On a third down from the Cincinnati 36-yard line, junior quarterback Matt Grothe had a pass tipped and intercepted, killing a scoring opportunity. On the ensuing Bearcats drive, quarterback Tony Pike hit running back John Goebel for a 28-yard pass, but Goebel fumbled the ball. 

The USF secondary is once again having problems, allowing Pike to throw for 227 yards in the first half. For a comparison, USF has 179 yards of offense in the half.