We
thought this could be a special season for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Last year’s 11-2 ascension seemingly came out
of nowhere. That wasn’t happening this year. UC had a target and the look of one of the
favorites in a deeper than ever American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats were very up and down to start
the year, but beat the teams they should have beat to keep their season on
track. The trip to Marshall gave a taste
of what could be and then Friday night, in front of a sell out crowd at Nippert
stadium the Bearcats made us believe.
The Bearcats became the first AAC team the last 3 seasons to beat UCF
and in doing so put themselves firmly in the AAC conference race. Friday night at Nippert was a celebration of
Bearcat football and hopefully a return to something truly special.
It
really started a week prior. We were
waiting for this Bearcat football team to give a top performance from beginning
to end. That Saturday night in
Huntington, West Virginia they delivered.
Most Bearcat fans thought Marshall would be a real test. They went to Boise State and held Boise State
to 14 points, losing by a touchdown.
They were the favorite in Conference USA. The Bearcats dispatched with the Thundering
Herd before you could even blink. It was
the kind of performance UC hasn’t really delivered despite their success the
last two seasons. Too often UC has
started slow and sluggish. This time
they scored nearly every time they touched the ball running out to a 42-0 lead
and never looking back.
What I
really appreciated about the Marshall performance was UC going against tendency
early in the game. Too often UC has
started slow, running into stacked fronts, not pushing downfield when teams
sell out to stop the run. Against
Marshall they came out and put pressure on the back of the Marshall
defense. Ridder delivered with maybe his
best overall performance as a Bearcat. UC
ran out to a huge lead and the running game was as affective as always as the
game went on. That win set up Friday at
Nippert, an opportunity for the Bearcats to get their first win over a ranked
team in a decade (since 2009 in fact, where the Bearcats beat 3 ranked teams on
their way to an undefeated season).
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Our
tailgate group has gotten smaller in recent years. I do think the Tuberville era is a part of it
as it got less fun for many to come to Nippert.
The other issue has been people moving out of town making it harder to
get to the game. This week instead of
setting up our own tailgate behind Martinos where we have been tailgating for a
decade, we joined up with another tailgate on The Grid. I’ve been on The Grid a few times, but never
for a full tailgate. UC has just done a
great job with it. The place is packed
and active. The catwalk is amazing. It was great getting to party on The
Grid.
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The
story of the first half was the Cincinnati defense in the redzone. For a half, UCF moved the ball up and down
the field. The first drive was largely
aided by penalties, but time and time again in the first half UCF moved into
scoring position. And nearly every time
the Bearcat defense held. UCF settled
for a field goal on their first drive.
Then on the second drive they marched down the field again before a Cam
Jefferies INT at the goal line and big return flipped the field. In the second quarter UCF had drives of 10
plays and 8 plays end in field goals.
Their only touchdown came on a short field (12 yards) after a Ridder
interception. Though UC trailed 16 to 10
at the half, the defenses ability prevent touchdowns had kept them in the game.
I
thought the offensive gameplan was conservative and put UC at risk in the first
half. Like UCF, UC’s only first half
touchdown came on a short field after forcing a turnover. Other than that, the Bearcat offense did very
little all half and seemed reluctant to challenge UCF down the field. UC’s first two drives ended with 2 yard dump
offs to Michael Warren on Third and 10 and third and 14, respectively. On their final drive of the half UC could
have at least taken a shot at the endzone with a Hail Mary, but chose to go in
the locker room down 6. It was a
generally frustrating game plan from the offense, but the defense had kept UC
in it by preventing touchdowns and creating the only UC touchdown drive by
giving them a 16 yard field. And it
turned out, the Bearcat defense would be even better in the second half.
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And
Nippert was rocking. The energy of the
crowd was felt from kickoff until the final snap. The students were there and loud early. Every third down, hell almost every down, the
crowd was in it, making noise and trying to help disrupt the UCF offense. I sit in the corner of the endzone near the
field and the noise on the field is always evident from that spot. As someone who has been lucky enough to
travel the country and visit some great stadiums, it’s always impressive how truly
exceptional Nippert Stadium can be.
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| Photo From @chadbrendel https://twitter.com/ChadBrendel/status/1180503929462951936 |
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That
energy was in full force in the second half, when the Bearcat defense
suffocated the great UCF offense.
However, it was the offense that got things started. The Bearcats came out aggressive in the
second half completing their first two passes and quickly moving into UCF
territory. Those completions lead to
some success running the football.
Ultimately the drive stalled largely because of a holding penalty, but
the Bearcats kicked a field goal to get within three.
The
Bearcat defense really took over from there.
They forced two straight three and outs where UCF lost 21 yards. Then on their third drive of the second,
Gabriel tried to throw a quick pass to the sideline and Ahmad Gardner made the
play of the season to this point, stepping in front of the pass and taking it
to the house. Suddenly UC had a lead. UCF had the ball 5 times in the third quarter. They lost 21 yards in the first 3 possessions
and threw a pick six. They had 1 first
down in the quarter, punted 4 times and were intercepted 1 time. This might have been the single best quarter
of football I’ve ever seen a Bearcat defense play.
Then on
the last play of the third quarter the truck busted free. A couple quick cuts and Warren was into the
open field. The end of the play was
particularly great as his last cuts forced to pursuing defenders to take each
other out, colliding into each other.
The Bearcats then scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when
Ridder found Alec Pierce in the corner of the endzone. Just like that UC was in control.
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It only
took the dominant week one win over Rutgers for most UC fans to realize 2009
could be an incredibly special season.
This was the week when that idea became real in 2019. UCF made the game interesting at the
end. They had a quick touchdown drive
and two point conversion to get within three.
UC got the ball back trying to run the clock out. Twice it looked like they picked up the first
down but twice the refs spotted the ball just before the sticks. That left Fickell with a fourth down decision
that I don’t really believe was a decision at all. UC needed a few inches to ice the game. They lined up and got those few inches. Despite my concerns regarding the staff too
often being passive and playing to tendency on offense, this is the kind of
situation where they always make the right call. They trust their guys to finish instead of
putting the game in the hands of the opposing offense. The staff has a ton of great qualities, but this
is one that has consistently stood out.
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Weeks 4
and 5 in 2009 were less interesting than this year. UC took care of Fresno State at home then went
to Miami and beat the Redhawks for a 5th straight season. Five games in and the Bearcats were finished
with their nonconference slate.
Similarly, the Bearcats have finished their nonconference slate this
season. From here on out, the Bearcats
will be playing conference games. They
likely need to run the table to have a shot at a major, New Year’s Bowl. In 2009 the Bearcats were facing a trip to
Tampa against the 21st ranked South Florida Bulls. This
year’s Bearcats head to Houston, a team many thought would contend in the
league, one capable of scoring in a hurry.
Next week is an enormous game, particularly when it comes to winning the
east. A win and suddenly UC has a slate
where they can run off some wins before the two huge games to close the
season. A win next Saturday and a
Division Championship will be firmly in their sights.
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