Recap, analysis: Cincinnati beats Arizona State 24-14 in Big 12 football game
The Arizona State Sun Devils made too many mistakes on Saturday.
After playing mostly clean football during a surprising 5-1 start to the season, the Sun Devils turned the ball over three times (one fumble, two turnovers on downs), missed two field goals and tackled poorly in a 24-14 road loss to Cincinnati.
Cincinnati led 24-7 at halftime and outgained the Sun Devils 274-138 in the first half. Arizona State had a chance to cut the deficit to seven with 5:58 left in the game, but Ian Hershey badly missed a 48-yard field goal.
The Sun Devils entered the game as 4.5-point underdogs and had to deal with a 9 a.m. MST kickoff.
Read our complete game recap below, with big-play highlights, analysis and every scoring play:
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FINAL STATS
Quarterback Jeff Sims struggled in his first start for Arizona State. The fifth-year senior, starting in place of injured starter Sam Leavitt, was 12-of-23 for 155 yards. He missed several easy throws and did not make an impact with his legs. He rushed 14 times for 53 yards, but stepped out of bounds short of the first-down marker on a key third-down run in the second half.
ASU running back Cam Skattebo had 17 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and ran over a Cincinnati linebacker at the goal line. But his first-half fumble proved costly, as the Bearcats converted it into a touchdown.
ASU wide receiver Jordyn Tyson continued his stellar play with six catches for 108 yards.
FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES
FINAL SCORE: Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 14
Arizona State falls to 5-2 and 2-2 in the Big 12.
ARIZONA STATE MISSED FG: Ian Hershey completely shanks another field goal, this one from 41 yards with 27 seconds left. Cincinnati takes over and kneels out the clock.
ARIZONA STATE MISSED FG: Ian Hershey shanks a 48-yard field goal that would have pulled the Sun Devils within a touchdown. It's still Cincinnati 24, ASU 14 with 5:58 left in the game.
CINCINNATI TURNOVER!: The Sun Devils stuff the Bearcats on 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line and take over on downs with 9:10 left in the game. A touchdown there would have effectively sealed the game for Cincinnati. It's still Cincinnati 24, ASU 14.
THIRD QUARTER UPDATES
END OF 3RD QUARTER: Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 14
ARIZONA STATE TOUCHDOWN! The Sun Devils finally find the end zone again on a ridiculous one-yard run by Cam Skattebo. He somehow evaded two defenders behind the line of scrimmage, then ran over another one at the goal line before scoring. It's now Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 14 with 2:23 left in the third quarter.
Cam Skattebo into the end zone through traffic and with authority ⚠️#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/TiVfmUtaJm
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 19, 2024
Arizona State will start with the ball to begin the second half, trailing 24-7. We'll see if Jeff Sims can get this ASU offense going.
HALFTIME STATS
Cincinnati outgained Arizona State 274-138 in the first half and forced three turnovers (one fumble and two turnovers on downs).
Quarterback Jeff Sims has struggled in his first start for Arizona State. After an impressive opening drive, the Sun Devils next six drives went like this: fumble, turnover on downs, punt, punt, turnover on downs, punt. Sims is 5-of-9 for 56 yards, but he has only rushed 7 times for 19 yards.
Cam Skattebo has been held in check by Cincinnati's defense. He has 8 carries for 25 yards and a touchdown and 2 receptions for 13 yards.
SECOND QUARTER UPDATES
HALFTIME SCORE: Cincinnati 24, Arizona State 7
CINCINNATI MISSED FG: Nathan Hawks misses a 42-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the half. The Sun Devils are fortunate to only be down by 17.
CINCINNATI TOUCHDOWN: Brendan Sorsby scores his second touchdown of the game, this one on a one-yard run to give Cincinnati a 24-7 lead with 1:55 left in the first half. The Bearcats have now scored 24 unanswered points. Sorsby is 13-of-17 for 128 yards and the Bearcats have rushed for 117 yards. Arizona State's defense already looks fatigued and is missing tackles.
ARIZONA STATE TURNOVER: The Sun Devils go for it again on 4th-and-short and Cincinnati stuffs them again. Cam Skattebo is hit behind the line on 4th-and-1 on a read option. That's a play where Sam Leavitt would have pulled the ball and used his short burst to pick up the first down. The Bearcats take over at midfield with 4:42 left in the first half, leading 17-7.
CINCINNATI TOUCHDOWN: The Sun Devils give up a rare explosive play as Cincinnati RB Evan Pryor busts loose for a 55-yard touchdown run to give Cincinnati a 17-7 lead with 11:38 left in the first half. After a fast start, the Sun Devils are stuck in neutral.
Evan Pryor takes it 55 yards to the house! #Big12FB | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/ZnxzTNY10o
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 19, 2024
FIRST QUARTER UPDATES
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Cincinnati 10, Arizona State 7
CINCINNATI FIELD GOAL: Nathan Hawks boots a 46-yard field goal to give Cincinnati a 10-7 lead with 2:18 left in the first quarter.
ASU TURNOVER: Kenny Dillingham gambles and goes for it on 4th-and-3 from ASU's 48-yard line and Cam Skattebo is stuffed for a seven-yard loss on a swing pass. Cincinnati takes over on the ASU 41-yard line. It's still Arizona State 7, Cincinnati 7.
CINCINNATI TOUCHDOWN: Just two plays after Cam Skattebo's fumble, Brendan Sorsby scores on a 14-yard run to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:26 left in the first quarter.
ASU FUMBLE: Cam Skattebo fumbles on the first play after the interception and Cincinnati recovers. The Bearcats have the ball at ASU's 22-yard line.
ARIZONA STATE INTERCEPTION! Keith Abney picks off Brendan Sorsby on Cincinnati's second possession. Sorsby tried to hit a go route down the right sideline on 3rd-and-long and Abney had perfect position. ASU takes over on its own 16-yard line, leading 7-0.
Keith Abney interception b2b weeks !!! #bestincollege pic.twitter.com/6CZLMfcQLe
— 1 (@AbneyActivist) October 19, 2024
“Skattebo skip to my lou on that one!” @camskattebo5 walks this one in and adds to the board first for the Sun Devils 👏#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/gBd3wFsSPM
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 19, 2024
Arizona State wins the toss and defers to the second half. Cincinnati will start with the ball. Official kickoff time was 9:02 a.m. MST.
PREGAME UPDATES
The temperature at kickoff will be hovering around 62 degrees. Gorgeous, crisp fall weather in Cincinnati. Stay tuned for live updates at 9 a.m. MST.
Pregame high fives #ForksUp /// @camskattebo5 pic.twitter.com/6qlFhUYzDR
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) October 19, 2024
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.