Ridder, Bearcats prove they belong
Cincinnati goes to South Bend and captures top-10 matchup
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The last pass of the day by Desmond Ridder was a celebratory heave way up into stands toward the Cincinnati fans who came to Notre Dame to see their Bearcats make a statement.
Cincinnati wanted to use the first top-10, regular-season matchup in program history as a chance to show it belongs among the nation’s best before heading into its American Athletic Conference schedule.
Mission accomplished.
Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for score late in the fourth quarter as No. 7 Cincinnati capitalized on its big opportunity and beat No. 9 Notre Dame 24-13 on Saturday in a game the Bearcats hope can be the centerpiece of a College Football Playoff resume.
“We didn’t just beat a top-10 team, we beat a top-five program,” Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said.
No team from outside the Power Five conferences has reached the playoff in its seven seasons. Never even came close.
To break that barrier, the Bearcats almost certainly need to go undefeated and this trip to Notre Dame (4-1) looked like the toughest test on their schedule. Not to mention the biggest stage they’ll appear on this season.
“It’s still midseason so we got a lot of games left to play, but it obviously is a big win
against a top-10 team,” Ridder said. “Hopefully, we keep this going.”
The Bearcats were not quite dominant, but they were plenty good enough in their first trip to South Bend since 1900 to snap Notre Dame’s 26-game home winning streak.
“I don’t think we let the stage get too big for us,” Ridder said.
When told by coaches how loud the crowd can be at Notre Stadium this week, Ridder quipped that it wouldn’t be for long.
The senior delivered, going 19 for 32 for 297 yards. He hooked up with Alec Pierce six times for 144 yards, and was at his best after Notre Dame cut the lead to 17-13 with 8:20 left in the fourth quarter.
Ridder went 3 for 3, with a bullet down the middle for 36 yards to Leonard Taylor, on the ensuing drive. He capped it off with a 6-yard TD run around left end that made it 24-13 with 5:08 left.
“That’s the Desmond Ridder factor,” Fickell said.
After the postgame celebration died down, Ridder belted out a “How ’bout them Bearcats!” when he entered the interview room and talked about how it “sounded like a home game.”
It looked like one at the end, too. The Bearcats ran across the field, waving their big black and red flags and Lambeau-leaped over the wall behind the corner of the end zone to take selfies with their fans.