Houston Falls to #25/RV Cincinnati on Saturday

HOUSTON – University of Houston junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson posted three catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, and junior running back Kyle Porter added 107 rushing yards to lead the Cougars in a 38-23 loss to No. 25/rv Cincinnati inside TDECU Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

After the Bearcats (5-1, 2-0 The American) jumped out to a 21-10 halftime lead, Stevenson hauled in a 69-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Clayton Tune on the Cougars' first possession of the second half to move Houston to within one score against their American Athletic Conference rival.

The Bearcats took advantage of five Houston (2-4, 0-2 The American) turnovers, including four interceptions, and turned them into 21 points to take the win.

Making his second straight start, Tune threw for 184 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Cincinnati put the first mark on the scoreboard on quarterback Desmond Ridder's 13-yard touchdown run on the Bearcats' first possession of the game with 13:44 left in the opening period.

After a Cougar punt, junior cornerback Damarion Williams halted the Bearcats' next drive with an interception and 11-yard return. Although the Cougars advanced only six yards on their next possession, junior kicker Dalton Witherspoon moved Houston to within 7-3 following a 31-yard field goal with 7:24 remaining.

Cincinnati pushed its lead to 14-3 when running back Rashard Medaris raced down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown with 7:13 left.

The teams traded punts from there before the Cougars scored early in the second period. On a drive that featured three Houston plays take snaps, wide receiver Bryson Smith hit sophomore receiver Jeremy Singleton on a 50-yard touchdown pass to pull the Cougars to within 14-10 with 11:36 left in the first half.

Following a Cougar turnover, Ridder hit Josiah Deguara on a 15-yard touchdown midway through the second period for a 21-10 Cincinnati lead.

Taking the first possession of the second half, the Cougars closed the gap to 21-17 when Tune connected with Stevenson on a 69-yard touchdown pass with 12:40 left in the period.

The score remained that way until early in the fourth quarter when Michael Warren II hauled in a pass from Ridder and bounced off Houston defenders for an 11-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati a 28-17 lead with 13:41 left in the game.

On the ensuing possession, Tune led the Cougars on a 9-play, 72-yard drive that was capped by his 6-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Christian Trahan for a 28-23 Cincinnati lead with 9:09 remaining in the game.

Cincinnati extended its lead to 31-23 on Sam Crosa's 32-yard field goal with 4:27 left. The Bearcats made it a two-possession game on the Cougars' next drive when Perry Young intercepted a deflected Tune pass at the line of scrimmage and plunged into the end zone from two years out to put the Bearcats up 38-23.

UP NEXT
The Cougars return to action when they face American Athletic Conference rival UConn at 11a.m. (CT), Saturday, in Hartford, Conn. That game will be shown on ESPNU and can be heard on KPRC 950 AM.

Houston returns to TDECU Stadium when it takes on SMU at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 24. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Tickets are available any time by visiting UHCougars.com/tickets and following the appropriate links or by calling the Athletics Ticket Office during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.

– UHCougars.com –

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Players Mentioned

Kyle Porter

Jeremy Singleton

Bryson Smith

Marquez Stevenson

Christian Trahan

Clayton Tune

Damarion Williams

Dalton Witherspoon