QB benched as Bearcats top Syracuse

Munchie Legaux was benched after nearly throwing an interception in the third quarter. Senior backup Brendon Kay threw a 13-yard touchdown pass that put the Bearcats (6-2, 2-1 Big East) ahead to stay.

Cincinnati was coming off back-to-back losses that featured five interceptions by Legaux. He threw one in the first half Saturday and was repeatedly booed on by the crowd of 26,180, the smallest for a game at Nippert Stadium this season.

Coach Butch Jones changed quarterbacks three days after saying he’d never considered benching Legaux, who finished 11 of 22 for 124 yards with one interception.

It was a sloppy game all-around. Cincinnati had two fumbles and Legaux’s interception that led to 17 Orange points in the first half. Syracuse set up a pair of touchdowns by fumbling twice deep in its territory, including on the opening kickoff.

Kent State 35, Akron 24: Traylor Durham ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns as host Kent State extended its longest winning streak in 72 years to seven.

Dri Archer gained 126 yards including a 30-yard touchdown run as the Golden Flashes rushed for 261 yards and five touchdowns overall to move to 8-1. That includes a 35-23 upset at then-No. 15 Rutgers a week ago.

Vanderbilt 40, Kentucky 0: Quarterback Jordan Rodgers completed 18 of 29 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and three different Vanderbilt running backs scored rushing touchdowns against the overmatched Kentucky defense.

Wittenberg 71, Hiram 7: The Tigers won big over the winless Terriers, then heard moments after the game that Oberlin had upset 10th-ranked Wabash 31-16 in Crawfordsville, Ind., strengthening Wittenberg's chances of claiming the North Coast Athletic Conference's automatic playoff berth.

McKendree 34, Central State 13: In Lebanon, Ill., CSU was outscored 20-6 in the second half and fell to 3-6.

Valparaiso 41, Campbell 21: In a Pioneer Football League matchup, Jake Hutson ran for a career-high 248 yards and three touchdowns and Valparaiso won its first game of the season, rallying from a 14-point deficit.