CINCINNATI, OH— Cincinnati needed nearly the entire afternoon to find its footing, but when the moment arrived, the Bearcats delivered a finish worthy of the Victory Bell rivalry.
Cole Tabb broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown run with 1:29 remaining, completing a stunning comeback as Cincinnati rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to defeat Miami (Ohio) 35-31 on Saturday in the 129th edition of the Battle for the Victory Bell.
The victory kept Cincinnati unbeaten at 3-0 and gave the Bearcats their largest comeback since overcoming a 21-0 deficit against Ohio in 2018.
For Miami, it was a heartbreaking collapse after controlling the game for nearly the entire afternoon.
“We didn’t panic,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “You could see how poised they were on the field when they were making plays, and that’s what you want to see when things are not going good. You’re not going to start pointing fingers, you’re just going to keep playing.”
The Bearcats did exactly that.
Tabb Delivers the Game-Winner
With Cincinnati trailing 31-28 late in the fourth quarter, the Bearcats faced a third-and-1 situation.
Miami expected the ball to stay in the air.
Instead, Cincinnati handed it to Tabb.
The running back took the snap from JC French IV in the shotgun, slipped through traffic near the line of scrimmage, avoided another tackle around the Miami 46-yard line and then outran the RedHawks’ defense for the winning touchdown.
Tabb finished with 78 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries.
“I wasn’t surprised to get the ball in the situation,” Tabb said. “We knew that they were probably thinking that we were passing, and we were throwing the ball that whole drive. It obviously caught them off guard.”
The play gave Cincinnati its first lead of the afternoon with only 1:29 remaining.
Miami still had one final opportunity.
The RedHawks drove into Cincinnati territory and reached the Bearcats’ 33-yard line. But Antwan Peek Jr. ended the threat, forcing a fumble from quarterback David McComb on a sack.
Drew Logan recovered at the Cincinnati 34-yard line, allowing the Bearcats to run out the clock.
Pandemonium followed.
Cincinnati Refuses to Stay Down
The final score was difficult to imagine at halftime.
Miami had dominated the opening two quarters and carried a 28-7 advantage into the locker room.
The RedHawks struck immediately when Scoop Smith returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
Smith, listed at just 5-foot-5, fielded the kick at the Miami 2-yard line near the left sideline, briefly sold a reverse handoff near the 10 and then changed direction before racing untouched up the right sideline.
It was Miami’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2018 — and remarkably, that return also came on the opening play of the game.
The RedHawks continued to control the momentum throughout the first half.
McComb completed 17 of 28 passes for 334 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score.
His biggest throw came late in the second quarter when he connected with Maleek Huggins for a 36-yard touchdown along the right corner of the end zone, pushing Miami’s advantage to 28-7 with only 21 seconds remaining before halftime.
At that point, the RedHawks appeared firmly in control.
But Cincinnati had other plans.
French Leads the Comeback
Quarterback JC French IV became increasingly effective as the Bearcats clawed their way back.
French completed 31 of 43 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns while also contributing a 1-yard rushing touchdown midway through the third quarter.
That score started the comeback.
After Cincinnati turned the ball over on downs on its opening possession of the second half, the Bearcats scored on four of their next five possessions.
The offense gradually chipped away at Miami’s lead until Tabb’s late touchdown finally put Cincinnati ahead.
JV Gibson continued his impressive start to the season, catching seven passes for 68 yards and finding the end zone for the third consecutive game.
Miami Lets Opportunity Slip Away
For nearly 59 minutes, Miami appeared to have the Victory Bell within reach.
The RedHawks led for approximately 58½ minutes and repeatedly had opportunities to put the game away.
But Cincinnati’s defense made the critical plays when it mattered most.
Martin credited his team for an excellent first half but acknowledged that the RedHawks failed to finish.
“Incredible game,” Martin said. “Credit to Cincinnati. We talked the last 48 hours about what it was going to take to win. We didn’t make the last play and Cincinnati did. A couple years ago we made the last play.”
Martin pointed to missed opportunities across all three phases after halftime.
“First half was awesome. We did not execute in the second half. We had so many chances to end that thing in all three phases.”
Another Chapter in a Historic Rivalry
Saturday’s game added another unforgettable chapter to one of college football’s oldest rivalries.
It was the 129th meeting between Cincinnati and Miami, a series that ranks as the oldest nonconference rivalry in the nation and the fifth-most played rivalry in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Cincinnati has now won 18 of the last 19 meetings.
The two programs are not scheduled to meet again in the immediate future, making Saturday’s dramatic finish an even more memorable way to close this chapter.
The game was played at the home of FC Cincinnati, giving the rivalry a unique setting while preserving the intensity that has defined the matchup for generations.
Cincinnati Stays Perfect
The Bearcats improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2021, but the victory came with a valuable lesson.
Cincinnati showed it can recover from adversity, stay composed when things go wrong and make the critical play when the game is on the line.
Satterfield said that maturity was evident throughout the comeback.
“It’s a mature team,” he said. “And I think we kind of knew that the way these guys practice each and every day when we’re around them. They just proved it today for everybody to see.”
Miami will try to regroup next Saturday when it hosts UConn.
Cincinnati will turn its attention to its Big 12 schedule, hosting Kansas State next Saturday.
After trailing by three touchdowns at halftime, the Bearcats walked away with the Victory Bell — and perhaps an early-season reminder that this team is capable of winning games in more than one way.
