Recap: Miami RedHawks lose Victory Bell thriller against the Cincinnati Bearcats 35-31 after monstrous first half

Sept. 19, 2026 marked a historic meeting between the Miami University RedHawks (1-2) and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats (2-1). Spanning all the way back to 1888, the rivalry between the two teams is the oldest college football rivalry in Ohio, the second oldest in all NCAA division one football. 

The RedHawks made a statement before a football was even snapped. 

An overwhelming roar sounded from the Miami crowd, as the Bearcats kicked off to freshman wide receiver Scoop Smith, who waited near the endzone. The ball floated through the TQL Stadium air faked a lateral and sprinted 98 yards down the sideline for an opening kickoff touchdown. Redshirt junior Kellan McLaughlin booted the ball through the uprights for the extra point to give the RedHawks an early 7-0 lead. 

A strong effort from Miami’s defense forced a Bearcats three-and-out, and the energy from the crowd grew even more when redshirt freshman quarterback David McComb found junior wide receiver Damarion Witten for a 34-yard pass on the first play of the drive. Two plays and two first downs later, sophomore Lazaro Rogers ran up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown to give the RedHawks a 14-point lead within the first five minutes of the game. 

The Bearcats would rely on fifth-year wide receiver JV Gibson and fifth-year running back Gi’Bran Payne to move the ball on the subsequent drive. Gibson caught two passes for 11 yards while Payne was held to two carries for five yards.

The Bearcats also went to the passing attack, as fifth-year quarterback JC French IV connected with junior tight end Gavin Grover for 29 yards and then junior running back Cole Tabb for 16. 

On the one yard line, Tabb received the handoff to cap off a 10 play drive and the Bearcats’ first score of the game. This would mark the final score of the quarter before three straight drives ending in punts. The Bearcats would have the ball on their own 32 yard line to start the second quarter down 14-7.  

Miami received the ball on its own nine yard line following a Cincinnati punt, and the RedHawks picked up the pace as McComb found redshirt junior Lynel Billups-Williams for 35 yards. McComb then connected on a deep ball to Witten, but an ineligible man down field penalty and then two false starts would erase the momentum. 

Miami would find its grove again with a 27-yard one-hand snag by senior Maleek Huggins on third and 13. Later, David McComb electrified the Miami student section, keeping the ball on a read-option and scoring a six-yard touchdown. The play would complete a 10-play, 91-yard drive lasting six minutes and 21 seconds. 

With under six minutes remaining in the first half, the Bearcats tried to fight back from a 21-7 deficit. They quickly crossed into RedHawk territory with an 11-yard Tabb run and 28 more yards on three passes. 

On third and 18, French IV tried taking off, but Miami redshirt junior defensive lineman Roosevelt Andrews III made a clutch tackle to send the Bearcat field goal unit on the field. 

Sixth-year Bearcat kicker Stephen Rusnak attempted a 52-yard field goal, but it fell just short of the yellow crossbar, and the RedHawks set up shop at their own 34 yard line with under two minutes remaining. 

McComb scrambled for six yards and completed two passes to get the RedHawks in enemy territory. 

With 28 seconds left, McComb fired a missile to Huggins in the front right corner of the endzone for a 38-yard touchdown. McLaughlin tacked on the extra point, and the RedHawks took a 28-7 lead at halftime, defying any prior expectations for the RedHawks to come out firing like they did.

“There’s no moral victories in sports,” said head coach Chuck Martin postgame. “Like, you win or you lose. That’s it, you know. But we showed ourselves today what we could become. We have not become it. We could play 30 minutes of good football against a quality opponent.”

Fifth-year RedHawk corner Eli Coppess kept spirits high for the Miami faithful coming out of halftime after breaking up a deep pass and forcing a Bearcat third and 15. French IV found Gibson for twelve yards, and the Bearcats elected to go for it on fourth and three. But fifth-year defensive end and Cincinnati native Grant Lyons sacked French IV to give the RedHawks the ball on Cincinnati’s 31. 

“We’re going to be a good football team,” Lyons said postgame. “I have no doubt about that… the true sign of a true competitor is a guy that hates to lose. That locker room is devastated right now, but we have a lot of guys that are going to buckle it up tomorrow, come in the building, and be excited to get better.”

Redshirt junior running back Rodney Nelson powered up the middle for 14 yards and after a few more offensive gains, a Nelson two-yard run set up a 31-yard field goal attempt. However, McLaughlin chipped the ball into the offensive line, giving Cincinnati the ball and leaving the RedHawks with no points.  

With under 11 minutes to go, French IV led his troops down the field in hopes to chip away atMiami’s 21-point lead. After an 11-yard run by Payne, French IV connected with senior wide receiver Larenzo Fenner on a 38-yard deep shot. With two yards until the endzone, French IV scrambled right for one, and then snuck into the endzone to make the score 28-14, Miami. 

On the next drive, McComb made a costly mistake. Bearcat junior corner Kenny Worthy anticipated and intercepted a pass to the right, which gave the Bearcats the ball in field goal range. On fourth and two, French IV made a spin move, dove and earned a first down. Tabb took the ball and added to his resume with an eight-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead to seven with under three minutes in the third quarter. 

On the next drive, McComb bounced back from his prior mistake. He rolled to his left and launched a 50-yard moon shot to Huggins, setting up the offense inside Cincinnati’s 20 yard line. 

“He loves to compete,” Martin said of McComb. “He has a skill set. He’s a freshman. He’s so down on himself right now, and that’s why he’s going to be great.”

Then, on a third and seven, McComb scrambled left and got the first down before losing the football. Billups-Williams fell on it at the 10 yard line, retaining the RedHawks possession

Tensions rose again as Nelson lost the ball, but was again recovered by the offense at the one yard line to finish out the third quarter. 

Three plays later, McLaughlin kicked a 19-yard field goal to give Miami a 31-21 lead with roughly 14 minutes remaining.

The Bearcats marched back down the field toward the 50, but the hometown kid Lyons hit the ball out of French IV’s hand as he threw, and Miami fell on the ball, giving them the ball up 10 and an opportunity to pad their lead with time running down

“When I was a little kid, I dreamed of playing football on Friday nights in Cincinnati because the culture of Friday nights in Cincinnati is huge,” said Lyons in a postgame interview. “To get to do it at the next level and get to do it in front of my hometown was exciting.”

Following the fumble recovery, sixth-year Bearcat nose tackle Josh Hough sacked McComb to set up second and long. A rollout right and a throw on the run toward the endzone ended in a RedHawk collision and an incomplete pass. On the next play, redshirt sophomore running back D’Shawntae Jones caught a 10-yard pass, causing a fourth down and a field goal attempt. McLaughlin swung his foot through the ball and watched it travel toward the goalposts, but the 45-yard kick drifted right and missed, leaving the RedHawks still up by 10. 

With under 10 minutes in the game, the Bearcats kept clawing back. French IV found Gibson for 21 yards, then Tabb for 14. After a few more chunk plays, French IV lobbed the ball to a wide open Gibson for a six-yard touchdown, closing the gap to 31-28, Miami. 

After a third recovered fumble by Miami and an incomplete pass, McComb fired over the middle to Witten for a 33-yard first down. With under four minutes to go, the RedHawks found themselves in a fourth and long situation, so they punted to the 16 yard line, giving Cincinnati one last chance at taking the lead and the victory

Miami’s defense held strong, and the Bearcats had no choice but to go for it on fourth and three. French IV found a wide open Grover for 15 yards and a RedHawk injury stopped the clock at two minutes and 30 seconds with a fresh set of downs for Cincinnati on their way.

With fans on the edge of their seats and the game within three, Tabb would silence the Miami crowd and ignite the Bearcats faithful, breaking free for a 53-yard touchdown run, his third on the day. The Bearcats took their first lead of the game, 35-31. Miami would have one minute and 29 seconds with no timeouts to try and reclaim a lead. 

After a promising pair of first downs, McComb lost the ball once more, and the Bearcats pounced on it, giving them a four-point victory to reclaim the Bell for potentially the last time.

“I can’t really think of a harder loss I’ve had than that,” Martin said. “That game [in] whatever 30, whatever years I’ve coached, man. That is what’s at stake in the bell, and it’s right there for the taking. And again, we didn’t take it. We tried to take it. We didn’t take it.”

Miami’s next contest will be against the University of Connecticut Huskies at 3:30 p.m. at Yager Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26.