Preview: UC Football Opens 2023 Season Against Parker McKinney, Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Cincinnati opened the 2008 season against Eastern Kentucky as well.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Aug 31, 2023 3:31 PM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Week 1 of the 2023 college football season is finally here as UC takes on FCS school Eastern Kentucky to open the campaign.

Cincinnati has won 21 consecutive home openers and is playing Eastern Kentucky for the first time since 2008, when they throttled the Colonels 40-7. The Bearcats enter Saturday as a 97.1% ESPN FPI favorites.

When EKU Has The Ball

The Colonels return a lot of talent on offense, headlined by veteran quarterback Parker McKinney. He posted nearly 4,000 passing yards last season to go with a 33-8 TD-INT ratio and shouldn't be phased by the raucous Nippert crowd. Overall, McKinney's thrown for 9,723 passing yards, 1,446 rushing yards, 94 total touchdowns, and 32 interceptions over his career.

He led a potent EKU attack last year that averaged 36.2 PPG (11th in FCS) and 329.7 passing yards per game (No. 3 in FCS). McKinney is joined by leading 2022 receiver Jaden Smith (62 catches, 750 yards, and six TDs) and running back Braedon Sloan (42 receptions, 506 yards, and three scores). That duo should test the second and third levels of a Bearcats defense headlined by the big fellas.

Mix in the fact that all five 2023 starting EKU linemen have at least eight starts in their Colonel careers and you get a more potent FCS test than normal on this side of the ball.

When UC Has The Ball

This is where the talent gap should really start to show.

Continuity on offense and change on defense for EKU after it returns three starters from last year's terrible unit. The wide-zone scheme from Scott Satterfield gets a juicy matchup here. EKU allowed 35.2 points per game (No. 101 in the FCS), and 240.2 rushing yards per game (No. 120) last season.

The biggest factor that could make this game closer than expected is the EKU transfer impact on defense. They've added a few FBS transfers (Duke DB Tony Davis and Ohio LB Kyle Kelly) and one premier FCS cornerback: Illinois State's Franky West.

West (89 PFF grade in 2022) has the second-highest PFF grade of any returning FCS cornerback. Still, he's just one guy up against a UC wide receiver room that's arguably in the top half of the Big 12 following all of the transfer movement after spring ball.

Prediction: 49-14 UC

Sticking with my game-by-game thoughts for UC's season opener. Parker McKinney will find some success early, but the new UC secondary starts to settle in and not much else goes right for EKU.

Emory Jones lights up the defense for 350-plus all-purpose yards and gets Braden Smith involved in a few scores to leave no doubt in Week 1.

The Colonels took things to the wire with two MAC schools last year in Eastern Michigan (42-34 loss) and Bowling Green (59-57 7OT win), so expect a UC drubbing, just not right away.

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