After a 13-play, 36-yard opening drive by the Bulls that ate up more than six minutes of clock, Ridder and the UC offense, which took the field without injured center Jake Renfro and injured running back and Tampa native Jerome Ford, got the ball and promptly fumbled on their first play from scrimmage.
Graduate wide receiver Michael Young Jr. caught a pass from Ridder for an 18-yard gain and then coughed it up as he was being tackled to the ground.
South Florida gave the ball right back on the very next play, but then Ridder threw an interception while trying to link up with wide receiver Alec Pierce.
USF cornerback Christian Williams tipped the pass and raced 61 yards before stepping out of bounds at the Cincinnati 2-yard line. The return set up the first score of the night, a two-yard rushing touchdown by Bulls running back Jaren Mangham with 7:08 to play in the first quarter.
Mangham finished with 16 carries, 53 yards and two scores. The junior now has 15 rushing touchdowns of the season, tied for second most in a single campaign in USF history.
After throwing the early interception, Ridder settled down and so did the Cincinnati offense. UC running back Ryan Montgomery, who shared carries with fellow backups Charles McClelland and Ethan Wright, raced 12 yards and then spun into the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 with 2:57 to play in the opening quarter.
Ridder completed 11 straight passes before running it in on quarterback keeper from 13 yards out to give Cincinnati its first lead with 9:36 to go before halftime.
Ridder completed 31 of 39 passes for 304 yards two touchdowns and the interception.
Under pressure, USF freshman quarterback Timmy McClain decided to test Cincinnati All-American cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner. McClain failed. Gardner picked off McClain for his third interception of the season (ninth of his career).
"It was broken play, so the quarterback was trying to scramble out," said Gardner, who also collected his second sack of the season on a corner blitz. "But I was trying to be a ball player and read his eyes, any keys he gave me that he was going to throw the ball in my direction. I didn't expect the ball to come right to me, but I was just at the right place at the right time.
Gardner's pick set up Cincinnati's final score of the half. Ridder, who completed 13 straight passes at one point, connected with receiver Tre Tucker on a short 1-yard score to make it 21-7 at the 5:30 mark in the first half. The score marked the 78th of Ridder's career, tying him with Guidugli.
Kicker Alex Bales knocked in 27-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to send the Bearcats into the break with a commanding 24-7 lead.
But it was far from over.
"Yeah, we like to make things a little bit more interesting (than they need to be)," UC coach Luke Fickell said. "The defense played really well in the first half, like (allowing) 39 yards of offense, and then to come out in the second half and, I don't know, we let up a little bit."
After Ridder opened the second half with his record-setting 79th touchdown, the Bulls stormed back, posting back-to-back scores, including an 80-yard catch-and-go by wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. to bring USF within 31-21 with 3:48 to play in the third.
It was the longest offensive play of the season for South Florida.
The Bearcats countered with a 10-play, 73-yard drive capped by a 1-yard score by Wright to put UC ahead 38-21 with 14:00 left in the game.
McClain put a period on a 16-play, 98-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to make it 38-28 with 6:14 remaining.
Montgomery put the game out of reach and picked up a few style points for the Bearcats with a 55-yard scamper through the goal line with just over a minute to play.
