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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Cincinnati arrived at Notre Dame with a 3-0 record and a No.7 ranking, having won 35 of their previous 41 games, dating back to the start of the 2018 season. Many outside the program have called the Bearcats contenders. at the college football qualifiers.
But coach Luke Fickell believed his team still had a step to take. To really make it into the top 10, Cincinnati had to beat one. Notre Dame was 47-8 since the start of the 2017 season with two CFP appearances and a 26-game winning streak at home.
Cincinnati left the field on Saturday afternoon with no doubts about their status, having outlived Notre Dame 24-13 in front of a crowd including a vocal group of Bearcats fans, which quarterback Desmond Ridder said sounded like “a home game”.
The Bearcats became the first team in the Group 5 to secure a road victory over a top 10 AP opponent of the Power 5 in the CFP era.
“We’ve had a lot of success over the last few years, but we haven’t beaten a top 10 or a top five program,” said Fickell. “For us doing this today on the road is a big step for us. It will bring other things that we need to be able to handle, maybe some awareness of some things that our children will be able to handle. But whatever’s thrown at them so far, they’ve done a really, really good job of [handling], and I wouldn’t expect anything less. “
Fickell was referring to an increased discussion of Cincinnati’s playoff profile, which he said “was for [the media] go ahead and throw the ball. “But Cincinnati had no qualms about recognizing the importance of back-to-back road games against preseason top 20 opponents in Indiana and Notre Dame .
After rallying to defeat Indiana 38-24, Cincinnati never trailed against Notre Dame and led by 10 points or more for most of the game.
“We definitely have respect now, especially coming out on the road here and getting a top 10 victory,” defensive end Malik Vann said. “I don’t think there are too many people to say or criticize about us.”
Cincinnati will head to the Big 12 in the coming years but are still part of the Group of 5, which has never produced a playoff team. The Bearcats went undefeated in the 2020 regular season, but missed the playoffs and faced Georgia in the Peach Bowl, a game they led most of the second half before dropping in the dying seconds. .
“We’re going to play our game every Saturday or Friday and put our best foot forward and our best game on film,” Ridder said. “At the end of the year, if we do that and we go undefeated and play 12 or 11 perfect games, whatever it is, as good as we can, and they still don’t put us in there , it’s not our call We don’t have the call to make the playoffs.
“We’re just going to play our game the best we can, and hopefully at the end of the year they’ll see that [and] they give us a chance. “
Vann and the Cincinnati defense forced three turnovers in the first half to help spark a slow start offense, which didn’t have a run for more than 18 yards until the end of the second quarter. Facing former defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, who has the same role at Notre Dame, Cincinnati had eight assists, seven tackles for losses, two sacks and four rushed quarterbacks.
“[We] shown that we are still the same defense, whether [Freeman is] call the shots or not, ”Vann said. “We just wanted to come here and show nationally that our defense can play with anyone. [and] our team can play with anyone in the country and that’s what we did today. “
Ridder completed just five of his first 12 passing attempts to start the game, but improved steadily, finishing with 297 passing yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He led an 80-yard drive before halftime and productive practices throughout the third quarter and fourth, but two missed field goals and a Ridder fumble kept Notre Dame in the game.
Cincinnati led just 17-13 midway through the fourth quarter before Ridder responded with a 75-yard drive in six games which he capped with a six-yard touchdown run.
“It’s called the Desmond Ridder factor,” Fickell said. “That’s just what it is, and never ceases to amaze me. Obviously we’ve lost the momentum, and the [missed] field goals didn’t help. It’s part of the game on the road, and we had to find a way back. “
Ridder found leading wide receiver Alec Pierce six times for 144 yards, and tight end Leonard Taylor had 70 receiving yards and a touchdown. The senior quarterback thrived on the deep ball, completing 6 of 9 attempts on passes of 15 or more yards for 201 yards and a touchdown.
“There’s nothing he can’t do,” Fickell said of Ridder.
Ridder noted the pressure Cincinnati faced on trips to Indiana and Notre Dame and said the victories were “a weight lifted off everyone’s shoulders.”
“This is a great victory for us, it is a great victory for our program, our city and our community of Cincinnati,” said Ridder.
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