Cincinnati subdues Louisville

The Bearcats snapped a four-game losing streak against their rival.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Cincinnati's offense gets the attention, but the defense won the Bearcats a big game on Thursday night.
Defensive end Antwan Peek returned a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown and Cincinnati shut down Louisville quarterback Dave Ragone in a 24-14 win.
DeMarco McCleskey added a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs and sophomore quarterback Gino Guidugli recovered from a slow start to help Cincinnati (4-5, 3-2 Conference USA) snap a four-game losing streak to the Bearcats' rivals.
Sluggish offense
Cincinnati came into the game leading Conference USA in total offense, averaging 419 yards per game. The Bearcats mustered only 52 yards in the first half Thursday, the second lowest output in a half by a Louisville opponent this season.
The Bearcats' defense, meanwhile, played well from start to finish, holding Louisville (5-4, 3-2) to a single touchdown in the opening half, then holding Conference USA's highest-scoring offense to 28 total yards over the final two quarters.
"Our defense just kept our heads above water," said Guidugli, who finished 9-of-23 for 120 yards after misfiring on his first nine passes.
McCleskey rushed for 82 yards and added to his Conference USA record with his 36th and 37th career touchdowns.
Ragone was 11-of-31 for a career-low 91 yards. He failed to throw a TD pass in a game for only the second time in his career.
Louisville had 148 yards at halftime but finished with 176.
"Offensively, we've got to get back on the same page. We weren't on the same page all night," said Ragone, the two-time Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.
Point producer
Cincinnati's defense took advantage, scoring the tying touchdown early in the third quarter. Ragone fumbled after a hit by Andre Frazier, and Peek scooped up the ball at the Louisville 15 and scored.
The Cardinals answered immediately.
Broderick Clark took the ensuing kickoff at the 8, found a hole down the sideline, cut back toward the middle of the field and sprinted the rest of the way for a touchdown.
Cincinnati's offense finally showed some life midway through the third quarter, driving 50 yards in eight plays for a tying touchdown. McCleskey dived into the end zone from 1 yard out.
Guidugli started the second half 5-of-7, and his 22-yard pass to tight end A.J. Lucius early in the fourth quarter set up another 1-yard touchdown run by McCleskey that gave Cincinnati a 21-14 lead.
The Bearcats started the decisive drive from the 50 with 7:23 remaining. Cincinnati chewed up more than five minutes before Jonathan Ruffin kicked a 29-yard field goal with 2:06 remaining.