Houston vs Cincinnati: Live Score, Highlights for Cougars vs. Bearcats

In the opening plays of the fourth quarter, Cincinnati took a shocking four-point lead over No. 6 Houston.

It was short-lived.

Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. shook off a nagging shoulder injury to lead the Cougars on a pair of scoring drives, and back-to-back late pick-sixes led to a fourth-quarter takeover in what turned into a 40-16 runaway.

In a game where Houston dominated the box score, out-gaining the Bearcats 499-307, mistakes nearly did in the Cougars. Ward tossed two interceptions, and an Isaiah Johnson fumble at the end of the first half when Houston was about to score turned into a Cincinnati field goal to keep things close.

Ward wasn't himself, but he gutted through it.

"I was dealing with a lot of pain, but that really doesn't matter," Ward told ESPN after the game. "I was good enough to play, so I came out here and gave it my all, and the team's behind me, so we came out here and got the win."

It was head coach Tom Herman's team's 16th consecutive win dating back to last season, and a sturdy defensive front and some opportunistic plays on that side of the ball were the difference. The frenetic fourth quarter keeps the Cougars in the thick of the national picture for now.