The University of Cincinnati football team took its best shot at Michigan on Saturday. The Bearcats trailed only 17-14 late in the third quarter, but a late collapse resulted in a 36-14 defeat.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

Moore must improve

Junior quarterback Hayden Moore was on the run for much of the day, with Michigan recording four sacks and four quarterback hurries. Moore was knocked flat several times, but got up each time and played on.

Moore was just 15-for-40 passing for 132 yards, with one touchdown pass and two pick-six interceptions. Moore also was hurt by his receivers dropping several passes, on those occasions when the receivers did get open.

The offensive line remains a work in progress, with several players still having logged not much college time. It all starts behind center, and Moore would be the first to agree that he must cut down on the overthrows and find a way to get the ball deep. UC's longest pass completion Saturday was to a running back, 25 yards by Gerrid Doaks. The longest catch by a wideout was 20 yards, by Devin Gray.

Yes, UC has a kicking competition

Defense showing signs

The Bearcats defense, led by anchor Cortez Broughton at defensive tackle, had just one sack (by Broughton) and no quarterback hurries. Yes, this was Michigan, but UC also had just one sack in the 26-14 opening win over FCS team Austin Peay.

UC allowed 133 yards rushing by Ty Isaac (6.7 yards per carry) and 193 yards rushing overall, but the Bearcats did not permit a rushing touchdown. Linebacker Jaylyin Minor (11 tackles) again was a force. The secondary was burned for a 43-yard TD pass from Wilson Speight to Kekoa Crawford, but overall kept Michigan from going crazy. Speight threw for 221 yards and two TDs with no interceptions.

New defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is using plenty of personnel, including a rotation of defensive linemen. The first two weeks have not been great, but neither have they been bad. The defense may have to carry UC for a while, until the offense finds some kind of rhythm.

Growing pains

First-year coach Luke Fickell blamed himself for several miscues. In the first quarter, UC had to burn a timeout to avoid a delay-of-game penalty amid the noise (111,384) fans of the Big House. Then came a delay-of-game penalty, shortly thereafter.

There was the botched punt in the fourth quarter, when freshman James Smith was not ready for the snap and the ball sailed past him. Smith, to his credit, alertly chased the ball and batted it out of the end zone for a Michigan safety. Fickell also said that play was his fault, for not getting his team properly set.

The UC coaching staff is a mixture of veterans and rising talent. There is also an ongoing transition period, which sometimes includes confusion between the sideline and the players. The UC offense did settle down after the early mayhem, and the Bearcats overall had just four penalties for 30 yards. (Michigan had seven penalties for 68 yards).

Michigan's take

No. 8 Michigan realizes that things got too close for comfort in this one. The Wolverines returned only six starters this year, but they are Michigan and that means 4- and 5-star recruits have stepped in. Yet, how about UC still hanging tough with just over a quarter remaining? That one may stick for a while.

Doc: They took it to the house, for a while

The aforementioned Crawford, a Michigan sophomore receiver, acknowledged that it was jarring to have only a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter against a team that struggled to beat Austin Peay.

"That's all you need to know," Crawford told Michigan reporters. “I mean, we respect every opponent we play. But we should’ve never let it get like that.”

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, echoing a Fickell postgame remark after the Austin Peay game, said that winning is not as automatic as some tend to believe. Such as, when Michigan entered Saturday as a 34-point favorite.

"Wins are tough to come by," Harbaugh said. "We’re happy to have this one.”

Battle for The Bell

UC next travels to Oxford to face longtime rival Miami University on Saturday (8 p.m., Fox 19). The Bearcats have won the last 11 games in the series, and some believe that resurgent Miami could end that streak this year.

Miami (1-1) beat Austin Peay 31-10 on Saturday, after UC beat Austin Peay 26-14 in a season opener. The RedHawks are led by QB Gus Ragland (Moeller High School), who threw three TD passes Saturday.

Miami won its last six regular season games last year, after an 0-6 start. UC was heavily favored in most recent games of this series, but the RedHawks gave the Bearcats all they wanted in all four years of the Tommy Tuberville regime. Last year, UC escaped with a 27-20 win after being a 17 1/2-point favorite. This one appears to be an absolute toss-up.

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Up next

Cincinnati (1-1) vs. Miami University (1-1)

Saturday, 8 p.m. at Yager Stadium (24,286), Oxford, Ohio

TV/Radio: Fox 19/700 WLW-AM

Series: Miami leads 59-55-7. UC has won the last 11 meetings.

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