CINCINNATI — UC wasn't even the American Athletic Conference leader in sacks before Saturday. With one big night against Tulsa, the Bearcats begin this week at the top of the national chart.
Cincinnati tied a conference record with 11 sacks against the Golden Hurricane, matching the most in a Bowl Subdivision game in three seasons.
Jabari Taylor had a team-high 2.5 sacks and 10 players were credited with at least a half-sack. The Bearcats finished with 15 tackles for loss.
Tulsa came into the game ranked fourth nationally in passing yards at 358.5. While Davis Brin threw for 237 yards in his return to action, Cincinnati intercepted him twice. The win was UC's 17th straight win over an AAC team, dating to 2019.
Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., a Colerain grad, came in as the nation's leader in tackles for loss with 11. He added 2.5 more as part of his 10 tackles. Pace earned national player of the week honors in Week 4 of the college football season by the Chuck Bednarik Award. The Bednarik Award is given to the nation’s top defensive player.
The last team with 11 sacks was Buffalo, which did it against Akron last season. No has had more since Miami (Ohio) had 12 against Akron in 2019.
The Bearcats’ season total of 23 sacks leads the nation, and their 92 since 2020 rank fifth, according to Sportradar.
Cincinnati hosts South Florida (1-4) at Nippert Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8.
