Western Carolina had crept to within 14-10 early in the second quarter, and for a moment the first "Nipp at Night" game looked like a contest. Then the Cincinnati Bearcats ran off 48 points in a row and swatted the Catamounts, 62-10, on Sept. 12.
The night setting suited the home side in more ways than one. By nature, bearcats are nocturnal animals. Cincinnati's offense woke up fully after a restrained opener against Boston College, in which the Bearcats threw just 14 passes. Against Western Carolina, JC French IV came out throwing from the first series, going 5-for-6 through the air on the opening drive. He finished 21-for-24 for 245 yards with two touchdown passes. His completion rate was 88 percent and his quarterback rating 200.8, both career highs. By the second quarter he was 9-for-10, completing passes to nine different receivers, including a 2-yard touchdown to Winton Woods tight end Lyviel Waters, his first score as a Bearcat.
French gave way to backup Liam O'Brien late in the third quarter. O'Brien went 5-for-5 for 18 yards and added an 11-yard rushing touchdown. Samaj Jones also took snaps late. The quarterback rotation capped a night in which Cincinnati piled up 690 yards of total offense, the first time they had surpassed 600 since last year's blowout of Northwestern State and the comeback road win at Kansas that followed.
Gi'Bran Payne led the rushing attack for a second straight week with 102 yards and two touchdowns. His first score, a 40-yard cutback run toward the student section end zone in the third quarter, was his first as a Bearcat, his longest career run, and his first touchdown since Nov. 25, 2023, when he scored for Notre Dame in a 56-23 win over Stanford. He added a 17-yard run into the same end zone before the quarter was out, giving him back-to-back 100-yard games. No UC back had done that since Corey Kiner closed the 2024 season with consecutive triple-digit efforts against Iowa State and TCU. It was Payne's first multi-touchdown game in college, and his first since scoring three for La Salle in a 48-27 win over Louisville Trinity.
He was not alone in the end zone. Cole Tabb and Zion Johnson both scored in the first half, and Zylan Perry rambled 40 yards late in the third quarter. Reserves Jayzon Thompson and James Lewis also got carries, and the two backup quarterbacks added scoring runs. All four of UC's top running backs found the end zone.
The defense took longer to settle. Western Carolina took the opening kickoff and went 60 yards in a little over six minutes, settling for a field goal. Later in the second quarter, an 11-play, 75-yard drive pulled the Catamounts within 14-10. They had 176 yards of total offense at the half. They would not score again. Cincinnati outgained them 690-241, and Marquavious Saboor added an interception, the defense's second of the season. That matches the total the unit managed across all of 2025.
The win moves Cincinnati to 2-0 for the first time since Scott Satterfield's inaugural season in 2023, and before that, the year they advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2021. They are now 21-0 against FCS opponents since 2000, and 2-0 all-time against Western Carolina, whom they last played in 2005. The Catamounts drop to 1-2 and remain winless in 65 games against FBS opponents. They were paid a $475,000 guarantee for the trip.
The night had its ceremonial touches. NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, who had recently visited with UC's offensive line, led the Bearcats out of the tunnel wearing a black shirt and a bright red hat. Former Bearcats nose tackle Terrill Byrd, who played at UC from 2005 to 2008 and starred at Colerain High School, was the alumni of the game.
Cincinnati stays in town next week for the "Battle for the Victory Bell" against Miami RedHawks, a neutral-site game on Sept. 19 at 3:30 p.m. at TQL Stadium, the home of FC Cincinnati. The game was originally scheduled at the Bengals' Paycor Stadium but was moved to the 26,000-seat venue, and it will be the first American football game played there. The teams last met at Yager Stadium in Oxford in 2024, a 27-16 Bearcats win in front of 24,717. UC leads the overall series 61-60-7.
According to Yahoo Sports.