Cincinnati hands No. 14 Iowa State first loss

Field Level Media|published: Sat 4th October, 16:37 2025

Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman (20) tackles Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) in the first quarter of the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Iowa State Cyclones at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 4, 2025.

Brendan Sorsby's 82-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Goodie with 5:57 to play extended host Cincinnati's lead to 16 points over No. 14 Iowa State, and the Bearcats held on to win the Big 12 Conference game 38-30 on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their first defeat of the season.

Cincinnati raised its record to 4-1 and 2-0, while Iowa State fell to 5-1, 2-1.

The 82-yard TD was the Bearcats' longest play since 2015, and it sealed the team's first win over a ranked team in Scott Satterfield's 29 games as head coach. The play gave Cincinnati a 38-22 lead. Iowa State completed the scoring on a 3-yard pass from Rocco Becht to Chase Sowell with 1:56 left.

Becht finished 30 of 48 for 314 yards and two touchdowns, and Sorsby went 13 of 25 for 214 yards and two TDs for Cincinnati, while teammate Evan Pryor rushed for a team-high 111 yards on 10 tries.

After scoring 31 points in the first half, in which the team's lead was as large as 31-7, the Bearcats' defense took over in the second half when the offense stalled.

Before Sorsby's 82-yard touchdown pass, the Bearcats' defense stopped the Cyclones on fourth-and-1 from their 16-yard line with 7:40 remaining in the game. It was one of three fourth-down stops for the Bearcats in the game.

Offensively, the Bearcats rushed for 260 yards and had 474 total yards. Sorsby added nine rushes for 64 yards and touchdown.

The Cyclones also had over 400 yards of offense (470), with quarterback Becht adding two touchdowns on the ground.

In the second half, both sidelines and head coaches were visibly upset and charged the field as penalties piled up. Cincinnati wound up with 128 yards in penalties and Iowa State 60.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the third quarter, while Cincinnati's bench received a sideline warning in the first half.

On a Bearcats drive in the fourth quarter, three Bearcats plays that went for first downs and at least 19 yards, in a span of five plays, were called back due to offensive penalties. To cap it off, the Bearcats were called for illegal formation on a punt attempt.

--Field Level Media