Cincinnati just walked into Week 8 and absolutely dismantled No. 8 Texas Tech, ending their undefeated season with a 37-24 upset. This wasn’t just any loss for the Red Raiders, either. This is their first regular-season loss in over a year, dating all the way back to October 18, 2025, when they fell to Arizona State. Ouch.
The Bearcats Came to Play, and Play Hard
Cincy didn’t just win, they flipped the script late in the first half and never looked back. They grabbed a 17-6 lead with 1:37 left before halftime, but then things got WILD. Texas Tech QB Will Hammond threw a pick to MJ Cannon with just 37 seconds on the clock. You’d think Cincinnati would just chill and take the 11-point lead into the locker room, right? WRONG. Cole Tabb exploded for a 51-yard run on the very next play, instantly putting the Bearcats in field goal range. Four plays later, JC French IV found tight end Lyviel Waters for his third TD of the half with four seconds remaining. That’s a gut punch if there ever was one. And if that wasn’t enough, Tabb sealed the deal in the second half with another monster run, a 58-yard touchdown after Tech had cut the lead to 13 with a field goal. This is a huge statement win for Cincy, their first against a top-10 AP team since that 2021 College Football Playoff squad beat then-No. 9 Notre Dame.
What’s Really Going On With Texas Tech?
This game felt massive, especially with the Brendan Sorsby transfer drama swirling. Sorsby, who had a breakout 2025 season at Cincinnati, moved to Texas Tech but then left the Red Raiders before the 2026 season even started because of revelations about his sports betting. His departure, combined with previous QB Behren Morton’s struggles in the College Football Playoff, put a lot of pressure on Will Hammond. Hammond actually tore his ACL last season filling in for an injured Morton while Tech was winning the Big 12. But let’s be real, a different quarterback probably wouldn’t have fixed the underlying issues on this Texas Tech roster.
The real story here might be the defense. Last year’s Red Raider team was absolutely STOUT, giving up fewer than 12 points per game. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was a turnover machine and finished fifth in Heisman voting. Edge rusher David Bailey was a beast with 14.5 sacks, good enough to be the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Romello Height added 10 sacks of his own. Both those guys are in the NFL now. While Texas Tech started 2026 with a 6-0 record and was still forcing turnovers at a similar rate, the cracks were showing. Opponents averaged just 3.9 yards per play against them in 2025. This season, through seven weeks, that number had ballooned to 5.1. That’s a massive difference, and it finally caught up to them. This isn’t the same Red Raider defense, and Cincy proved it in a big way.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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