Cincinnati Blanks Navy To Improve to 8-1

CINCINNATI -- Desmond Ridder led three touchdown drives before hurting his right leg, and the Cincinnati Bearcats overpowered Navy's option-based offense while pulling away to a 42-0 victory on Saturday.

The Bearcats (8-1, 4-1 American Athletic) controlled the game with the conference's stingiest defense, limiting Navy to 57 first-half yards despite a quarterback change . The Midshipmen (2-7, 1-4) dropped their sixth straight and were blanked for the first time since 2012.

Ridder ran for a touchdown and handed off to Michael Warren II for two more before twisting his right leg while getting tackled late in the first half. He limped off, and Hayden Moore took over and threw an 11-yard…