East Carolina Falls At No. 7 Cincinnati

Friday, November 13

Cincinnati, Ohio

7:30 P.M.

East Carolina University

Cincinnati

November 14, 2020 | Football

Box Score

Game Book | ECU Notes | Press Conference

CINCINNATI, Ohio. – No. 7 Cincinnati built a sizable cushion in the second quarter on the way to a 55-17 American Athletic Conference victory over East Carolina Friday night at Nippert Stadium.

The Pirates (1-6, 1-5 AAC) lost their fourth in a row while the Bearcats (7-0, 5-0 AAC) remained unbeaten in advance of their showdown with UCF in Orlando next week.

Freshman running back Keaton Mitchell broke out for a career night, racking up a personal-best 124 yards on 17 carries in addition to scoring his first collegiate touchdown. Classmate and fellow running back Rahjai Harris also chipped in with 84 yards and a touchdown of his own. Junior quarterback Holton Ahlers connected on just nine of 20 pass attempts, finishing the game with 87 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder showed off his dual-threat capabilities, completing 24 of 31 pass attempts for a season-high 327 yards and three passing touchdowns while also tying for team-high honors on the ground with 75 yards on eight rushes and a touchdown. A trio of Bearcat receivers posted touchdown grabs as Tre Tucker paced the unit with 69 yards on four catches.

The home team ended up with the decisive edge in total offense, outgaining East Carolina 653-293. ECU failed to reach 100 yards passing for the first time since tallying just 73 at NC State on Dec. 1, 2018. The Pirates turned the ball over four times, leading to 21 Bearcat points.

After East Carolina came up empty on its first possession to open the contest, Cincinnati quickly drove into Pirate territory. On the 10th play of the drive, Ridder connected with Michael Young through the air for a 33-yard score that pushed the Bearcats ahead 7-0.

Just when it looked like Cincinnati was poised to extend its advantage on its second possession, Ridder fumbled inside the ECU five-yard line and Chris Willis pounced on the football. With momentum on its side, the Pirates began to move down the field as the first quarter expired.

On the first play of the second stanza, East Carolina gave that momentum right back to the home side as Ahlers' was intercepted by Jarell White who returned it 26 yards to the house – making it a 14-0 Bearcat advantage.

Following a big stop for the Pirate defense with Cincinnati pinned deep in its own backfield, ECU took control near midfield. It was all Mitchell from there as he posted a 14-yard rush and a 26-yard reception before scurrying into the endzone from 18 yards away to slice the Bearcat advantage to 14-7 with 10:36 on the clock.

Cincinnati converted a key third down and 11 on the ensuing drive, leading to a Jerome Ford 24-yard touchdown scamper that re-established the Bearcats' 14-point edge midway through the quarter.

Jake Verity brought East Carolina within 21-10 by converting a 32-yard field goal with 5:25 to play before the half, but Ridder needed just one play after a Pirate onside kick attempt to find Tucker streaking 45 yards down the right sideline to paydirt.

With Cincinnati ahead 28-10, Ahlers was picked once more on ECU's next possession by James Wiggins. A couple plays later, Ridder took the ball himself and scored from seven yards out to stretch his team's lead to 35-10. That would cap the scoring in the half as the Pirates just ran the clock out and headed into the locker room to regroup.

The Bearcats enjoyed a sizable upper hand in total offense in the first two quarters, outgaining the Pirates 350-170. The teams combined for nine penalties, including a pair of targeting fouls that disqualified ECU's Bruce Bivens and Dre Terry.

Both offenses stalled out of the halftime break as each team came up empty on their first two drives. Midway through the period, a 27-yard Ridder rush sparked an 11-play, 85-yard Cincinnati jaunt that used six minutes and was capped by a 12-yard Jayshon Jackson touchdown grab to give the Bearcats a 42-10 cushion with just seconds remaining on the clock.

East Carolina attempted to answer as the fourth quarter commenced, driving all the way down to the Cincinnati 16 before Ahlers threw his third interception of the contest on a fourth-down play. The Pirates forced the Bearcats into a fourth and seven situation after the pick, but Cincinnati kept the drive alive with a successful fake punt as Joel Dublanko ripped off a 29-yard run to set the Bearcats up in plus territory. Five plays later, Ford scored from the one-yard line to make it 49-10.

With the clock winding down, freshman quarterback Mason Garcia took the reigns of the offense and led ECU on a 13-play, 73-yard drive that resulted in a Harris one-yard touchdown run. Cincinnati's Cameron Moore posted a 75-yard touchdown run to provide the game's final margin as the extra point was no good.

East Carolina takes to the road for the final time Saturday, Nov. 21, traveling to Philadelphia for an American Conference contest at Temple. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon and the game will be streamed via ESPN+.