Barnett leads Cincinnati to 34-3 victory

CINCINNATI (AP) — Freshman Marcus Barnett caught a touchdown pass and recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, helping Cincinnati turn Oregon State’s mistakes into a 34-3 victory Thursday night.

The Bearcats (2-0) got a signature win for first-year coach Brian Kelly, who has installed a wide-open, no-huddle offense and tried to inject excitement into a football program that is treated like an afterthought locally.

Oregon State (1-1) got a sideline visit from famous alumni Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals’ receiving tandem. It sure didn’t help.

Sophomore Sean Canfield threw interceptions that set up a field goal and Ben Mauk’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Barnett, putting Cincinnati up 10-3 at halftime. After the intermission, the Beavers got back to their self-destruction.

Oregon State’s Sammie Stroughter, who took a leave of absence during fall football and sat out the opener, tried to fair-catch a punt at his 9-yard line and fumbled. Cincinnati recovered at the 2, and Bradley Glatthaar’s run put the Bearcats in control.

Two freshmen standouts.

Redshirt freshman Jake Rogers kicked a 55-yard field goal, the second-longest in Cincinnati history.

In a 59-3 opening win over Southeast Missouri State, Rogers missed two extra points and a field goal, prompting Kelly to suggest he could soon be kicking for the soccer team.

Barnett, also a redshirt freshman, dived on Alexis Serna’s blocked punt in the end zone for a 27-3 lead late in the third quarter.

Oregon State had one more gaffe to go.

Canfield’s third interception set up Mauk’s 50-yard touchdown pass to Greg Moore that ended any thought of a comeback. Mauk was 15-of-23 for 199 yards without an interception.

It was humid and 88 degrees at the kickoff — unaccustomed conditions for Oregon State, which rarely travels so far from home. The Pac-10 team played only its third game in the Eastern time zone since 1987.

Given how it went, they won’t want to return. The Beavers threw six interceptions, missed a field goal and had the punt blocked. The mistakes added up to their most lopsided defeat since a 56-14 loss to Oregon in 2005.