Like the second-half fire knife dancers that have become a recent hit, BYU's Big 12 home debut caught fire Friday night.
Kedon Slovis threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns, and Chase Roberts caught six passes for 131 yards and a score as BYU pulled away from Cincinnati 35-27 in front of an announced crowd of 63,834 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the largest since 2009.
LJ Martin added 48 yards and two touchdowns on the ground for BYU to earn the program's first win as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Cincinnati outgained the Cougars 498-295, including 242 yards on the ground. But the Bearcats, who got 256 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Emory Jones, had two turnovers and converted in the red zone just twice despite over 33 minutes in time of possession.
BYU had just 38 yards of offense in the first half — fewer than Jakob Robinson's 42-yard interception return for a touchdown — until Slovis connected on three-straight receivers en route to a 22-yard touchdown to Darrius Lassiter with 6 seconds left in the half. That lifted the Cougars to a 14-10 halftime edge, despite Cincinnati out-gaining the hosts 254 yards to 107. BYU had just 36 yards on the ground during a first half where it punted on four-straight possessions prior to Lassiter's wide-open score to end the half.
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