CINCINNATI — Well, that escalated quickly.

Western Carolina briefly led Cincinnati Saturday night at Nippert Stadium. Then the Bearcats scored touchdowns on nine of their next 10 possessions and turned the game into exactly the kind of demolition everyone expected.

Cincinnati rushed for 418 yards and accumulated 690 yards of offense in a 62-10 victory over the Catamounts, improving to 2-0 in the young season.

Western Carolina opened the scoring with a 33-yard Bryan McCollum field goal, but Cincinnati answered later in the first quarter when JC French IV found JV Gibson for a five-yard touchdown.

French added another touchdown pass early in the second quarter, connecting with Lyviel Waters from two yards out to extend the lead to 14-3.

The Catamounts made it 14-10 on Lex Thomas’ one-yard touchdown run, but that was the last time they scored.

And then the floodgates opened.

Cole Tabb broke free for a 36-yard touchdown before Zion Johnson scored from three yards out, sending Cincinnati into halftime with a 28-10 lead.

The Bearcats’ running game completely took over after the break. Gi’Bran Payne scored on runs of 40 and 17 yards during the third quarter, finishing with 102 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Zaylan Perry added another 40-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 49-10.

Liam O’Brien and Samaj Jones completed the scoring with fourth-quarter touchdown runs as Cincinnati emptied its bench and continued piling up yards.

French was nearly perfect while directing the offense, completing 21 of 24 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He did not turn the ball over and helped Cincinnati finish 28-of-31 passing as a team.

Malachi Henry led the Bearcats with 87 receiving yards on three catches, while six different Cincinnati players scored rushing touchdowns.

Yes, six.

The Bearcats finished with 32 first downs, converted eight of their 11 third-down attempts and held the ball for more than 32 minutes. Western Carolina managed 241 total yards, including only 74 on the ground.

About the only significant blemish was Cincinnati’s 11 penalties for 105 yards. That kind of sloppiness will become considerably more costly once Big 12 play begins. But, for tonight, Cincinnati was supposed to dominate an FCS opponent and they did did.

More importantly, the Bearcats avoided the sluggish start and prolonged drama that can sometimes turn these games into something far more uncomfortable than necessary. Once Western Carolina pulled within four, Cincinnati responded by scoring 48 unanswered points.

That will work.

What’s Next: Cincinnati will face Miami University in the 129th Battle for the Victory Bell Saturday, September 19, at TQL Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.