Entering Nippert Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Houston was not expected to defeat Cincinnati, who entered the game as the No. 6 team in the entire country in both college polls, but it did not make the final result any less disappointing.
The Cougars (2-3, 2-2 American Athletic Conference) fell behind early in the first quarter after another opening drive for Houston ended in a punt. A 72-yard run by senior running back Gerrid Doaks and a couple of plays later and Cincinnati (6-0, 4-0) was up a touchdown, and the Bearcats never looked back.
“We’re clearly not anywhere close to where we need to be as a football team and as a program to be able to compete in this league,” UH head coach Dana Holgorsen told reporters via Zoom after the game.