CINCINNATI — Cincinnati quarterback Brenan Sorsby had a strong first game in the Queen City on Saturday afternoon in the Bearcats’ 38-20 win over Towson. Sorsby threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns while adding two scores on the ground.
The Bearcats of the Big 12 Conference took the ball to start the game and quickly went 75 yards for the opening score. Wide receiver Aaron Turner covered 49 yards on the drive, catching a short pass and sprinting all the way down to the Towson 16-yard line.
Sorsby threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter for 42 and 61 yards respectively. The Bearcats had eight plays for 20-plus yards.
Playing without defensive tackle Dontay Corleone, the Bearcats struggled to stop Towson’s running game. The Tigers, who went 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the Coastal Athletic Association in coach Pete Shinnick’s debut season, rushed for 194 yards on 5.2 yards per carry to keep the game close throughout.
Keegan Vaughan kicked a 33-yard field goal to pull Towson within one score at 28-20 with 10:10 left in the third quarter. However, Cincinnati scored on its first offensive play of the second half, a 64-yard touchdown run by Evan Pryor, to put its lead at 35-20.
In his first game with Towson, UMass transfer and former Mervo quarterback Carlos Davis went 21-for-37 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard scoring strike to Jaceon Doss, who finished with 87 yards on three catches. John Dunmore had two catches for 35 yards and a touchdown while also recovering a fumble on a muffed punt by Cincinnati.
Towson’s Devin Matthews rushed for 70 yards on 17 carries and added 25 receiving yards. On defense, Shafeek Smith led Towson in tackles with nine, while Daniel Raymond forced a fumble and made five tackles.
Cincinnati rushed for 275 yards. After struggling to run the ball in the first half, gaining just 67 yards on the ground, the Bearcats found bigger chunks of yards in the second half.
Special teams were a problem for the Bearcats, primarily in the first half. The Bearcats muffed a punt, had a kickoff go out of bounds, and kicker Carter Brown missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. Michael Musaari, who muffed a punt in the first half, dropped another punt midway through the fourth quarter, but fell on the ball for his own recovery.
The takeaway
Towson: The Tigers held their own against the Bearcats, never falling behind by more than 18 points.
Cincinnati: Sorsby shredded Towson’s secondary, but mistakes on special teams could be a problem moving forward, including next Saturday against Pitt.
Morgan State at Towson
Saturday, 6 p.m.
TV: Monumental Sports Network