CINCINNATI, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Demarco McCleskey rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown and three other players ran for scores Saturday as Cincinnati bolstered its bowl hopes with a 45-28 non-conference victory over Connecticut.
McCleskey carried 18 times and extended Cincinnati's lead to 31-14 with a one-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. It was his third 100-yard effort of the season and moved him into ninth place on the school's all-time rushing list with 1,888 yards.
Gino Guidugli passed for 245 yards and a touchdown and opened the scoring midway through the first quarter with a seven-yard keeper.
Connecticut (2-6) tied it four minutes later on a 15-yard pass from freshman Dan Orlovsky to running back Chris Bellamy, but the Bearcats (5-3) regained the lead in the opening minute of the second quarter as Ray Jackson's two-yard run capped a 75-yard drive.
After Taber Smith's one-yard run forged a 14-14 deadlock, Jonathan Ruffin put Cincinnati ahead for good with a 29-yard field goal and Guidugli hit LaDaris Vann for a 37-yard score with two seconds left for a 24-14 halftime lead.
Cornerback Zach Norton returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter and Nathan Wize broke off a 13-yard run 13 seconds into the final period to give the Bearcats a 45-21 cushion.
Orlovsky completed 27 of 50 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions, but Connecticut suffered its third straight loss in the first meeting between the perennial basketball powers.
