Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati Football News: Draft Scout Player News

11/12/21 - QB Desmond Ridder, rSr/2022, Cincinnati

Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes to break the Cincinnati career record and ran for a score to help the No. 2 Bearcats beat South Florida 45-28 on Friday night. Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0 American Athletic, No. 5 CFP), one of four unbeaten FBS teams, has started the season with 10 consecutive wins for just the second time in school history. The Bearcats also did it in 2009, when they got off to a 12-0 start. "We know we're still climbing and when you're climbing a mound there's going to be struggles, there's going to be obstacles and we had some tonight," Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said. "I thought Desmond Ridder had a phenomenal night." Ridder broke the school record with this 79th touchdown pass, a 21-yard strike to Josh Whyle early in the third that made it 31-7.

Gino Guidugli, now Cincinnati's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, had 78 scoring passes from 2001-04. "Something special, man," Guidugli said. "He's earned that. It just makes it that much more special if your record is going to broken, I'm extremely happy for him. I love him like a son." Ridder completed 31 of 39 passes for 304 yards, and ran for 65 yards on 13 carries. He brought the record-breaking ball to his postgame media session. "I told everyone in the locker room that this ball and this record wasn't just me," Ridder said. The Bearcats played without running back Jerome Ford due to a leg injury that happened during last week against Tulsa. Ford has 888 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Jaren Mangham had two rushing TDs for South Florida (2-8, 1-5), which has lost 19 consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 20 since upsetting Notre Dame on the road in October 2011. He has 15 touchdowns on the ground this season, tied for second-most in USF history. - Cincinnati/AP College Football

rSr/2022