Cincinnati Bearcats Route EKU in Big 12 Debut

It was a historic day for the Cincinnati Bearcats by all means. They made their Big 12 debut in rather dominating fashion, and the players also naturally made history. Quarterback Emory Jones put up six touchdowns overall in the first half! The game was basically a blowout 66-10 win against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

Photo Cred: 247 Sports

It was a game of the first, as the former University of Louisville head coach led the Bearcats to the victory in his Cincinnati debut. This was thanks to 667 offensive yards overall. The offense seeks to keep the momentum left by former head coach Luke Fickell, who left for Wisconsin. Jones finished 19-of-23 for 345 yards and five touchdowns. He spread those touchdowns to five different receivers. Additionally, he ran for two rushing touchdowns. His performance was a single-game school record of seven total touchdowns by a quarterback.

Photo Cred: Cincinnati Enquirer

Other stars on the offense were Junior running back Corey Kiner, who rushed for 105 yards. Backup quarterback Brady Lichtenberg had his first two career touchdowns. The competition may not have been great, but UC showed Nippert that the Bearcats will be difficult to manage once the Big 12 conference games start. 

“First thing I want to say is how awesome it was to play in Nippert; it was everything that I anticipated being and then some,” Satterfield said. “We fed off that energy right from the start. I think on our first drive we went down and hit a big touchdown, and from that point forward, we really didn’t slow down. Our players were very focused and intent on coming out and playing a great game. They did that. It was awesome to see.”

Photo Cred: Cincinnati Athletics

The defense harassed EKU’s quarterback Parker McKinney. He only had 177 passing yards overall. The Bearcats safety Bryon Threats and cornerback Justin Harris recorded an interception in front of a sold-out crowd of 38,193. EKU couldn’t get much going on the ground either. Cincinnati will go to land of the ACC and play Pittsburgh this Saturday.