The scoreboard at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium didn't lie on January 2, 2026. Navy 35, Cincinnati 13. It's a result that feels like a punch to the gut for a fan base that watched their team start the 2025 season with so much promise.
Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around how a team that was 7-1 and ranked in the Top 20 just a few months ago ended up finishing the year with five straight losses. But that’s college football. It's brutal, it’s unpredictable, and for Scott Satterfield’s squad, it’s currently a massive puzzle that needs solving.
If you’re looking for the Cincinnati Bearcats football score from the most recent outing, that 35-13 defeat to the Midshipmen is the number that will haunt the offseason. Navy didn't just win; they controlled the tempo, the clock, and the narrative.
The Liberty Bowl Breakdown: What Went Wrong?
Navy did what Navy does. They ran the ball 51 times for 241 yards. While Braxton Horvath only threw 15 passes, two of them went for touchdowns, which is essentially a death sentence when you're facing a triple-option attack.
Cincinnati’s defense, led by Tyson Veidt, looked gapped and tired. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Midshipmen were just churning out first downs while the Bearcats' offense sat frozen on the sidelines.
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The Bearcats' offense was, frankly, a shell of what we saw in September. Brendan Sorsby had a season that many will remember for its high ceiling, but against Navy, the rhythm was gone. Cincinnati only managed 13 points, with their last score coming late in the fourth quarter when the game was already well out of reach.
A Tale of Two Halves (Of the Season)
To understand why the final Cincinnati Bearcats football score of 2025 matters so much, you have to look at the trajectory of the entire year. This wasn't just a bad bowl game; it was the culmination of a late-season collapse that left everyone in Clifton scratching their heads.
- The High Point: On October 25, the Bearcats beat Baylor 41-20. They were 7-1. They were 5-0 in the Big 12. Fans were talking about the conference championship game.
- The Slide: Then came November. A 45-14 blowout at Utah, a frustrating 30-24 loss to Arizona, a 26-14 loss to BYU where they missed three field goals, and a 45-23 drumming at TCU.
- The Finish: That 35-13 Liberty Bowl loss meant Cincinnati finished 7-6.
It's a weird feeling. On one hand, 7-6 is a winning record and an improvement over the previous year. On the other hand, losing five games in a row to end the season is a momentum killer.
Looking Closely at the 2025 Stats
Stats don't tell the whole story, but they give us some clues. Brendan Sorsby finished the season with 2,800 passing yards. That's solid. Tawee Walker was a workhorse, racking up over 700 yards on the ground. But in the final stretch, the efficiency fell off a cliff.
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During that five-game losing streak, the Bearcats' defense allowed an average of over 36 points per game. You simply can't win in the Big 12—or against a disciplined Navy team—giving up that much ground.
| Key Performer | 2025 Season Totals |
|---|---|
| Brendan Sorsby (QB) | 2,800 Passing Yards |
| Tawee Walker (RB) | 709 Rushing Yards |
| Cyrus Allen (WR) | 674 Receiving Yards |
The disparity between the first eight games and the final five is jarring. In the first half of the season, the Bearcats were averaging 31.8 points per game. By November and January, the offense struggled to find the end zone twice a game.
What This Means for Scott Satterfield
There’s no way around it: the heat is turning up. Satterfield is now 1-10 in the month of November over his first few seasons at Cincinnati. That’s a stat that keeps boosters up at night.
He’s done a good job recruiting and utilizing the transfer portal—Sorsby was a great find—but the "finishing" aspect isn't there yet. The 2025 season was a roller coaster that ended in a ditch.
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Expert Perspective: The Big 12 Reality Check
The Big 12 is a meat grinder. When Cincinnati was in the AAC, they could sometimes out-talent teams even on a bad day. You can't do that anymore. Utah, BYU, and TCU are programs with deep benches and physical identities.
Against Navy, the Bearcats looked like a team that had lost its identity. They weren't the "Grit over Glamour" team we saw beating Iowa State 38-30 back in October. They looked like a team ready for the season to be over.
Actionable Steps for the Bearcats Offseason
If Cincinnati wants to ensure the next Cincinnati Bearcats football score we see in August 2026 is a winning one, a few things have to change immediately:
- Fix the Rush Defense: Giving up 241 yards to Navy is one thing, but the 45 points surrendered to TCU and Utah shows a systemic issue in the front six.
- Red-Zone Efficiency: Too many times in the BYU and Arizona games, the Bearcats settled for field goals (or missed them). They need a "power" identity inside the 20.
- Mental Toughness: Closing out a season is about depth and psychology. Satterfield needs to find a way to break the November curse, perhaps by rotating players earlier in the season to keep legs fresh.
The 13-35 loss to Navy is now in the history books. It’s a bitter pill, but for a program still finding its footing in a "Power 4" world, it’s a necessary lesson in discipline and finishing what you start.
Check the 2026 recruiting class rankings and the spring transfer portal window to see how the roster is being rebuilt to address the defensive gaps exposed in the Liberty Bowl.