Cincinnati beats No. 14 Iowa State 38-30

CINCINNATI — Brendan Sorsby passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, Evan Pryor ran for 111 yards and two TDs and Cincinnati used a 17-point first quarter to beat No. 14 Iowa State 38-30 on Saturday.

The Bearcats (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) beat a ranked opponent at home for the first time since a 35-20 win against No. 16 Houston on Dec. 4, 2021.

“It was one of those back-and-forth games until the end and we hung on to get the victory,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said.

The Cyclones (5-1, 2-1) trailed 31-7 with 1:08 left in the second quarter before rallying to get within eight with 1:56 left in the game. Cincinnati recovered an onside kick to end the threat.

Rocco Becht passed for 314 yards and two touchdowns and ran another two in for the Cyclones.

Sorsby's 82-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Goodie in the fourth quarter was the Bearcats' longest pass play since 2015.

“When the play was called on the field, I was thinking touchdown,” Goodie said. “I took a deep breath and said, ‘Let’s go.’"

Iowa State, one of the least penalized teams in the country, had five penalties for 35 yards in the first half. The Cyclones jumped offside on third down to extend the Bearcats' opening drive, which led to a 30-yard TD run from Pryor for the game's first score.

The Bearcats went on to take a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Becht got the Cyclones on the board early in the second on a 14-yard run.

“The first half was very fun and we were moving the ball at will it seemed like,” Sorsby said. “They came out in the second half and made a ton of adjustments. It’s that fine line of trying to manage the clock. We found a way to pull it out. That’s a massive win.”

Becht scored on a 4-yard run on the final play of the half and then threw an 11-yard TD pass to Brett Eskildsen on the opening drive in the third quarter.

"We’re not flinching," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said of his injury-riddled team. “We feel we have some really good football players and they will only get better. They got a chance to show up today and did some really good things.”

Running Wild

The Bearcats rushed for a season-high 260 yards. In addition to Pryor's big day, Tawee Walker ran for 89 yards on 14 carries.

“He was looking like a beast mode out there today,” Satterfield said. “He was running through guys. Refusing to go down. Whatever he ate for pregame meal he needs to eat it again.”

The takeaway

Iowa State: The Cyclones had 16 players out with injuries, including all-Big 12 defensive backs Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams. They also were without their top two kickers. Freshman Chase Smith made two extra points and missed his only field-goal attempt, a 35-yarder in the second quarter.

“It affected our decisions but we prepared for it,” Campbell said of the kicking situation. “It's a unique challenge.”

Cincinnati: The Bearcats hope to get some recognition in the AP poll after this victory and last week's win at Kansas. Their only loss this season was 20-17 to Nebraska in the season opener played at Arrowhead Stadium.

“Coming off a huge win on the road at Kansas, and then to be able to put that one to bed and focus on Iowa State, (the players) did an absolutely great job of that,” Satterfield said. “Shoot, you’re 2-0, makes next week even bigger.”