Deontey Kenner leaps over the line and extends the ball over the goal line for a TD. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        LOUISVILLE — It was a tale of two halves for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. They won the first one but lost the second badly, and with it the game, 38-24 to Louisville on Saturday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

        The Bearcats also lost starting quarterback Deontey Kenner, whose not-totally-healed torn stomach muscle stiffened, keeping him out of the second half.

        Kenner is hoping to return for UC's next game in two weeks.

        UC, despite a 24-14 halftime lead, couldn't rally behind backup QB Adam Hoover, and the defense couldn't reprise its first-half performance of big turnovers and third-down stops.

        “When Deontey goes down, it's really a struggle,” said UC wideout Antonio Chatman, who had four catches for 79 yards. “You practice so much with

Kenner is tackled by Rashad Harris. | ZOOM |

        Deontey — and the rhythm is all with Deontey — when you get a new quarterback, it throws everything off a little bit.”

        Hoover, who had played well in a loss at Tulane and in last week's six-touchdown outburst against Houston, was pressured by the UL defense and a Louisvile homecoming crowd of 39,233.

        “It's real tough,” Kenner said. “I wouldn't have purposely put him into that situation. Maybe I could have tried to come back, but I don't know how much difference I could've made. I have confidence in Adam — he has great leadership — and confidence in the team and coaches.”

        After the game, Kenner said he felt as bad physically as when he first tore his stomach muscle, at Indiana on Sept. 23.

        On Louisville's second possession of the second half, Deion Branch caught a slant pass on 3rd-and-4 from Dave Ragone that split the defense and went for 69 yards to UC's 5-yard line. One play later, Ragone scored to make it 24-21.

        UC fell to 3-4, and 2-2 in Conference USA. U of L improved to 5-1 and 2-0. UC (0-4 on the road) is still alive in its bid to get one of C-USA's four bowl bids.

        Fortunately for the Bearcats, two of their remaining three conference games are at home. One of them is the regular-season closer with conference power Southern Mississippi.

        “This team has to learn how to win,” said senior co-captain linebacker Troy Evans. “We didn't make plays when we were ahead to put the hammer down ... We were flying around in the first half making plays, hitting people. In the second half, it was almost like we were waiting to lose.”

        It would be easy to put the blame on the Bearcats' defense the second half, but they were playing a different game without the offense moving the ball.

        “Our defense didn't make plays to help the offense like we did in the first half,” Evans said.

        Kenner said he didn't sense a letdown. — after all, this was an offense that Hoover led to the 48-31 victory over Houston.

        But after his injury, the game was like a front-running horse having to change jockeys in the middle of the race and all of a sudden the chasing horse picks up the new scent that's his race now.

        That, and some adjustments — fewer long passes that yielded two big UC interceptions in the first half and more dink-and-dunk type stuff-half in the second half, as UC defensive end Antwan Peek noted — and suddenly it was a totally different game.

        The Cardinals steamrolled UC in the second half, when they had 290 yards of total offense, including 205 passing, and scored 24 unanswered points.

        Louisville started the game quickly when Ragone completed a 45-yard pass to Branch on its third play from scrimmage for a 45-yard TD.

        But the Bearcats' defense had a few tricks of its own.

        Just after UL picked up a first down on a 13-yard draw play to Branch, who had lined up in the backfield, Ragone rolled left and had his pass tipped back to him by UC's Derrick Adams. Ragone caught the ball, but was tackled high by Evans and low by Adams and fumbled. The ball was recovered by UC linebacker Lewis Carter.

        UC turned it into a touchdown to tie it at 7.

        UC's defense set the tone at the beginning of the second half, too. After UL picked up three first downs it driving from its own 20-yard line to UC's 35 — mostly by passing the ball — Mario Monds tipped a 3rd-and-4 pass and Adams tipped a 4th-and-4 pass.

        Cincinnati ....... 14  10   0   0—24

        Louisville ....... 14   0   7  17—38

        First Quarter

        UL—Branch 45 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 12:25

        UC—Collins-Baker 7 pass from Kenner (Ruffin kick), 6:18

        UL—Stallings 21 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 1:41

        UC—McCleskey 22 run (Ruffin kick), 0:00
       Second Quarter

        UC—FG Ruffin 22, 11:40

        UC—Kenner 1 run (Ruffin kick), 2:40
       Third Quarter

        UL—Ragone 5 run (Tydlacka kick), 6:01
       Fourth Quarter

        UL—FG Tydlacka 25, 9:51

        UL—Stallings 11 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 4:54

        UL—Harris 33 interception return (Tydlacka kick), 0:19

        A—39,233.
       INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

        RUSHING—Cincinnati, McCleskey 16-79, Jackson 14-27, Kenner 3-4, Hoover 1-(minus 2). Louisville, Stallings 32-122, Ragones 8-15, branch 2-10.

        PASSING—Cincinnati, Kenner 6-12-89-1, Hoover 5-17-53-2. Louisville, Ragones 25-31-326-2, Watkins 0-1-0-0.

        RECEIVING—Cincinnati, Chatman 4-79, Collins-Baker 3-22, Hunt 2-19, Keith 1-22, McCleskey 1-0. Louisville, Jackson 9-58, Branch 8-194, Stallings 4-41, Mattingly 1-16, Ghent 1-11, Dorsey 1-6, Ragone 1-0.

Louisville 38, UC 24 Minter wants what Louisville's got Huggins honors Fortson, Martin Little big man with dunk

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