By : Carson Zoller
(Photo/Carson Zoller-The Mojo Network)
On Saturday, September 14th at Noon The Cincinnati Bearcats waltzed into Yager Stadium to take on The Miami Ohio RedHawks in hopes of winning The Battle of The Victory Bell, this hope came true with a Bearcat win 27-16. Although The Bearcats won the last Battle for the Victory Bell, Miami Ohio are the true champions, the all-time record stands at 59-45-7 in the RedHawks favor.
In the 1st quarter at Yager stadium only a 55 yard field goal by Cincinnati's Kicker, Nathan Hawks came out of the first 15 minutes of play. Although that didn’t affect the passionate college football fans in attendance, the student sections erupting on every Cincinnati 3rd down and on Miami’s big plays. The first quarter finished with The Bearcats leading 3-0.
Less than a minute after entering the 2nd quarter Miami answered right back by pinning a 30 yard field goal bringing the score to 3-3. The Bearcats were hungry to score and Brendan Sorsby had one man in his sights, Joe Royer, The first touchdown of the game was a 3 yard lob pass and was also Royer’s first touchdown as a Bearcat. 10-3 was written on the scoreboard entering half time. The 3rd Quarter had a slow start but eventually Corey Kiner punched in his first touchdown, bringing the score to 17-3. Shortly after, Brett Gabbert found Reggie Virgil for a 58 yard touchdown pass, the 6ft 4in WR averaged 18.2 yards per catch, finishing the game with 6 receptions for 109 yards and 1 touchdown. The 3rd quarter ended with Cincinnati leading 17-10.
The 4th Quarter started off hot and did not disappoint. Cincinattis running back #6 Evan Pryor was off to the races with a 65 yard touchdown run, this touchdown gave The Bearcats a comfortable lead 24-10. Pryor finished the game with 12 carries for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brett Gabbert was back at it again in the 4th with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Cade McDonald, after the 2pt conversion attempt failed the score sat at 24-16. Nathan Hawks put the icing on the cake by hitting a 50 yard field goal to end the game. The final was 27-16 and The Bearcats returned home with The Victory Bell.