CINCINNATI — Miami showed Saturday, Sept. 19, that it could go toe-to-toe with a Power Four opponent.
The RedHawks also learned how quickly a game can disappear when execution slips.
Miami raced to a 21-point halftime advantage before Cincinnati stormed back for a 35-31 victory in the 129th Battle for the Victory Bell at TQL Stadium.
Cole Tabb’s 53-yard touchdown run with 1:29 remaining completed the comeback after the Bearcats trailed 28-7 at halftime.
Here are five takeaways from Miami’s loss:
Miami has come far since Pittsburgh
Chuck Martin didn’t have to look far for evidence that his team has made significant progress.
Two weeks after Miami was overwhelmed at Pittsburgh, the RedHawks played arguably their best 30 minutes of the young season against Cincinnati.
Miami scored on the opening kickoff, forced a three-and-out and scored again to build a 14-0 advantage less than five minutes into the game. David McComb later scored on a 6-yard run before connecting with Maleek Huggins for a 36-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left in the second quarter.
Suddenly, Miami had a 28-7 halftime lead over an unbeaten Big 12 opponent.
“Two weeks ago we played a team very similar talent, and it was an annihilation,” Martin said of the Pittsburgh loss. “Come back two weeks later and have another chance. … First half was awesome.”
Miami accumulated 410 yards, including 334 through the air, and averaged 7.3 yards per play against Cincinnati.
But Martin wasn’t interested in moral victories.
“We’re so much better than we were two weeks ago,” Martin said. “It’s not even close, and we got nothing to show for it. It’s very frustrating.
“We showed ourselves today what we could become. We have not become it.”
That distinction may define where Miami stands three games into the season. The RedHawks proved they can play high-level football against a Power Four opponent. Now they have to prove they can sustain it for four quarters.
Execution cost Miami its chance
Miami didn’t suddenly stop competing after halftime.
It stopped executing consistently.
That was Martin’s biggest frustration.
Cincinnati outscored Miami 28-3 after halftime and outgained the RedHawks 280-163 over the final two quarters. The Bearcats turned a 28-7 deficit into a 28-21 game by the end of the third quarter.
Miami still had opportunities to regain control.
The RedHawks drove to Cincinnati’s 2 early in the fourth quarter but settled for a 19-yard Kellan McLaughlin field goal and a 31-21 lead. Grant Lyons then forced a fumble that Roosevelt Andrews III recovered at the Cincinnati 41.
Miami couldn’t capitalize.
The possession ended with a missed 45-yard field goal, and Cincinnati answered with a 73-yard touchdown drive to pull within 31-28.
“We had so many chances to end that thing — all three phases,” Martin said. “And we did not execute.”
Martin was particularly unhappy with Miami’s operation offensively, including alignment issues and timeouts used because the RedHawks weren’t organized quickly enough.
“We were fighting,” Martin said. “It wasn’t like we weren’t. But we just didn’t play smart.”
The numbers underline how dramatically the game changed. Miami averaged 7.3 yards per play for the game but produced only three second-half points.
McComb showed glimpse of potential
The final turnover will hurt, but McComb’s performance was another encouraging development for Miami’s young quarterback.
McComb completed 17 of 28 passes for a career-high 334 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for a score.
More importantly, Miami produced explosive plays through the air.
McComb connected with Damarion Witten for 34 yards on Miami’s first offensive possession. He found Lynel Billups-Williams for 35 yards to begin a second-quarter touchdown drive and hit Huggins for gains of 27 and 36 yards before halftime.
Huggins finished with four catches for 128 yards, including his 36-yard touchdown. It was his first 100-yard receiving performance as a RedHawk and the sixth of his college career.
McComb still had costly mistakes. His third-quarter interception gave Cincinnati possession at the Miami 31 and helped the Bearcats cut the deficit to 28-21.
Then came the final possession. Trailing 35-31 with 1:29 remaining, McComb drove Miami into Cincinnati territory and gave the RedHawks a chance to steal the game back. But Antwan Peek Jr. forced a fumble on a strip sack with 36 seconds remaining, and Drew Logan recovered.
Martin had spent the week telling his players the rivalry could come down to one play.
“We’re going to make the last play,” Martin recalled. “We didn’t make the last play. Cincinnati did.”
One run changed everything
Stopping Cincinnati on the ground was one of Miami’s biggest priorities.
For most of the afternoon, it worked.
The Bearcats entered the matchup after piling up more than 400 rushing yards against Western Carolina, and Martin knew Cincinnati’s combination of an experienced offensive line, talented backs and quarterback JC French IV presented a much different challenge.
“They’ve got three draftable NFL offensive linemen, they’ve got really good backs, they’ve got a quarterback that can add to the running game,” Martin said.
Cincinnati finished with 137 rushing yards on 33 attempts.
Take away one carry and Miami held the Bearcats to 84 yards on their other 32 rushing attempts.
Unfortunately for the RedHawks, that one carry decided the game.
Facing a Miami defense trying to protect a 31-28 lead, Tabb broke free for a 53-yard touchdown with 1:29 remaining. It gave Cincinnati its first lead of the afternoon.
Miami’s Grant Lyons was disruptive throughout the game, finishing with a career-high two sacks and forcing the fourth-quarter fumble that gave the RedHawks possession in Cincinnati territory.
But Miami couldn’t make the final defensive stop.
“In key situations, we spit the bit and didn’t get it done,” Martin said.
Victory Bell’s uncertain future
This one may sting for a long time.
Miami and Cincinnati have been playing for the Victory Bell since 1888. Saturday marked the 129th meeting in one of college football’s oldest rivalries and the first football game played at TQL Stadium.
It also could be the last meeting for the foreseeable future.
The programs currently have no future games scheduled. Cincinnati’s victory gave the Bearcats a 62-60-7 advantage in the all-time series.
That made the manner in which Miami lost even more painful.
The RedHawks didn’t simply have an opportunity to beat Cincinnati.
They led by three touchdowns at halftime and were ahead by 10 in the fourth quarter. They recovered a fumble in Cincinnati territory with a chance to potentially put the game away.
They still led with less than two minutes remaining. And even after Tabb’s touchdown, Miami drove back into Cincinnati territory with an opportunity to win.
Each time, the RedHawks came up one play short.
Martin called it one of the most difficult losses of his coaching career.
“That’s as hard a loss — I’m trying to think on camera — as hard a loss I’ve had in whatever, 30-whatever years I’ve coached,” Martin said.
The Victory Bell will remain with Cincinnati, and there is no scheduled rematch awaiting Miami next season.
“We never get this one back,” Martin said.