Final Huddle: Cincinnati Bearcats Football Falls to Nebraska in Season Opener

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats football team showed improvement on a few things from last season, but Thursday's 20-17 season-opening loss to Nebraska ended in an eerily familiar way.

Brendan Sorsby threw a deep game-ending pick with Cincinnati just outside field goal range. It capped off a 69-yard passing performance from Cincinnati's top leader. On the flip side, Dylan Raiola guided Nebraska steadily with a solid outing (33-42, 243 yards and two TDs).

"That ball from Sorsby has to be a little more out to the sideline or deep where nobody can get it but the safety made a great play from the opposite hash," Uc head coach Scott Satterfield said after the game.

Cincinnati's defense played very well and gave the offense plenty of chances to win the game, but it couldn't culminate in a triumph as the Bearcats' losing streak extended to six games, dating back to last season.

Sorsby Disappoints Through The Air

Cincinnati couldn't overcome a horrific passing outing from Sorsby (13-25, 69 yards, one INT). The veteran QB did not have his rhythm at all when passing the football tonight. He soared passes over receivers, didn't complete any passes longer than 14 yards (0-3), and just never looked comfortable in his progressions.

UC's new offensive line held up relatively well in its first real game action together, powering the rushing attack to its usual strong numbers (30 carries for 202 yards). The pass blocking seemed strong as well, but it wasn't enough.

It marked Sorsby's lowest quarterback rating as a Bearcat (67.2) and will leave a bad taste in his mouth for a few weeks before Cincinnati faces another top-50 opponent in the country during the trip to Kansas. The rushing was fantastic at times (13 carries for 96 yards, 2 TDs), to help power some offense, but he cannot pass this poorly if Cincinnati wants to even match last year's win total, let alone make a bowl game.

End of Half Hijinks

Cincinnati has struggled to close out halves in strong fashion during the Scott Satterfield era, and that continued on Thursday night with a major flip in momentum.

Cincinnati forced a third-down fumble that they couldn't fall in the final two minutes of the half, then proceeded to fumble themselves deep in their own territory on the next drive. Nebraska took advantage of a double-digit lead, and Cincinnati couldn't recover.

The Bearcats' offense hurt the whole winning operation greatly on Saturday, and that sequence encapsulated it perfectly. The average yards per completion was putrid compared to Nebraska throughout the first frame, and ultimately, the passing game kept Cincinnati from starting 1-0.

All of the fresh talent for the wide receiver unit never got rolling, and Sorsby missed his fair share of open targets to culminate in a destructive 20-yard passing half.

Defense Flies Around

The defense kept Cincinnati in this contest all night long. They blew a few chances to completely flip it with turnovers, but besides that donut, things went swimmingly.

Jake Golday (12 tackles, one sack) led a thumping unit that allowed just 4.5 yards per play and kept Nebraska's playmakers at bay for most of the night. Tyson Veidt went with a bend-don't-break strategy as Nebraska broke through at times, but never got into a consistent flow to run away. UC forced two fumbles that they didn't get and dropped a pick-six that may have led them to victory.

Alas, they were much better with funneling out big play opportunities on Thursday, allowing just eight total combined through the air and on the ground. All while facing a barrage of plays (nearly double the time of possession for Nebraska over UC).

Cincinnati has to find a way to run the ball more effectively, a continuing theme from last season.

Overall, the defense did more than enough to win the game as it prepares for Bowling Green at home next week.

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