Cincinnati pulled off its biggest win of the Scott Satterfield era on Saturday, beating No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 at Nippert Stadium behind a breakout afternoon from running back Cole Tabb, who rushed for 173 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Tabb scored on a four-yard touchdown reception and broke a 58-yard rushing touchdown that helped secure the Bearcats’ first win over a Top 10 team since 2021, according to reports of the game. He averaged 10.8 yards per carry, stepping into the lead role in the absence of starter Gi’Bran Payne.
Texas Tech arrived in Cincinnati unbeaten and ranked in the Top 10, and left with its first loss of the season. Cincinnati’s running game and defense controlled the afternoon, and the Red Raiders did not score their first offensive touchdown until late, by one account of the game — a measure of how thoroughly the Bearcats dictated it.
The win lifts Cincinnati to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12, in the middle of the most demanding stretch of the Bearcats’ schedule. It is the kind of result that changes how the rest of that stretch is viewed, inside the locker room and across the conference.
Tabb’s emergence gives Cincinnati a second proven option in the backfield as the schedule hardens. He has now scored 12 touchdowns this season, and Saturday’s performance — against a Top 10 defense, in place of the starter — was the clearest sign yet that the Bearcats’ ground game can travel into November.
There is no rest after the upset. Cincinnati welcomes another unbeaten team to Nippert Stadium next week, when the Utah Utes come to the Queen City, giving the Bearcats a chance to turn one signature win into a run.
For Texas Tech, the loss ends an unbeaten start and drops the Red Raiders into the pack chasing the Big 12 championship game, while Cincinnati leaves the weekend with a ranked win that will count when bowl placement and any late-season conference tiebreakers are sorted out. The Bearcats’ students and fans at Nippert had the program’s most celebrated home afternoon in several seasons, and the team gave them a performance to match it for four quarters.
Photo: redlegsfan21, CC BY-SA 2.0