that to me is probably the difference maker in the game," Fickell said. "We should have two guys that are there to maybe try to wrestle him down, and he makes a big play. Players make plays. He's a really good football player that's going to be tough to deal with."
Notable injuries
Bearcats starting center Jake Renfro, a 2021 first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection, is out indefinitely after suffering a knee injury in practice during the week. Sophomore Gavin Gerhardt started in Renfro's place. Cincinnati senior running back and punt returner Ryan Montgomery left the game and did not return.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats vs Arkansas Razorbacks live score updates
