Inside the Final Stop for WVU Football Against Cincinnati

When redshirt senior kicker Jack Cassidy drilled a game-winning field goal as time expired, he got WVU football back to its winning ways on Saturday, securing a 45-42 win over Cincinnati in Morgantown.

Cassidy’s effort was set up by a crucial stop by the Mountaineer defense, forcing a punt with just over three minutes remaining in the game before the offense started its game-winning drive at the one-yard line.

“It looked like the same story, right? I mean, they scored and we couldn’t get over the hump,”  head coach Rich Rodriguez said in the postgame press conference. “We tied up and then they’d score and we tied up and then they scored and it looked like, ah, the same old thing. And then we got it to the fourth down and then almost blocked it.”

West Virginia safety Kameron Reddic delvers a big hit against Cincinnati during the 2026 season. (WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose)

Another redshirt freshman, Cam Torber, who finished the game with six tackles, said the defense had a do-or-die mindset when it came to the final series.

“I mean, it’s just like it’s no choice, you know, like you got to make a stop and that’s all that’s on your mind during that time,” Torber said in the postgame press conference.

Defensive coordinator Zac Alley has been under plenty of scrutiny recently due to defensive struggles resulting in three-straight losses to open conference play.

Torbor spoke on the team’s relationship with Alley, emphasizing their desire to play for him as if he were a teammate.

“We play for him every week, just like we play for each other. So I think just, just like every other week we play for him as well as we play for each other,” Torbor said.

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