West Virginia Beat Cincinnati 45-42 on Field Goal as Time Expires

West Virginia beat Cincinnati 45-42 in Morgantown on Saturday, and the Mountaineers did not lead until the last play of the game. Jack Cassidy kicked a 35 yard field goal as time expired to give West Virginia its first Big 12 win of the season, ending a three game losing streak in front of 48,106 fans at Milan Puskar Stadium.

The winning drive started about as badly as a drive can start. A 66 yard punt by Cincinnati's Max Fletcher pinned West Virginia on its own 1 yard line. Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. then produced the two throws of the day. On third and 9 from his own 2, he found Prince Strachan for 41 yards. Later in the drive he hit Strachan again for 39 yards to move the Mountaineers into field goal range, and Cassidy, who had missed a 49 yarder late in the first half, finished the job.

A career day for Hawkins

Hawkins threw for a career high 464 yards and three touchdowns, more than 200 yards above his previous best of 247, set with Oklahoma against Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 27, 2024. He also ran 26 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns. West Virginia, which came in with the fifth best rushing attack in the country at 295.5 yards a game, managed only 134 yards on the ground. Big 12 rushing leader Cam Cook was held to a season low 40 yards on 15 carries, but he broke a screen pass for a 40 yard touchdown with 3:44 left to tie the game at 42-42.

Cincinnati had taken a 42-35 lead with 5:35 to play on a 6 yard touchdown run by Cole Tabb. The Bearcats outgained West Virginia 622 yards to 598 and outrushed them 233 to 134, and still lost. Quarterback JC French IV threw for a career high 389 yards and three touchdowns on 22 of 30 passing. Tabb ran 15 times for 118 yards and two scores and caught a touchdown pass from French.

The fourth quarter alone produced 38 points, 24 of them by West Virginia, after the teams went in level at 21-21 at half time and 28-28 after three quarters.

Injuries and a strange afternoon

Cincinnati lost two key players. Running back Gi'Bran Payne, the team's top rusher coming into the game, left in the first half after seven carries for 26 yards. Defensive lineman Josh Hough was helped off with a lower body injury in the second quarter and was ruled out. As a cart carried Hough toward the locker room, it backed into a wall at the stadium and appeared to jolt his injured leg, a moment caught on the TNT Sports broadcast. It was not immediately clear whether the collision caused further damage.

What it means

West Virginia improves to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12. Cincinnati falls to 4-2 and 1-2 in the conference, and has now lost two straight after a 4-0 September. The Mountaineers lead the series 19-3-1 and have won the last five meetings. Cincinnati's last win in the series came in 2009.