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Mauk, Cincinnati Upend No. 16 UConn

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The Associated Press

Published: November 11, 2007

CINCINNATI - So much for unbeaten teams in the Big East.
Ben Mauk threw for three touchdowns and ran for another Saturday night, leading Cincinnati to a 27-3 victory against No. 16 Connecticut that further scrambled the conference race.

Under heavy pressure throughout the game, Mauk made the two decisive plays in the second half. He ran 11 yards for a touchdown on a draw play, then connected with Dominick Goodman on a 37-yard touchdown pass, keeping Cincinnati (8-2, 3-2) in a crowd of teams vying for the league title.

Connecticut (8-2, 4-1) was the last unbeaten team in the Big East, grinding out wins with a methodical, mistake-free approach. The Huskies had only 10 turnovers coming into the game, a big reason they were off to the best start in their 109-year football history.

An interception set this one on course early.

Defensive end Anthony Hoke tipped one of Tyler Lorenzen's passes to teammate Adam Hoppel, who returned the interception to the 6-yard line. Mauk's pass to Charley Howard made it 13-0 in the first quarter, setting the tone.

The Bearcats' defense got the best in a matchup of opposites: Connecticut avoids penalties and rarely makes a mistake, while Cincinnati is the Big East's leader in piling up penalties and forcing turnovers.

Hoppel's first career interception was the Bearcats' 22nd this season. They've gotten 35 turnovers in all, setting up 120 points.
Hoke led the way, setting up the tipped interception and sacking Lorenzen three times. The Huskies had only one drive in the first three quarters, and had to settle for Tony Ciaravino's 23-yard field goal after a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line.

Both quarterbacks were under steady pressure. Lorenzen went 18 of 37 for 183 yards with only his fifth interception of the season. Mauk was 21 of 33 for 276 yards, including touchdown passes of 1 and 6 yards in the first quarter.

Cincinnati's eight regular-season wins are its most since 1993.

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