BYU Cougars at Cincinnati Bearcats

LJ Martin runs for career-high 222 yards to help No. 11 BYU beat Cincinnati 26-14

After Brendan Sorsby’s 19-yard TD pass to Jeff Caldwell cut the Cougars’ lead to six points with 4:37 left, Martin had a 33-yard touchdown run to seal it for BYU (10-1, 7-1).

“I was really proud of LJ and the entire offense,” Cougars coach Kalani Sitake said. “Really fortunate we got the win here. We were able to posses the ball and get some first downs. That's our kind of style.”

The 222 rushing yards are eighth-most in school history. It's the 18th time a BYU running back has run for more than 200 yards, first since Tyler Allgeier ran for 266 against Virginia in 2021.

“It was real fun to touch the ball that many times,” Martin said. “(Offensive line) did a great job pushing up front, getting wide open creases. They made it super easy.”

Sorsby passed for 300 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Cincinnati (7-4, 5-3). The Bearcats have lost three straight.

Bear Bachmeier's 6-yard touchdown run put the Cougars ahead 7-0 in the first quarter. He has 11 rushing TDs to tie with Ronney Jenkins for second-most by a freshman in program history.

Cincinnati's Manny Covey returned a punt 57 yards to the BYU 33. Two plays later, Sorsby tossed a 27-yard TD pass to Cyrus Allen to tie the score it at 7. Allen has 11 touchdown receptions to lead the Big 12.

Bearcats kicker Stephen Rusnak who was 12 of 13 on field-goal attempts, missed from 42 and 40 yards in the first half. He missed again from 48 in the third quarter.

“I hurt for Stephen,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said. “He missed one field goal the first 10 games and he missed three tonight. If we got nine more points it’s different in the fourth quarter.”

Sorsby, who went seven straight games without an interception, threw his fourth pick in three games early in the third quarter.

The Cougars took advantage of the turnover with an 11-play 66-yard scoring drive. Martin's 1-yard TD run made the score 17-7. Martin rushed for 100 yards for the sixth time this season.

“It was a fun night, being able to run the ball,” center Bruce Mitchell said. “LJ was finding the creases even when they were small.”

An offsides penalty on the Bearcats on a punt extended BYU's drive leading to a 32-yard field goal by Will Ferrin that made it 20-7 with 14 minutes remaining.

“We knew what was at stake coming into this game," Sorsby said. “We knew the opportunity that we had and we just didn’t take advantage of it. There’s really nobody to blame but ourselves for this one.”

Ground game BYU held the Bearcats to 87 rushing yards, their fewest since Dec. 17, 2022 against Louisville. Cincinnati came in averaging 194 yards on the ground.

“The entire D line did a great job,” Sitake said. “Our guys are peaking at the right time.”

Style points BYU's players say they're not concerned about impressing the College Football Playoff committee. BYU was 11th in the most recent rankings.

“Kilane always says 'If we win, we'll be in',” Martin said. “The most important thing is winning. We need to win very game and we'll be in.”

Takeaways BYU: The Cougars could have clinched a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday night, but Arizona State's 42-17 win at Colorado postponed the celebration.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats are having another late-season slide. They needed one win to become bowl eligible last year but lost their final five games to finish 5-7.

Up next BYU: Hosts UCF on Saturday.

Cincinnati: Plays at TCU on Saturday.