Texas Tech's 13 penalties and three turnovers hand Cincinnati a 37-24 upset at Nippert

No. 8 Texas Tech came to Cincinnati at 6-0 and left with a 37-24 loss after committing 13 penalties for 85 yards and turning the ball over three times on Saturday.

The Associated Press said the Red Raiders were plagued by mistakes all afternoon and missed a chance to start 7-0 for the first time since 2013. Coy Eakin and quarterback Will Hammond each lost a fumble, and MJ Cannon intercepted Hammond. Texas Tech also converted just 3 of 15 third downs, which is how a team ends up with Stone Harrington kicking four field goals and losing by two scores.

Cincinnati made it count. The Bearcats trailed 6-3 after one quarter and then scored three touchdowns in the second, all on short JC French IV passes to Cole Tabb, Malachi Henry and Lyviel Waters, the last with 4 seconds left in the half. It was 24-6 at the break.

Texas Tech did make a run. Peyton Morgan's 53-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter cut it to 24-15. French threw a 17-yard touchdown to Larenzo Fenner before the quarter ended, and after Harrington's 33-yard field goal made it 31-18, Tabb went 58 yards for the clinching score with 6:06 left.

Tabb finished with a career-high 173 rushing yards on 16 carries. French threw a career-high four touchdowns, though he also threw two interceptions. Cincinnati ran for 255 yards as a team.

Hammond completed 24 of 37 passes for 227 yards, and Kenny Johnson led the Red Raiders with seven catches for 81 yards. J'Koby Williams averaged 6.8 yards a carry.

For Cincinnati, it was the first home win over a top-10 team since beating No. 7 Rutgers in 2006, per the AP. The Bearcats (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) are unbeaten at Nippert this season. Texas Tech is 6-1 and 3-1 in the league, with its first loss now on the record.