2021 First Glance Preview: Week Three (Cincinnati Bearcats)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Week Three : Cincinnati Bearcats

Date & Time: Saturday, September 18 at Noon

Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN

TV: ABC or ESPN

Bearcats at a Glance

Head Coach: Luke Fickell

Entering his fifth season as Cincinnati head coach

Record at Cincinnati: 35-14 (21-9 in American Athletic Conference)

Overall Record: 41-21

Last Season: 9-1 (6-0 in AAC)

Bearcats Returning Leaders

Passing: Desmond Ridder – 186 of 281 (66.2%), 2296 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions

Rushing: Desmond Ridder – 592 yards on 98 carries with 12 touchdowns

Receiving: Josh Whyle – 28 catches for 353 yards with six touchdowns

Tackles: Darrian Beavers – 58 tackles (38 solo)

Bearcats Preseason Predictions

Athlon: 1st in the AAC

Pick Six Previews:

Phil Steele:

S&P+:

Impact Newcomers for the Bearcats

Defensive tackle transfer (University of Virginia) Jowon Briggs

Offensive line transfer (Stony Brook) James Tunstall

Biggest Questions Facing Bearcats

1.     After a breakthrough campaign, can the Bearcats stay hungry?

Indiana and Cincinnati are in similar situations. Both programs had majorly successful seasons in 2020 and return a lot of production in 2021. The Hoosiers and Bearcats both have very likable head coaches and a lot of momentum as fans return to the stands for this coming campaign. Both programs also have to deal with high expectations for the first time in several years. After a 9-1 campaign that saw the Bearcats land a Peach Bowl appearance, can Cincinnati find the same hunger and desire that drove them to their 2020 success? Much like IU, they may be fueled by a late loss in their bowl game. The Bearcats battled Georgia to the end but lost on a 53-yard field goal that prevented an unbeaten season.

2.     Can the Bearcats successfully replace both starting tackles?

Both of Cincinnati’s starting tackles in 2020 made the All-AAC team and helped anchor a terrific unit up front. Both of those players are now gone and there are three men vying for those two starting spots. John Williams, Dylan O’Quinn and James Tunstall are the candidates to win those positions. Tunstall is a transfer from Stony Brook while the other two have developed within the program. Cincinnati’s offensive line is not going to completely fall apart but losing a pair of all-conference performers won’t be easy to overcome.

3.     Is this the best bet for a “Group of Five” squad to break into the College Football Playoff?

The Bearcats will be highly-ranked and they now have the national recognition required to have a chance at crashing the party. Of course, to do so, they will have to go undefeated. The schedule starts with home games against Miami (OH) and Murray State before critical trips with national attention to Indiana and Notre Dame. If they go 4-0, the hype train will be revved up as they enter AAC play with home games against Temple and Central Florida. Going undefeated is unlikely but Cincinnati will have the personnel to make it a possibility.

Program Preview

The Cincinnati Bearcats have been a steady and consistent program for a while. Mark Dantonio had a pair of winning seasons before heading to Michigan State and then Brian Kelly propelled the Bearcats to a ten-win season an outright Big East title in 2008. They went up another level in 2009, going unbeaten throughout the regular season before getting chomped by the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. Brian Kelly took the Notre Dame job and Butch Jones moved over from Central Michigan to lead the program. After a disastrous 4-8 record in 2010, they bounced back for a 10-3 2011 campaign and a 9-3 record in 2012 before bolting for Tennessee. Tommy Tuberville was next and he had an uneven four seasons in Cincinnati, going 29-22 as the Bearcats moved to the American Athletic Conference. He resigned in late 2016 and began his eventful foray into politics and Cincinnati turned to the associate head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Luke Fickell. 2017 was rough with a 4-8 record but Fickell led the program to an 11-2 record in 2018 and a win in the Military Bowl over Virginia Tech. The upward trajectory continued in 2019 as Cincinnati won their division and again won 11 games. Last season saw a return to the AAC Championship Game but this time, they were victorious, knocking off Memphis and earning a bid to the Peach Bowl. To recap, Cincinnati has won double-digit games seven times since 2007 and they would have won 11 or 12 games (for an eighth double-digit season win total) last season if not for the COVID-shortened campaign. Make no mistake, this is a very good program and they have expectations to reach even higher in 2021.

Offensive Preview

The biggest hurdle to Cincinnati becoming an AAC power was their lack of offense. Luke Fickell and budding star defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman had developed a stout defense and identity but the offense was not scoring quite enough to hang with the likes of Memphis and Central Florida. That changed in 2020 as quarterback Desmond Ridder blossomed into a star and the Bearcats averaged 37.5 points per game, up from 29.6 in 2019. Ridder was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year and could have been selected in the NFL Draft. He opted to return to school for his final season and can cement his status as the greatest Bearcat quarterback in school history. Ridder is a dual-threat player that threw for 229 yards per game and added 59.2 yards per game on the ground. Ridder has won 30 games as the starting quarterback and will be prepared for anything the Hoosiers throw at him. The passing attack will be a bit different than most as they heavily feature the tight end. Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor are two of the top targets and Whyle will be one of the top players at the position in all of college football. The best receiver is 6’3” Alec Pierce. Pierce was limited by a shoulder injury or he would have been WR1 for the Bearcats. They also have Michael Young and a speedster in Tre Tucker but the receivers are not the primary concern in the passing game as the focus will need to be on Ridder’s legs and the two tight ends. While Cincinnati has improved their passing game, Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock still believe in relying on the running game. Gerrid Doaks is gone so Jerome Ford is now stepping into the starting role. He was highly successful last season as the number two, averaging 6.6 yards per carry and garnering eight touchdowns. He’s a quicker back that will be a challenge for IU’s defensive front. The largest question mark for Cincinnati is the offensive line. While the interior returns a few starters, they need to replace a pair of all-conference tackles. Whoever wins those jobs will have limited experience as starters when the Bearcats come to Bloomington.

Defensive Preview

Much like Tom Allen, Luke Fickell cut his teeth as a defensive coach. He worked on that side of the ball for Ohio State and has built the Cincinnati Bearcats into a consistently excellent defensive team. Last year was no different as the Bearcats held opponents to 16.8 points per game and surrendered only 3.13 rushing yards per game. There are a couple of changes…former defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman left for South Bend (Mike Tressel was hired as his replacement) and last season’s leading tackler (Jarrell White) left for the NFL. Those changes aside, this should be a terrific defense once again. It all starts with game-changing pass rusher Myjai Sanders. The defensive end is likely a first-round draft pick after this coming season and he anchors a strong defensive line with plenty of depth. This won’t be the biggest defensive line in the interior that the Hoosiers face but they play with an edge and are very stout against the run. Caleb Jones and whoever starts at right tackle will need to have terrific games against Sanders. At linebacker, Joel Dublanko and Darrian Beavers are both back as super-seniors. Replacing the aforementioned Jarell White (a first-team all-conference pick last year) will be difficult. Two more all-conference performers, actually one being an All-American, must be replaced at safety as James Wiggins and Darrick Forrest moved on to the NFL. Bryan Cook and Ja’von Hicks will step in and both are expected to do well. Still, replacing two NFL draft picks is not easy to do. The corners are outstanding and one of the best duos IU will see all season. Coby Bryant and All-American Ahmad Gardner. “Sauce” Gardner could propel himself into first-round NFL consideration and give the Bearcats a pair of top draft picks in the 2022 draft. This will be one of the best secondaries, if not the best, Michael Penix and the Hoosiers face.

Special Teams Preview

James Smith was a Ray Guy finalist and his absence at punter will be a big loss. True freshman Mason Fletcher will have the duties now. Kicker Cole Smith hit seven of ten field goals last season and is adequate at the position and they have decent returners that could test IU’s kick return unit if a mistake is made.