Memphis vs. Cincinnati score, takeaways: Tigers force AAC title game rematch with victory over Bearcats

Memphis and Cincinnati will meet again next Saturday in the Liberty Bowl to determine the AAC champ

Don't think for a minute that just because the AAC falls outside the College Football Playoff chatter that Week 14 is meaningless. No. 18 Memphis survived No. 19 Cincinnati 34-24 on Friday, assuring that the two schools would meet again in the AAC Championship Game next week. The Bearcats were in no matter what with only home-field advantage on the line; the Tigers needed a win or a Navy loss to Houston to host the game. 

As usual, Memphis' offense put up plenty of yards and points. The running back combo of Kenneth Gainwell and Antonio Gibson combined for 162 of Memphis' 199 yards rushing. Gibson secured the victory with a 29-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining. The defense also did its job in the second half -- but more on that later. 

Memphis has a tendency to make big games tighter than they need to be, and this wasn't much of an exception. The Bearcats have a formidable defense of their own, and backup quarterback Ben Bryant was good coming off the bench. On multiple occasions, they had a chance to climb right back into the game and perhaps take the lead. But credit the Tigers, who found a way to respond each time, and now these two teams will do it all over again next week. 

Here's what we learned from Saturday's game. 

Memphis' defense was the difference in the game: When we think about Mike Norvell's program, the first thing that usually comes to mind is offense. And, of course, Memphis can score points with the best of 'em. But it was the Tigers' defense that came through against Cincinnati. Memphis sacked Bryant five times, picked him off twice and forced a critical fumble on a third-and-5 near midfield in the third quarter. All of the turnovers came in the second half, as did a majority of the pressure. Memphis had almost no pass rush to speak of in the first half, and Bryant looked comfortable throwing the ball from the pocket. Credit Memphis' defensive staff for making the proper adjustments and focusing on bringing more pressure to disrupt the passing game. That was truly the difference. 

Cincinnati had plenty of responses, just not enough answers: What I mean by this is the Bearcats could have been out of this game on a number of occasions. They started slow, allowing an opening kickoff return by Chris Claybrooks for Memphis to go up 7-0. The Bearcats were already down 17-3 after the first quarter before Bryant led a 12-play drive to bring things to within a touchdown. Truth be told, Cincinnati almost felt in control at times even though it trailed the entire game. Twice it came to within three points, but each time it was never able to get over the hump; sometimes it was a result of a turnover (see above). On one occasion, the Tigers had to pull into their bag of tricks to open things up: 

Each time Memphis pulled away, Cincinnati found a way to crawl right back in it. It just never had enough answers to actually pull ahead. The turnovers hurt, as did having to play a backup quarterback, but the Bearcats came awfully close to pulling the upset. 

Memphis has a hard road to the Cotton Bowl: Let's face it, the Tigers are the AAC's best -- and perhaps last -- hope to make a New Year's Six bowl. In this case, a likely spot in the Cotton Bowl. With today's win, the Tigers will host the Bearcats again in one week. However, it's hard to beat the same quality team twice in a row, and Cincinnati gave Memphis just about everything it could handle with its backup quarterback on the field. How will that affect next week's game, especially if Desmond Ridder is able to return from a nagging shoulder injury? The top competitor to the AAC champ is No. 20 Boise State, who escaped Colorado State on Friday 31-24. The Broncos will host Hawaii next week in the Mountain West Championship, which is also a rematch from an earlier game in the season. Memphis unquestionably has the tougher matchup even though it's at home, though. There's always the possibility Cincinnati could sneak into the Cotton Bowl with a win and Boise State loss, too.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:49 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Same time next week for Memphis and Cincinnati. Assuming nothing goes awry, the Tigers will host the Bearcats in the AAC championship.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:48 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Memphis intercepts the fourth-down pass, but it would have been better off letting it fall to the ground for field position. Still, probably your game right there.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:45 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Another sack by Memphis' defense. Honestly, it's been the difference in the game.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:43 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

And there's the possible dagger from Memphis. Gibson on the touchdown run and it's back to a 10-point game. Cincy needs a quick response.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:34 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Memphis stops Cincinnati on third down with a batted pass and gets decent field position to start this drive. A touchdown could be a dagger so let's see if Mike Norvell draws something up.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:33 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Another sack on Bryant. Memphis' pass rush has been so much better this half.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:31 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

What a terrible interception by Brady White. Way underthrown and I wonder if he wasn't on the same page with his wideout.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:29 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Warren has been great and has more yards, but wonder if Gainwell is going to hit his second wind this quarter? Memphis could wear this one out.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:29 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Oh, yeah. Gainwell is still good.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:21 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

And then Bryant keeps it on the read option for a touchdown. Perfect call, no one even looked at him and Cincinnati is back to within three. What a swing on the past three plays.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:21 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Wow, and what a huge call that ends up being because Cincinnati goes all the way down the field on the next play for a huge gain inside the red zone. Bearcats cooking now.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:20 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Call of a fumble is confirmed, but because Memphis' guy touched the ball out of bounds, it's still with the Bearcats. Still, heads up play by the defender.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:17 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Memphis' defense has been disruptive on Bryant this half. The pass rush gets to him and knocks the ball loose. The Tigers recover as it bounces toward the sideline. The play is under review but that'd be the third turnover this half.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:10 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

A little razzle dazzle from Memphis, and at the perfect time! The reverse flea flicker goes for six and Memphis is up 27-17. That was well-executed and perfectly timed. This game was starting to get stale.

[Nov 29, 2019 at 6:02 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

They rule the receiver down, no fumble.