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Mauk threw four TDs as No. 24 Cincinnati blast San Diego

Sep 30, 2007 - 6:44 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Ben Mauk threw for all four of his touchdowns in the second quarter as 24th-ranked Cincinnati coasted to a 52-23 victory over San Diego on Saturday.

Mauk completed 18-of-24 passes for 260 yards, including the an 11-yard score to Dominick Goodman just three seconds into the second quarter for a 14-3 advantage.

"I thought Ben had his best game of the year," Bearcats coach Brian Kelly said. "He was very, very efficient. He made some tough throws in tight coverage. I think he was, in my estimation, on top of his game."

Mauk and Goodman hooked up once again for an 11-yard score to cap a 9-play, 70-yard drive to help the Bearcats (5-0) build a 35-10 lead at intermission.

"Each game we get a little better," Mauk said. "We're still trying to figure out who our go-to guys are. We're just running the offense and seeing if we can find some holes, and it worked out pretty well."

Goodman finished with seven catches for 101 years and Marcus Barnett had three for 88 yards for Cincinnati, which recorded 487 yards of total offense.

The win also helped Bearcats coach Brian Kelly become the first to start the season undefeated in his first six games since Russ Cohen did so in 1935.

It was the second time this season Cincinnati has managed to reach the 50-point plateau. The Bearcats blasted Southeast Missouri State 59-3 in their season opener on August 30.

"They're a good team, make no mistake about it," San Deigo quarterback Kevin O'Connell said. "They've worked hard, they've started from the bottom and worked their way up. It's something our program is striving to do."

O'Connell went 20-of-27 for 253 yards and one touchdown and Darren Mougey had eight catches for 90 yards for San Diego (1-3), which gained just eight yards on the ground.

"Obviously, it was a tough night for us as a football team," San Diego coach Chuck Long said. "We wanted a lot better showing. I did tell our guys that this non-conference schedule that we've had, I do believe that in time it will help us."