Nine Observations on the Bearcats Victory Over Tulsa

Corey Kiner and aggressive coaching led the way plus don't expect Ben Bryant to be Desmond Ridder 2.0.

Author:
Alex Frank
Updated:
Oct 4, 2022 12:15 PM EDT

In this story:

CLEMSON — The Cincinnati Bearcats ran their conference winning streak up to 17 games with a 31-21 win over Tulsa Saturday night.

It was far from pretty, but the Bearcats program isn't built on pretty. A tough and nasty style of play won the game, even if there were some head-scratching penalties and plays.

Here are nine observations from the game that could have an impact on the final seven games of the regular season.

1. This year's defense might be better than last year's, and the numbers back it up. Last year, Cincinnati sacked opposing quarterbacks 39 times. This year, they've already recorded 23 sacks through just five games. That means they're on pace to more than double that total if they play 14 games this year.

2. Major credit goes to defensive tackles, Jowon Briggs and Jabari Taylor. Both veterans have stepped up admirably after Malik Vann went on the shelf for the season with a torn pec. The two combined for four sacks and five tackles for loss in the win at Tulsa, contributing to 26 plays that went for negative yards.

3. Great to see Corey Kiner break out. He's a running back who can give the Bearcats' running game a tremendous jolt with his burst of speed. After the worst running performance of the Luke Fickell era, the Bearcats came out and rushed for nearly 200 yards against a Tulsa team daring Cincinnati to run the ball.

4. I heard a caller on ESPN1530 suggesting this offense is more balanced than last year's. I can see why because the Bearcats can beat defenses this year with both the pass and run, but the numbers suggest last year's offense was more balanced.

5. The Bearcats averaged 241.2 passing yards and 172.9 rushing yards last year. This year, the Bearcats are averaging just under 300 passing yards per game and 144 rushing yards per game.

6. Speaking of the passing game, I get the sense that some fans are expecting too much out of Ben Bryant. And I think that's because those fans are still intrigued by the idea of Evan Prater being this team's starting quarterback.

7. But here's another reason: they think he can be Desmond Ridder 2.0. I've got news for you—that's not going to happen. Ridder is one of one. There will never be another Desmond Ridder who comes through this program. Let Bryant grow.

8. Luke Fickell is an aggressive head coach. We saw that to the tune of converting two fourth downs into touchdowns and nearly converting a two-minute drill into a touchdown at the end of the first half. Aggression wins in football, and it's a big reason why the Bearcats are 26-3 since the start of the 2020 season.

9. I cannot wait for the days when the Bearcats stop playing televised American Athletic Conference games. Too many commercials, breaks between plays are too long, too many reviews, and just a sleepwalk of a product to watch.

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