SOUTH BEND INDIA Cincinnati arrived at Notre Dame with a record of 3-0 and a No. 7, having won 35 of its 41 previous games dating back to the 2018 season. Many outsiders viewed the Bearcats to be a contender for the College Football Playoff.
Coach Luke Fickell felt his team had one step left to go. Cincinnati had to beat one in order to be considered a top-10 team. Notre Dame had a record of 47-8 since 2017, with two CFP appearances, and a 26-game winning streak at home.
Cincinnati was left on the field with no doubts about its status after defeating Notre Dame 24-13 in front of a crowd that included a vocal group Bearcats fan, who quarterback Desmond Ridder described as making it sound "like a game at home."
The Bearcats were the first group of 5 to win on the road against an AP Top-10 opponent in the CFP era.
Fickell stated that while we've been quite successful over the past few years, we haven't beat a top-10 or top-five program. It's a huge step for us to be able to achieve that feat today on the road. We'll have to manage some additional things, and maybe some notoriety for some things our children will be able handle. They've handled everything so far and they did a great job. I expect nothing less.
Fickell was speaking about increased talk about Cincinnati's playoff profile. He said that it was for "the media to go ahead with the ball rolling." However, Cincinnati didn't shy away from acknowledging the importance of consecutive road matches against top-20 preseason opponents in Indiana or Notre Dame.
Cincinnati defeated Notre Dame 24-13 to become the first Group 5 team to win against an AP Top-10 opponent on the road in the CFP era. Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Cincinnati rallied to defeat Indiana 38-24. Cincinnati led Notre Dame by 10 points for the majority of the game.
Malik Vann, defensive end, stated that "We are definitely getting the respect now," especially after winning on the road. "I don’t think there’s too much people can criticize or say about us."
Cincinnati will be heading to the Big 12 over the next few years, but Cincinnati remains part of Group of 5, which has never produced any playoff teams. The 2020 regular season saw the Bearcats go undefeated, but they missed the playoff by losing to Georgia in the Peach Bowl. They led for most of the second period before falling in the final seconds.
Ridder stated, "We're going out and play our games every Saturday and Friday. We're going to put our best foot forward. "If we do that, and go undefeated, and play 12 or 11, whatever it may be, as best as we can, and they still haven't put us in the playoffs, that's not their call. We do not have the right to play in the playoffs.
"We're going to just go and play our games the best we can. Hopefully by the end the year, they see that [and] give us a chance."
To spark an offense that was slow to start, Vann and the Cincinnati defense caused three first-half turnovers. The offense didn't have any drives longer than 18 yards until the second quarter. Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was facing Cincinnati. The team had eight pass breakups as well as seven tackles to loss and four quarterback hurries.
Vann stated, "[We] proved that we are still the same defense regardless of whether [Freeman] is] calling the shots." "We wanted to show the nation that our defense can play alongside anybody and our team can play against anybody. That's what we did today."
Ridder failed to complete five of the first twelve pass attempts, but he improved and finished with 297 yards passing and two touchdowns. After leading an 80-yard scoring drive just before halftime, and continued to lead productive drives through the third quarter. However, Notre Dame was held at bay by two missed field goals as well as a Ridder fumble.
Cincinnati trailed 17-13 at halftime. Ridder responded by a 6-play, 75-yard drive. He capped it with a six yard touchdown run.
Fickell stated that it's the Desmond Ridder Factor. It just is what it's, and it never ceases amaze me. We lost our momentum and [missed] field goal didn't help. This is part of playing on the roads, so we had to find a way back.
Ridder found Alec Pierce, top wide receiver six times, for 144 yards. Tight end Leonard Taylor had 70 receiving yard and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Ridder excelled with deep ball. He completed 6 of 9 passes of at least 15 yards for 201 yards and a touchdown.
Fickell stated that Ridder could do "nothing he cannot do".
Ridder acknowledged the pressure Cincinnati felt with the Indiana and Notre Dame trip and stated that the victories were a "weight lifted off everybody's shoulders."
Ridder stated, "It's an important win for us. It's also a major win for our city, our community, and our community of Cincinnati."
