Cincinnati holds on for victory

Kevin Lovell’s 33-yard field goal with 8 minutes 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter lifted Cincinnati to a 27-24 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday in the inaugural International Bowl, the first college bowl played in Canada and first outside the United States since 1937.

The game was played in front of a Rogers Centre crowd of 26,717. It was just under what the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts averaged last season.

The Bearcats led, 24-0, early in the second quarter. The Broncos had a chance to force overtime with 1:21 left, but Nate Meyer’s 51-yard field-goal attempt was wide.

Cincinnati (8-5) made its fifth bowl appearance in seven years and first since beating Marshall, 32-14, in the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl.

Brian Kelly won in his debut as Bearcats coach. He began the season at Central Michigan before going to Cincinnati on Dec. 4 to replace Mark Dantonio, who went to Michigan State.

Kelly led Central Michigan past the Broncos, 31-7, on Nov. 10, making him the first NCAA coach to beat a school in the same season with two teams. Western Michigan (8-5) made its first bowl appearance since 1988.