Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell talks to Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Jabari Taylor (90) in the first half of the NCAA football game between Cincinnati Bearcats and Murray State Racers on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Murray State Racers At Cincinnati Bearcats
Desmond Ridder went 14-of-22 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 7 Cincinnati to a 42-7 home win over FCS opponent Murray State on Saturday.
The game was tied 7-7 at halftime, but the Bearcats scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to improve to 2-0.
Jerome Ford rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries for Cincinnati.
Murray State quarterback Preston Rice went 17-of-29 passing for 149 yards and three interceptions in defeat for the Racers (1-1), who held the ball for 34:48.
But Murray State hurt itself with mistakes, committing five turnovers and 11 penalties for 60 yards.
After a scoreless first quarter, Murray State opened the scoring in the second, taking a 7-0 lead with 13:41 remaining until halftime on a 1-yard touchdown run by Rice.
Cincinnati answered, tying the game at 7-7 with 9:41 left in the second quarter on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Ridder to Noah Davis.
The Bearcats took a 14-7 lead on a 13-yard touchdown run by Ford with 10:05 remaining in the third quarter.
With 4:58 left in the third quarter, Ford scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to put the Bearcats ahead 21-7.
Following a fumble recovery at the Murray State 23-yard line, Cincinnati then took a 28-7 lead with 14:13 remaining in the game on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ridder to Tyler Scott.
Ford scored his third touchdown of the game, a 3-yard run with 10:50 left to make it 35-7.
Cincinnati rounded out the scoring with 1:08 remaining on an 18-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Evan Prater to Payten Singletary.
The Bearcats amassed 391 yards of total offense and committed just one turnover.
–Field Level Media