University of Louisville
CINCINNATI
Louisville Football Comes Back To Beat Cincinnati, 38-24
October 14, 2000 | Football
Oct. 14, 2000
Box Score?|? Quotes?|? Notes | Coach Smith Post-Game Audio
By CHRIS DUNCAN
Associated Press Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Tony Stallings rushed for 122 yards and caught two touchdown passes from Dave Ragone to lead Louisville to a 38-24 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday.
Ragone finished 25-of-31 for 326 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Cardinals beat the Bearcats for the third straight season.
The Cardinals (5-1, 2-0 Conference USA) trailed 24-14 at halftime but shut down Cincinnati's offense in the second half to earn their third straight victory.
Deontey Kenner started at quarterback for Cincinnati after missing the last two games with a torn abdominal muscle. He left the game at halftime after reaggravating the injury and was replaced by sophomore Adam Hoover.
The Bearcats (3-4, 2-2) never threatened to score in the second half, mustering only six first downs and 81 total yards.
Ragone found Deion Branch for a 69-yard pass midway through the third quarter to trigger the Cardinals' comeback. Ragone ran a bootleg into the end zone on the following play to cut Cincinnati's lead to 24-21.
A 37-yard pass from Ragone to Branch set up a 25-yard field goal by Wade Tydlacka that tied it at 24 with 9:55 left in the game.
Branch finished with eight catches for a career-high 194 yards.
Stallings rushed for 18 yards and scored on an 11-yard screen pass from Ragone with 4:54 left to give the Cardinals the lead for good.
The Bearcats crossed midfield a minute later but an offensive pass interference call on Jason Collins-Baker pushed the ball back to the Cincinnati 26.
Louisville linebacker Rashad Harris returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown in the final minute.
Louisville opened the scoring when Ragone hit Branch down the sideline for a 45-yard touchdown pass just 2:35 into the game. The Cardinals would've led by two touchdowns just two minutes later but Arnold Jackson's 66-yard punt return for a score was nullified by an illegal block.
Ragone fumbled at Louisville's 35 and linebacker Lewis Carter recovered with 8:45 left in the first quarter. Kenner found Collins-Baker for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 6:18 remaining.
Ragone went 5-for-5 on Louisville's next drive. The final completion was a 21-yard touchdown pass to Stallings with 1:41 left in the quarter.
McCleskey's 22-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first quarter tied the game again and linebacker Troy Evans intercepted a Ragone pass early in the second quarter to give the Bearcats a first-and-goal at the Louisville 8.
Jonathon Ruffin, the nation's leading field-goal kicker, made a 22-yarder with 11:45 left in the first half to give Cincinnati its first lead. The kick was Ruffin's 17th field goal of the season, which tied a school record.
DeJuan Gossett picked off Ragone's pass at the goal line later in the quarter and nine plays later, Kenner sneaked into the end zone to give Cincinnati its 10-point halftime lead.
