Taking Care of Business

                Saturday marked 14 years in a row the Bearcats have beaten the Miami Redhawks.  Most of those games haven’t even been close.  Miami had a stretch of games during Tuberville and the one year following Tuberville where they had their opportunities, but as the Fickell era of UC football gets rolling it has become increasingly clear Miami missed their window.  The Bearcats are likely to continue beating down the Redhawks for years to come.   Despite the slow start, ultimately, this year was no different.  The Bearcats took care of business and now get a week off before maybe the key 3 game stretch of the season. 

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                The biggest nonconference test of the season for the 2009 Bearcats also came at OSU.  Week three in 2009 the Bearcats made their way out to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers.  The Beavers were coming off a 9-4 season (7-2 in the PAC 12).  This Beaver team would go all the way up to number 13 in the rankings by December.  It was a real test for the Bearcats, one the Bearcat passed again with flying colors.  This was the one game I was not able to attend in 2009, but I can remember exactly where I was.  I was house/dog sitting a house and partying with friends. 

                I spent the day drinking beers and ziplining into the pond with a few others who came to enjoy the weekend with me.  Honestly, if I wasn’t going to be at the game it was a perfect way to spend the lead up to the game.  The Bearcats started slow, not scoring in the first quarter.  However, the defense held Oregon State to two field goals and the Bearcats were only down 6-0 after 1.  Much as it did against Rutgers, the offense took off in the second quarter.  The Bearcats had touchdown drives on 9 plays, 80 yards, 9 plays 77 yards and 3 plays 60 yards, to take a 21-8 lead into the half. 

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                Likewise, it was a slow start for the Bearcats against the Redhawks.  If it felt like the Bearcats were going backwards for a while, it’s because they were.  The Bearcats’ first drive went for negative 13 yards and after a Miami touchdown their second drive went for -6 yards.  It’s no surprise Bearcat fans were a little anxious when Miami kicked a field goal to take a 10-0 lead.  However, after that Miami drive the defense and offense both seemed to get it together and the UC talent took over.  They held Miami scoreless the rest of the half.  UC responded to the 10-0 deficit with a long touchdown drive of their own.  The teams traded punts for a while after, but the Bearcats put the ball in the endzone to end the half.  The key play on that drive was Fickell opting to go for it on 4^th and 6 from the Miami forty.  Ridder completed an 11 yard pass to Medaris and capped off the drive with another Michael Warren TD run.  All in all 14-10 didn’t feel great, but it could have been a lot worse. 

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                After a blistering second quarter the 2009 Bearcats didn’t play a particularly clean second half against Oregon State.  The Beavers started the half with a quick touchdown drive and the Bearcat offense did very little in response.  They had a 3 and out followed by an interception then another 3 an out.  Their 3 third quarter drives totaled 48 yards.  Oregon State kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 3 (21-18).  As they had in the second quarter the Bearcat offense responded.  They immediately marched down the field for a touchdown drive stretching the lead back out to 10 with about 8 minutes left in the game.  The defense forced an interception and the offense moved the ball again before missing a field goal that would have put the Bearcats up 13.  By that time there was only 1:30 left in the game and everything was still well in hand.  The Bearcats escaped a good Oregon State team with a 10 point win in a game they mostly controlled despite playing two fairly poor quarters.  Oregon State was a PAC 10 contender and the Bearcats had proven to be clearly the better team. 

                The second half of the battle for the Victory Bell was the dominant performance Cincinnati fans have grown to expect in that game.  The Bearcats started with a touchdown drive and never really looked back.  The defense suffocated Miami for the entire second half.  The Bearcats forced a 3 and out on 3 of Miami’s 6 second half drives.  The other drives included a 4 play drive ending with a turnover on downs, a 5 play drive with one first down and then one drive where Miami moved the ball a little bit before kicking an irrelevant field goal.  The defensive dominance allowed the offense to find itself with a couple big plays.  Ridder connected with Geddis for a 51 yard TD, then Warren broke off a 73 yard touchdown run on the next UC drive.  It was 35 to 13 by the time the game entered the fourth quarter.  There was no doubt UC would be keeping the bell in Cincinnati.

                The second half performance can’t overshadow the clear issues that need to get corrected.  The offensive line has really struggled at times.  Those first few drives UC had no room to do anything.  Miami pushed the line around more than they should have been able to, forcing Warren to break tackles or make people miss in the backfield and putting Ridder under some pressure.  Additionally, Ridder continued to struggle finding receivers when his primary target is taken away.  Right before the half there was a key play where Deguara broke wide open, Ridder had time, but didn’t see him and dumped off to Warren.  Those kind of plays happen too often.  When his first read is there, Ridder can be very accurate.  He threw some great passes today, particularly the Geddis TD pass and the Deguara TD.  3 weeks in and it is still hard to know what to expect from this team going forward.  They soundly beat an inferior Miami team, but once again showed the issues that could hold them back. 

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                So the Bearcats head into a bye week with the record everyone expected.  They won both games at Nippert and won them both rather convincingly and lost to an elite Ohio State team.   They showed plenty of concerns but enough positives to remain optimistic about the season to come.  The three weeks following the bye will likely define their season.  Their final nonconference game is a road test at a solid Marshall team, picked by many to win CUSA.  Ridder and the offense struggled on the road last season and though it is unfair to hold OSU against them too much, it didn’t do anything to alleviate that concern.  The defense should be able to largely limit Marshall.  If the offense does its part they should get out of Huntington with a win, but it will be a real test. 

                That test is followed by the biggest game of the year.  The Bearcats almost certainly can’t win the conference without a home win over UCF.  Giving UCF the tiebreaker in the division likely will wrap up the division and even if it doesn’t (maybe a 3 way tie with Temple is conceivably still in play) it makes it essential for UC to win at Houston and at Memphis (in addition to holding serve home against Temple).  If UC is to be an AAC contender, they must win against UCF.  And UCF could be as good as ever.  Real tests, real opportunities.  The Bearcats took care of business against Miami and retained the Victory Bell for the fourteenth straight season.  The season will be defined by weeks to come. 

Total Mismatches

                That was disheartening.  It’s not surprising the Bearcats got run off the field by the Buckeyes.  Ohio State is one of the three most talented teams in the country and assuming Fields can be elite against top competition they are a true national title contender.  However, this game was pretty much a worst-case scenario any way you slice it.  After the blocked field goal there was never a moment you really felt the Bearcats had any chance.  The offensive and defensive lines were both dominated and there were few moments where the Bearcats really threatened.  When they actually did move the ball they made costly mistakes to keep points off the board. It was a brutal game.

                I thought the coaches set the tone for the game early and that tone was, “we’re scared to be here.”  OSU moved the ball on its first drive, but the Bearcat defense eventually got a stop.  A perfect punt pinned Cincinnati back at the one.  The coaches sent the offense on the field and literally wasted a play.  They lined up in an odd, compact formation that had the entire OSU team in middle field.  From that formation they had Ridder sneak for no gain.  What was the best case scenario for that play?  Two yards up the middle?  You’re still handing the ball off in your endzone or passing from your own end zone on 2^nd down.  First down is your friend.  It’s how you protect against the safety, by keeping them off balance.  Everyone knew a sneak was coming.  The play call basically ensured UC would give the ball back to OSU where OSU was positioned to get a TD.  That’s exactly what happened.  That scared call exemplified the play all game long.

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                The Bearcats’ 2009 week two matchup could not have been any more of a polar opposite.  The Bearcats returned home to Nippert to take on Southeast Missouri State.  After the beating UC laid on Rutgers, everyone was sure this was a “pick your score,” type game.  The Bearcats wound up picking 70-3.  Their first game had put the Bearcats in the top 25 (number 23).  UC did everything you’d expect in their second game in rolling Southeast Missouri State.  I don’t have much more to say about it.  Two games in and the sky was the limit for the 2009 Bearcats.

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                The bottom line of this game was Cincinnati’s two glaring weaknesses were exposed against superior talent…inexperience on the offensive and defensive lines.  The Bearcat offensive line was pushed around all game and the dominant OSU defensive line gave them no moments of reprieve.  UC couldn’t run the ball and Ridder was under constant duress, particularly when OSU brought any pressure at all.  The defensive line really felt the loss of Broughton and Copeland, two NFL type defensive tackles.  OSU pushed around a talented, young defensive line that simply was out of its depth.  Cincinnati could not overcome those two problem areas. 

                I know they gave up 42 points, but I wasn’t altogether discouraged by the defensive performance.  They had their moments. They got a key stop on the first drive and forced a huge turnover on downs to keep UC in the game early.  I thought you saw the talent at times making an elite Ohio State offense work.  Fields fit the balls into the windows that were there and the defensive line didn’t get enough pressure which opened things up, but overall I thought the defense wasn’t so bad…they were just up against a behemoth.  If the offense gave UC anything, it’s likely a 31-17 type game…not the 42-0 bloodbath we saw.

                What I saw from the offense concerns me, even though Ohio State is the type of elite defense UC won’t see again this season.  Last season the Bearcat offense was mostly good against teams with lesser defensive talent.  They wore teams down with the run and Ridder made plays with his feet and passing down the field.  For the most part they were also exceptional on third down.  However, twice last year it really stood out to me that there wasn’t a plan B.  The UC offense really struggled against above average defenses.  Temple absolutely shut UC down in the second half, as did UCF. UC just couldn’t move the ball or pick up key third downs against the better competition. 

                I know Ohio State is a different level, but I thought the offenses lack of creativity and versatility really stood out against the Buckeyes.  Even lesser talented teams often find ways to create matchups and move the ball against top teams, but that wasn’t the case.  UC wasn’t able to pound the ball on the ground and showed little ingenuity in creating favorable matchups.  This doesn’t have to be the case all year and Ohio State is an outlier matchup for UC.  I doubt UC gets shutout again (and wouldn’t have been shutout here except for two turnovers near the goal line and a blocked FG), but a team like UCF doesn’t have to shut UC out to win.  UC is going to have to be flexible in how they attack the better teams on the schedule.  It was an issue last year, one that I don’t feel any better about after the game against Ohio State. 

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                The Bearcats and Buckeyes have played 6 times since 1999 with the Buckeyes winning all six.  That’s not surprising.  Five of the games were in Columbus.  The Buckeyes are an elite program.  The one game in Cincinnati was not surprisingly the closest despite it being a National Championship Buckeye team.  It’s hard to beat elite programs on their home field.  I’d love to get one into Nippert one day, but until then these are always going to be incredible uphill battles.

                It’s odd that the three UC teams that gave the Buckeyes their best games were probably the three worst Bearcat teams to face them.  Here’s how I’d rank the UC teams that played Ohio State:

1.       2006

2.       2019

3.       2004

4.       2002

5.       2014

6.       1999

You can quibble with the order if you want, but I think that is relatively fair.  The teams that faired the best against the Buckeyes were the 2002, 1999 and 2014.  I think there were a few reasons for that.  I think it’s telling that the three worst performances for UC were with coaches who formerly coached for the Buckeyes.  I don’t think Dantonio or Fickell ever seemed particularly invested in the idea that UC could compete in those games.  They were conservative, they didn’t try to create advantageous matchups or big plays the way they would need to win those games.  Compare that to the three other games UC played against OSU.

        The 2014 Bearcats had an inflated record due to playing a fairly weak schedule, but they had one really strong thing going for them…elite collegiate wide receivers.  The UC staff really took advantage of this and made the game against OSU very interesting for 3 quarters.  This was exemplified by UC repeatedly taking shots down field to Chris Moore, who delivered with 3 catches for 221 yards, all going for touchdowns.  The biggest play of the game was an absurd offensive pass interference call against UC when the OSU defender basically tackled the UC receiver who had him beat.  Everything changed after that and OSU ran away in the 4^th quarter, but UC made it interesting with an aggressive attitude.  (UC also had a TD called back on an illegal man downfield call which while technically correct is almost never called when the lineman is only a couple yards past the line of scrimmage). 

        1999 is probably the forgotten UC v. Ohio State game.  I remember how excited I was when I found out I was going to that game.  OSU still had the old, temporary bleachers at the Horseshoe and UC fans were stuffed down there.  1999 might be the weirdest season I can remember as a Bearcat fan.  It was a bad year.  The Bearcats finished 3-8.  They dominated Kent State in week one, but then week two lost to then Division 1AA Troy State (now in the FBS and going by Troy).  They followed that up with the craziest win of my lifetime (not the best or craziest game mind you) beating Ron Dayne’s eventual big ten champion and Rose Bowl champion Wisconsin team.  The next week, UC went to OSU. 

        The Bearcats came out fast.  They went out to a 10-3 lead, spreading the field and letting Kenner pick his targets.  UC was just into OSU territory when they came out in 5 wide.  I remember saying to the fans around me that the middle is wide open for a QB draw, something Minter liked to run out of the five wide.  Sure enough, UC ran it and Kenner took it the distance for a TD to put the Bearcats up 17-3.  At that point the temporary bleachers were shaking as UC fans were going nuts.  UC got the ball back late in the 2^nd quarter and put themselves in field goal range.  They missed the FG which would have made it 20-3 (and likely would have gone to the half at that score).  Instead OSU got a short field, scored a TD and cut the lead to 17-10 at the half.  The Bearcats continued to move the ball in the second half, putting up over 500 yards of offense on the game, but didn’t finish any drives.  They lost 34-20.  That Bearcat team would go winless in CUSA losing 4 one possession games and 2 two possession games.  Their only other win was over Miami (OH). 

        Then there was 2002.  The only time Ohio State dared to come to Cincinnati and not coincidentally the closest UC came to beating the Buckeyes.  Probably the biggest thing that UC team had going for it was NFL players on the defensive line.  Antwan Peek in particular was in the backfield all game and was a disruptive force against the OSU offense.  That defense also featured a young Trent Cole.  Though UC broke a couple of runs, they knew they couldn’t sustain drives that way and often spread UC out allowing Geno to find holes.  Though only a sophomore, Geno threw 52 times that day and drove UC into position to win the game.  He threw two catchable balls in the endzone on the final drive that Olinger and Murray failed to bring in.  That was that.  UC missed its chance in Cincinnati, and the Buckeyes went on the win the national championship. 

        It’s notable that UC didn’t get the chance to play the Buckeyes while at its peak.  From 2007-2012 the Bearcats won 4 conference championships in a BCS conference (the Big East).  That conference often finished ahead of the Big 10 in sagarin’s conference strength measure.  It was a fluke of timing, but still quite disappointing that the best teams UC had to offer weren’t the ones that had the chance to challenge the Buckeyes. 

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        Where does the season go from here?  We knew last year was a gift.  UC was ahead of schedule in developing its defense and the benefitted from a light, manageable schedule.  This year the schedule was more daunting and while UC has a ton of experience back, there were big experience holes on offensive and defensive lines.  Additionally, injuries really hurt two of UC’s biggest strengths: 1. the defensive backfield’s potential to be dominant with Wiggins’ flexibility and skill; and 2. depth and versatility at running back.  Ohio State was a singular force that punished UC for those issues.  No team on the schedule will be able to do so to that degree, but UC still needs to find answers to how it will stop the stronger offenses on the schedule and how it will move the ball against competent defenses.  If they develop answers to those questions this can still be a great season that builds on last year…with a real chance to win the conference.  If not we’re likely looking at a good team that just wasn’t quite there yet.   It is essential that UC responds this week against Miami before going to a bye week that sets up the key stretch of the season.  

Bearcat Football on Display for the Nation

              Thirty-eight thousand Bearcat fans piled into Nippert stadium Thursday night to watch the Bearcats take on UCLA.  The Bearcats opened the season on ESPN, in a nationwide broadcast.  Though they made a bunch of mistakes, they mostly played dominant, physical football throughout.  From UCLA’s first turnover until the final snap of the game UC was more physical, better positioned and just plain better.  The defense picked up where it left off last season, making the Chip Kelly offense look like a Bob Diaco UConn offense.  The Bearcat’s passing efficiency defense was the best in the country last season and if week one was any indication that could continue this year.  Thompson barely completed 30 percent of his passes and other than one long run UCLA struggled to get anything going on the ground.  The Bearcat offense was plagued by mistakes but controlled the game moving the ball through the air and on the ground.  The potential of this team was on display, despite the mistakes. 

                There’s nothing like a night game at Nippert.  I’ve been to over 30 stadiums across the country and Nippert is a unique experience.  (A now incomplete ranking of the stadiums I’ve been to can be found here:  https://bearcatmark.blogspot.com/2014/09/football-stadium-rankings.html) Last night was incredible.  The crowd was there on time.  The student section was overflowing and they stayed.  The crowd was raucous and invested in every snap.  It’s the kind of crowd that makes it so difficult on teams that come to Nippert.  It gives the defense a big advantage and I’m sure the team feeds off the energy.  When Nippert is electric it truly is special. 

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                As was the case this year, the 2009 season started with UC getting to play in front of a National TV audience.  Their first game was on Labor Day in Piscataway, New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.  Many, including Kirk Herbstreet, had picked Rutgers to win the conference.  The Bearcats were defending conference champions but had some real questions on defense.  I made the trek with two of my good friends.  We spent the weekend near campus, sitting by the hotel pool and frequenting college bars.  One of my friends had to be back at work that Tuesday, so win or lose, I would be driving overnight after the 3:30 game to get back to Cincinnati.  I was optimistic UC was going to have a big season.  I thought we would win.  I never expected the performance I witnessed that would set the tone for the greatest season in Bearcat football history. 

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                The tailgate lot was rocking when we arrived Thursday.  The Martinos lot has shrunk as apartments have built up behind it, but the spot we have tailgated for years has more space than ever due to the back of a building being ripped down and nothing having been built there yet.  Only a small portion of my group made it down, but several of the groups we’ve tailgated near for years were right there.  I was greeted with a jello shot from one of them and some New Riff Whiskey from another.  It was great being back on campus. 

                We made sure to get to our seats on time.  It was a slow start and one that grew worrisome as UCLA put themselves in scoring position.  However, UCLA fumbled, UC recovered it and really never looked back.  A few plays after the fumble Ridder connected with Alec Pierce for 52 yards, setting up a 15 yard touchdown pass to Josiah Deguara.  The rest of the half the Bearcat defense was basically a microcosm of last season.  They were stifling from play to play, but allowed a big play to give UCLA some hope.  Throwing out UCLA’s lone touchdown drive of the half the Bearcat defense was on the field 5 times, forcing a three and out 3 times, a 6 play drive one time, and a one play drive to end the half.  On those 5 drives they gave up NEGATIVE 9 yards.  However, UCLA took a 3^rd and ten play 75 yards for a TD on the other drive.  The big play plagued UC a ton last season.  It’s something I expect them to still give up, because of how aggressive they are defensively, but if they can limit those and just be decent at preventing explosive plays, the defense should be dominant.

                Despite UC being utterly dominant for most the first half, they were incredibly close to trailing going into the locker room.  The offense made too many mistakes all half only putting it in the endzone the one time.  They had a great opportunity late in the half, but Ridder through an ill-advised pass that was picked off around the goal line.  The first play Coach Fickell mentioned post game was Deguara’s chase down tackle to save a TD at the end of the half.  The play cannot be praised enough.  He ran from the right side of the field on a dead sprint for the tackle.  I was sure from my seats that was going to be a pick six.  Going into the half up 10-7 was disappointing, being down 14-10 would have been devastating.  The Bearcats should have been up more but their physical dominance was evident all half and it was nice to at least be rewarded with the lead going in.

https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1168520297269661696

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                The Bearcats were dominant in the first half of their 2009 opener as well, but in this case, they didn’t waste their dominance.  The Bearcats started the season with a 9 play, 81-yard touchdown drive that didn’t even take 2 minutes.  They never looked back.  Rutgers responded with a 20 play, 78-yard TD drive, really their only response of the day.  That drive chewed up 10 minutes of clock and was the only way Rutgers prevented UC from scoring all half.  UC had a nice drive for a field goal (10 plays 62 yards in 3 minutes), then the two teams traded interceptions before UC poured it on.

                UC scored touchdowns on their last 3 second quarter drives.  They scored 24 second quarter points, taking a 31-7 lead to the locker room.  Those drives were 6 plays, 63 yards in 2:15; 7 plays, 71 yards in 2:04; and 3 plays, 58 yards in 52 seconds.  In mere minutes UC had dismantled Rutgers.  Going into the half UC fans were fired up, but more than that there was a feeling that this team was going to be something we had never seen before at UC. They were explosive and they hit Rutgers in so many different ways. This was truly one of the best halves of football I had ever witnessed. 

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                I think the ultimate story of the UC v. UCLA game was that whenever UC made a mistake and something went wrong, they responded.  They had avoided near disaster at the end of the first half but were still only up 3 despite dominating the action and UCLA was getting the ball to start the second half.  But the defense came out and did its thing, shutting down UCLA on first and second down then intercepting the ball on third down to give UC a short field.  This time the offense took advantage of the short field going 30 yards in 5 plays, all Michael Warren runs, including a 12 yard TD to finish the drive.

                Then a couple drives later when UCLA struck back with a TD of its own, the Bearcat offense got the ball back and went on its most important drive of the day.   They deftly mixed Ridder passing with runs of Warren and Doaks, taking the ball 75 yards on 10 plays.  Though the touchdown drive only got the game to 24-14, the game certainly felt over at that point.  The rest of the game was a bit of a sloppy mess, but UCLA never really threatened.  What stood out at the end of the game was how much UC controlled the action despite the mistakes.  They had 242 passing yards to UCLA’s 156 and 175 rushing yards to UCLA’s 62.  UC had the ball for 38:27. They were the better team from beginning to end. 

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                The Bearcats picked up where they left off in the second half against Rutgers.  They started the half with two long touchdown drives (11 plays, 92 yards and 9 plays 85 yards) and before you could blink they were up 45-7.  Those two touchdown drives made 5 straight touchdown drives, all at least 58 yards.  UC took their foot off the gas the rest of the way, though it forced a safety in the fourth quarter and finished with a 47-15 win.  We left the game completely jacked up.  We had an overnight drive ahead of us (me specifically as I was the driver), but were too excited to be bothered.  The drive ended up including a torrential downpour in eastern Ohio in the middle of the night, which I blew through.

                It was past 5:00 a.m. when I walked into my door, having not slept in nearly 24 hours.  I remember lying in my bed completely unable to sleep.  I’m sure part of it was the red bull from the drive home, but mostly I remember thinking about this Bearcat season and what it could soon be.  Was there anyone on the schedule that would beat them? If UC played like this they could legitimately be National Championship contenders.  After lying bed for a while, I finally got up and went for a run.  I hoped the run might drain me the rest of the way and I would finally sleep.  I thought about the season to come and all the possibilities.  In one game, the Bearcats had blown through the ceiling on what was possible.  At this point anything could happen.  Anything was possible. 

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                The opener against UCLA didn’t quite give that same feeling of brilliance to come, but it didn’t temper any expectations either.  It is clear this Bearcat team can be elite defensively.  They certainly were against UCLA.  The Offense showed flashes against a talented defense, but also showed inconsistency and made a penchant for mistakes we need to hope is an aberration.  I take far more positive from the game than negative, but still view what is to come as an unknown.  Next week the Bearcats head to Columbus to play the Buckeyes.  It’s a game that feels like they are playing with house money.  A loss is expected and shouldn’t stop them from achieving their season goals. A win would blow the doors off of all expectations and bring incredible possibilities into play.  As talented as they are, there are unknowns with the Buckeyes as well. They have a new coach and new QB playing in their second game. Their defense while talented, could be exposed last season.  If the Bearcat defense can force mistakes and the offense can protect the ball, there is an opportunity to do something historic.  I know I can’t wait to see what happens next.