West Virginia survives against Bearcats
CINCINNATI (AP) – Avon Cobourne ran for 193 yards and two touchdowns, and West Virginia barely held on for a 35-32 victory over Cincinnati. Gino Guidugli led another late comeback by Cincinnati (1-1), which scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie. Jonathan Ruffin’s 49-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright as time ran out.
Rasheed Marshall added two rushing touchdowns and one passing for West Virginia (2-1) had little problem with a Cincinnati defense that will try to stop No. 6 Ohio State next week. The Mountaineers rushed for 334 yards, had 27 first downs and didn’t have to punt until the fourth quarter.
Cobourne had the second-highest rushing total of his career and the 20th 100-yard game of his career. The senior trails only Amos Zereoue on the Mountaineers’ career rushing list.
Marshall deftly mixed short passes and option runs against the flat-footed Bearcats.
The sophomore was 16-of-24 for 189 yards and ran 12 times for 44 yards.
Cincinnati’s defense lost its composure early. End Antwan Peek – the Bearcats’ best defensive player – got a 15-yard penalty for taunting Marshall after a play was over.
Coach Rick Minter called Peek to the sideline, grabbed his jersey, screamed at him and benched him for only two plays.
Next week, the Bearcats will try to stop Ohio State’s Maurice Clarett, who ran for 230 yards and two touchdowns in a 25-7 win over Washington State.
Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger had a lot of time to throw last Saturday during the Badgers’ 34-17 win, so the Mountaineers changed strategies and frequently blitzed Guidugli.
The sophomore quarterback known for fourth-quarter comebacks came up short on this one. He hobbled off the field with a bruised right knee in the third quarter, then walked around on the sideline as Marshall’s 1-yard touchdown run put West Virginia up 35-17.
Guidugli returned and led two touchdown drives. His 8-yard pass to Tye Keith and his keeper for the two-point conversion cut it to 35-32 with 5:39 left.
Guidugli completed four passes that put the Bearcats in field goal range with 1 second left, but Ruffin’s kick hit high off the left upright and bounced back at him.
Neither defense could get a toehold until late in the first half, which featured five lead changes.
West Virginia finally took control with a pair of nice plays by Marshall. His 36-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to Miquelle Henderson put the Mountaineers ahead to stay, 21-17.
Following a fumble recovery, Marshall ran 9 yards for another touchdown that increased the lead to 28-17 at halftime.
The Mountaineers had lost seven straight road games since they beat Rutgers on Nov. 4, 2000. They’ve played Cincinnati 12 times since 1921 and never lost, going 11-0 with a tie.