The Cincinnati Bearcats capped off one of the most impressive seasons in program history with a 35-31 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in Monday's Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference improved to 11-2 overall in its sixth-ever double-digit win season, while the ACC's Virginia Tech fell to a disappointing 6-7 in its first losing campaign since 1992. 

Michael Warren II led the way for the Bearcats with 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns, the second of which gave the victors the lead for good with less than two minutes remaining. James Wiggins then iced the victory by picking off a deep Ryan Willis pass on Virginia Tech's final possession.

To its credit, Cincinnati fought an uphill battle for the majority of the matchup after starting quarterback Desmond Ridder limped off the field following a low hit on his team's second offensive possession. He was lost for the game after he appeared well on his way to an impressive performance when he found Charles McClelland for a touchdown on his first possession.

There was a silver lining for the Bearcats, though, as backup Hayden Moore is a senior with plenty of experience, and Warren spearheaded the rushing attack all season. The combination was also going up against a lackluster Hokies defense that gave up 45 or more points four times this season and entered play 85th in the nation in points allowed per game.

That defense couldn't stop Cincinnati on the ground all afternoon, which helped the AAC team overcome Moore's poor showing through the air (11-of-25 for 120 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception).

In addition to Warren's production that included a go-ahead 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, Moore used his legs for a 19-yard score to give his team the lead in the fourth quarter of the back-and-forth battle on his way to 64 rushing yards. 

Cincinnati also needed a little luck seeing as how it recovered all three of its fumbles, including when Kahlil Lewis scooped up the ball in the end zone for a touchdown after Warren put it on the ground in the second quarter.

Despite the strong game from Warren and the Bearcats' rushing attack, it was fitting Cincinnati clinched the game with a defensive play.

AAC Coach of the Year Luke Fickell is known for leading defense and was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State before Cincinnati hired him prior to the 2017 campaign. His defense was seventh in the country in points allowed per game entering play and kept Willis in relative check at 20-of-31 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and the interception. 

The Hokies should have given the ball to Deshawn McClease more given that he tallied 102 yards on just 13 carries (7.8 per attempt). The ACC team also didn't turn his way on one of the most important plays of the game—a 4th-and-1 inside Cincinnati's 5-yard line after a fourth-quarter interception from Dylan Rivers.

Rather than score a touchdown on the ground and finally seize control with a double-digit lead, the Hokies attempted a play-action pass while nursing a three-point advantage. Willis fumbled the ball, giving Cincinnati possession and keeping it well within striking distance before its eventual winning touchdown.

Virginia Tech didn't score the rest of the game and was unable to keep the Bearcats out of the end zone in the final two minutes.

What's Next?

Both teams turn their attention toward the 2019 campaign, which will see the Bearcats play the UCLA Bruins and Ohio State Buckeyes in nonconference play, while the Hokies will face off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish outside of their ACC schedule.