Cincinnati Bearcats beaten, bruised up front in loss to Arizona

TUCSON, AZ - The Cincinnati Bearcats faced their first defeat of the year at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats in a dominant performance. In front of 43,760 fans at Casino Del Sol Stadium, the Wildcats triumphed 34-7. The only glimmer of hope for UC was a late touchdown by JC French IV, just after the two-minute warning, preventing a shutout reminiscent of a 2012 Ohio State victory.

However, even that was not enough to prevent Arizona from notching their first shutout since 2009. Despite UC's strong rushing attack in their previous four games, averaging 270 yards per game, Arizona's stout defense neutralized their ground game. UC was outpaced 238-74 and outgained overall 533-227. Antwan Roberts led the charge with 87 yards, and Quincy Craig contributed 77.

UC's top rushers, JC French and Gi Bran Payne, were held to 29 and 24 yards, respectively. Arizona's Noah Fifita completed 25 of 37 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns, while UC's JC French finished with 16-of-29 passing for 153 yards. The Bearcats' struggles in the Mountain Time Zone continued as they travel to Provo to face the BYU Cougars on Nov. 28. The Bearcats are now 0-4 in Mountain Time Zone games since joining the Big 12.