Notre Dame’s home winning streak is no more.
No. 7 Cincinnati went into Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday and controlled the game from the second quarter on in a 24-13 victory over the No. 9 Fighting Irish. Notre Dame had not lost at home in 26 tries dating back to Sept. 9, 2017 against Georgia.
There were plenty of Bearcats fans in enemy territory to see their team beat a ranked Power 5 opponent for the first time since Brian Kelly’s last season at Cincinnati in 2009. The southeast corner of Notre Dame Stadium was a sea of red chanting “Let’s go Bearcats!” throughout the cloudy afternoon.
Cincinnati senior quarterback Desmond Ridder completed 19-of-32 pass attempts for 297 yards and two touchdowns. He added a rushing score that put the Bearcats ahead 24-13 with 5:08 left.
Notre Dame limited Cincinnati to 89 rushing yards, but the Irish only had 84 to show for themselves as the offensive line continued to struggle. Junior running back Kyren Williams ran for a gain of 16 on his first carry of the game but finished with 13 attempts for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Pyne replaced graduate senior Jack Coan in the second half. Coan went 14-of-22 for 114 yards and an interception. Freshman quarterback Tyler Buchner also threw a second-quarter interception that led to Cincinnati’s first touchdown of the game.
Notre Dame turned the ball over three times in the first half; Coan and Buchner’s fumbles and a fumbled kickoff return attempt from sophomore running back Chris Tyree, who was last week’s hero in the win over Wisconsin. His 98-yard kickoff return touchdown set the Irish’s come back in motion.
There was no such magic for Notre Dame on Saturday. Pyne pulled Notre Dame to within 17-13 with 8:20 left, but Ridder’s rushing score a few minutes later put the game out of reach. Pyne finished 9-of-22 for 143 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 32-yard toss to senior wide receiver Braden Lenzy.
Notre Dame was out-gained for the third consecutive game. Cincinnati finished the day with 386 total yards. Notre Dame had 341.
First quarter
Both teams were held scoreless.
Second quarter
Cincinnati 7, Notre Dame 0 (12:09)
• Scoring play: 1-yard touchdown pass from Desmond Ridder to Leonard Taylor
• Drive: Three plays, eight yards, 1:12
Cincinnati 10, Notre Dame 0 (10:32)
• Scoring play: 23-yard field goal by Cole Smith
• Drive: Five plays, 12 yards, 1:32
Second quarter
Cincinnati 17, Notre Dame 0 (11:58)
• Scoring play: Ridder 27-yard pass to Tre Tucker.
• Drive: five plays, 80 yards, 1:08
Third quarter
Cincinnati 17, Notre Dame 7 (1:19)
• Scoring play: Kyren Williams three-yard rush
• Drive: Four plays, 38 yards, 2:01
Fourth quarter
Cincinnati 17, Notre Dame 13 (8:20)
• Scoring play: Braden Lenzy 32-yard pass from Drew Pyne
• Drive: Eight plays, 80 yards, 3:08
Cincinnati 24, Notre Dame 13
• Scoring play: Ridder 6-yard run
• Drive: six plays, 75 yards, 3:12
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