Cincinnati Football: Zach Collaros, Bearcats Defeat Miami RedHawks 27-0

After two turnovers in the red zone to begin the game, the Cincinnati Bearcats' prolific offense finally put six on the scoreboard late in the second quarter.

Even though the extra point was missed, it proved to be all they'd need in this year's Battle for the Victory Bell.

Butch Jones' heavily-favored Bearcats allowed opposing quarterback Zac Dysert to pass for 252 yards, but held Miami of Ohio to minus-three yards on the ground (on 38 rushes) and 3-of-17 on third down (17.6 percent) en route to a 27-0 blowout win.

"In 24-plus years of coaching, I don’t think I’ve had more stuff go the wrong way in one half of football. We had a great week of practice; our players were ready to play," said coach Butch Jones during the post-game press conference.

"They might have been a little too hyped to play this week. But players stepped up and made plays in the second half to lead this team to a victory, and that speaks volumes to our football team and the stability and leadership to persevere in the second half. We are proud of the character of our football team."

Cincinnati (4-1, 0-0 Big East) found success moving the ball early against a Miami RedHawk squad that ranked 38th nationally in total defense.

However, the RedHawks forced senior quarterback Zach Collaros to two quick turnovers inside Miami's 20 yard-line—an interception and a fumble—and didn't allow a score until 6:08 remained in the second quarter, when Collaros hooked up with tight end Travis Kelce for a 30-yard touchdown strike.

The Bearcats didn't look back from there.

Miami (0-4, 0-1 MAC) got off to a hot start in the second half when Dysert connected with Nick Harwell for 66 yards all the way to Cincy's 2-yard-line, but the Bearcats' brick wall of a defensive line was having nothing of it.

The RedHawks were stuffed on two straight rushes before a 15-yard offensive pass interference penalty brought Miami of Ohio back to the 17-yard line. Following yet another failed third down conversion, Mason Krysinski missed a 34-yard field goal that would have cut the lead in half.

That was the closest Miami would get to scoring.

Cincinnati put an exclamation point on the sixth-straight win over its cross-town rival, finding the end zone three more times via two Isaiah Pead touchdowns and a J.K. Schaffer defensive score. The final score read 27-0 in favor of the 'Cats.

"I’m sure many of you who watched the game would agree that the score does not indicate how well we played at times," said RedHawks coach Don Treadwell. "At some point, our team will collectively put two halves together, like the first half we played."

The last time MU was shut out in this series was a 17-0 loss on September 26, 1976.

Zach Collaros finished 16-of-30 (53.3 percent) for 251 yards and a touchdown while rushing for a team-high 88 yards. Pead added 49 yards to the Big East's second-best individual rushing total and accounted for two TDs.

This was the 116th renewal of the Battle for the Victory Bell, dating back to 1888. The RedHawks still lead the series 59-50-7.

Cincinnati will embark on the quest for its third conference title in the last four years on October 15 against Louisville, while Don Treadwell's Miami RedHawks look to erase the goose egg from the win column next week against Army.