HOUSTON (AP) — Desmond Ridder passed for 263 yards and three touchdowns and No. 25 Cincinnati held off Houston's late surge to beat the Cougars 38-23 on Saturday.
The Bearcats (5-1, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) used a 21-point first half to pull away early and Perry Young's late 2-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed their fourth straight win.
"Nobody thought this was a trap game," Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said. "This is obviously a very good football team with some guys down and some guys that are redshirting. But they have a lot of talent. You can tell they have a lot of fight.