LIVE BLOG: Cowboys Host Bearcats for America’s Greatest Homecoming

FINAL: Cincinnati 49, Oklahoma State 17

OSU’s Ninth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 49

Noah Walters is in. Guess that answers that question.

UC’s Eighth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 49

A short field makes for a short drive. Bearcats piling on.

OSU’s Eighth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 42

That’s consecutive turnovers for Sam Jackson. The Bearcats recover his fumble and get the ball at the OSU 13.

OSU’s Seventh Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 42

All the flags. Then the back-breaker.

The Cowboys had picked up a fourth down deep in the redzone but that got called back due to an ineligible man down field, but then Jackson gets a P.I. on the have-to fourth down. So OSU gets first-and-goal from the 8, but then the Pokes pick up and false start penalty.

Then Jackson throws a pick at the goal line. Matthew McDoom spells doom for OSU, returning it the length of the field for a back-breaking score.

UC’s Seventh Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 35

DeSean Brown sacked Brendan Sorsby for just the second time all year to put it at third-and-long, but Sorsby had the last laugh. After being stopped on consecutive drives, Cincy pushed its lead to 35-17 on an 11-play, 95-yard touchdown drive capped by a Sorsby rushing TD. He’s up to four total scores.

OSU’s Sixth Drive: Oklahoma State 17, Cincinnati 28

The Cowboys were rolling but an oopsie did them in. Sam Jackson couldn’t hang onto a high snap and has to dive on it. A third-and-1 at midfield turns into a fourth-and-13.

UC’s Sixth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 28

The Cowboys got a huge stop, and we might have ourselves a football game.

Theon this drive, standing up the runner on third-and-1 at the Cincy 39. But Scott Satterfield went for it and the Bearcats got the first down, but the Cowboys still get the stop.

OSU’s Fifth Drive: Oklahoma State 17, Cincinnati 28

Sure, a casual 30-yard pass to Quinton Stewart. That set up a 20-yard TD run by Rodney Fields Jr.

The Cowboys started with their best field position of the game thanks to that special teams penalty.

UC’s Fifth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 28

The Pokes’ defense starts the second half off with a nice stop.

Parker Robertson had back-to-back big tackles to put UC in third-and-12. Malik Charles bumps Sorsby out of bounds to force Cincy’s first three-and-out. And, the Cowboys get an extra 15 yards due to a kick-catch penalty.

HALFTIME: OKLAHOMA STATE 10, CINCINNATI 28

UC’s Fourth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 28

The Bearcats continue to slice up the Cowboys’ defense. Brendan Sorsby has 207 passing yards and three touchdown passes in the first half alone. Pokes will get it with enough time to take a knee.

OSU’s Fourth Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 21

After getting behind the chains on a holding call, the Cowboys were able to convert on fourth-and-1 the first time. The Cowboys kept churning but Vailahi came up short on fourh-and-1 at the Cincy 6 and come up empty.

UC’s Third Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 21

The Bearcats aren’t slowing down, though.

Sorsby finds Joe Royer for a 27-yard TD pass to cap a six-play, 86-yard drive. Cincy scores fast. The Cowboys’ defense needs to get some breaks or it’s going to be a long night.

OSU’s Third Drive: Oklahoma State 10, Cincinnati 14

Hey look, offense.

Once again, Rodney Fields is the motor. He breaks loose for a 41-yard run down the sideline. Then Sesi Vailahi took over and pushed the Cowboys into the redzone for Sam Jackson V to pick up his first rushing TD of the season.

Important note that Jackson is one dropped pass and one

UC’s Second Drive: Oklahoma State 3, Cincinnati 14

The Bearcats answer with an extended scoring drive. Cincy goes 71 yards in nine plays and caps it with a Cyrus Allen end-around rushing TD.

Cincinnati has 150 total yards just six seconds into the second quarter. That’s not good for the on-pace numbers.

OSU’s Second Drive: Oklahoma State 3, Cincinnati 7

Hello Rodney Fields.

The Cowboys are actually running the ball and they’re doing it against a pretty good rushing defense. By the second drive, the Pokes have already eclipsed their yard total (40) with 54. Sam Hackson had Terrill Davis on third-and-5 for what would have been first down inside the 10 and very possibly could have been a TD.

Pokes settle for points. They’re playing with some of that energy we saw in garbage time against Houston. Sam Jackson looking good captaining the offense. Rodney Fields needs all the touches.

UC’s Opening Drive: Oklahoma State 0, Cincinnati 7

Evon Pryor gets the Bearcats going with consecutive runs of 32 and 10 yards to put them in OSU territory and then Brendan Sorsby pays it off with a 26-yard TD pass to Cyrus Allen.

OSU’s Opening Drive: Oklahoma State 0, Cincinnati 0

The Bearcats win the toss and defer and the Pokes start out with a three-and-out. Sam Jackson went deep to Terrill Davis on the sideline on third-and-7. There was a lot of contact but no flag on the play.

While the play on the field has not been up to par, Oklahoma State knows how to celebrate Homecoming. Let’s just hope those returning alums will leave with something to celebrate.

The Cowboys are in dire straits, coming in 1-5, winless since their 27-7 win over an FCS team. If we check the box for FBS games only, the Cowboys haven’t won a game since September 14, 2024, against Tulsa. They haven’t beaten a P4 opponent since beating Texas A&M in the 2023 Texas Bowl. So, technically, the last time they beat a Power 4 team, it was still called the Power 5.

On the other hand, the Bearcats are 5-1, having won five straight after dropping their season opener to a ranked Nebraska squad. Cincinnati thus far is just balanced. The Bearcats are winning but not doing it too sexy. They land at or near the middle of the conference in most of the major statistical categories (scoring, rushing and passing offense; scoring, rushing and passing defense).

These two teams are on opposite trajectories, but it’s Homecoming and the crowd should be a little more full and a little more lively. So maybe there’s the possibility for some Homecoming magic.

Stick with us here for live updates up to kickoff and if you’re a PFB+ subscriber the convo is already going in The Chamber.

Uni Reveal: Cowboys going all-orange with a fancy new lid.

Brace for the stadium commemoration jokes from down south.

Plaque came in 😍 pic.twitter.com/jMDLIScEmn

— Oklahoma State Athletics (@OSUAthletics) October 18, 2025

Pregame Reading

Game Preview

PFB Picks: It says something when picking a Game MVP is about as accurate as guessing what uniforms they’ll wear.

PFB Podcast: Carson and Colby preview Cincinnati and talk head coaching search and Hoops.

The Reload: Justin Southwell, Nathan Gilsleider and Marshall get into it as well.

QB Preview: The Cowboys will face one of the most efficient and effective QBs in the country in Brendan Sorsby.

What Cincy head coach Scott Satterfield said about the matchup.