Gerrid Doaks rushed for 166 of his career-high 184 yards in the first half, while Desmond Ridder had three rushing touchdowns as No. 6 Cincinnati rolled to a 38-10 home victory over Houston on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

The Bearcats (6-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) relied on a series of big plays late in the first half to assume control, tallying three touchdowns inside the final eight minutes of the second quarter to knock the Cougars (2-3, 2-2) on their heels.

Cincinnati followed by possessing the ball for 12:16 of the third quarter, essentially playing keep away from Houston with a dominant ground game.

The second-quarter surge started with a fourth-down conversion at the Houston 25-yard line, with Doaks making a dazzling one-handed grab of a Ridder pass for a 12-yard gain. Ridder followed with his first touchdown run, a 10-yard sprint that extended the Cincinnati lead to 14-0 with 7:53 remaining in the half.

Houston responded with an 8-play, 65-yard drive that featured a 31-yard Bryson Smith reception from Clayton Tune and ended with a 3-yard Kyle Porter scoring run.

Cincinnati replied with a 32-yard touchdown run by Ridder, who escaped pocket pressure before slicing through the defense and helping the Bearcats reclaim their 14-point lead. Houston tried to keep pace but were forced to settle for a field goal before Cincinnati answered quickly.

Doaks' 48-yard run was the key play of a 3-play, 55-yard drive that required only 28 seconds to complete. Ridder completed a 4-yard scoring pass to Josh Whyle with 13 seconds left in the half, and the Bearcats carried a 28-10 lead into the intermission.

Cincinnati then produced a smothering 17-play drive that erased 9:12 off the clock in the third quarter and yielded a field goal for a 31-10 lead.

Ridder passed for 162 yards and rushed for 103 as Cincinnati extended its home winning streak to 18 consecutive games.

Tune passed for 189 yards for Houston, which allowed 300 rushing yards for a second consecutive week. The Bearcats totaled 342 yards on the ground while the Cougars managed just 282 total yards.

--Field Level Media