UC Struggling to Finish Red-Zone Chances: 'I Think We're Really Close'

Cincinnati is ranked 118th nationally in red-zone TD percentage.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Sep 26, 2023 1:23 PM EDT

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CINCINNATI — A few different factors have led UC football to lose back-to-back home games but the most glaring is red zone execution. Cincinnati is 25th nationally in red zone possessions this season (19) and a head-scratching 118th in TD percentage (47%).

Head coach Scott Satterfield discussed how his offense can get the latter number closer to the former.

"I think we're really close," Satterfield said on Tuesday. "We talked about that. As a whole offense, We're moving the ball. We're making plays. We get bogged down or we have a bad play at the wrong time. And next thing you know, you're off the sticks, you know, and then that's more difficult for the offense and we got to do a great job of staying on the sticks and doing what we do, and just executing and when you get down into tight red, down inside there, everything shrinks it's condensed. And so you're gonna have to win some one-on-one battles."

Cincinnati's nine red zone TDs rank 64th, but the long possessions and untimely missed kicks have punished them in the win column.

Still, the offense has been efficient between the 20s as the offensive line continues to gel. Saturday was a tough day as Emory Jones took on 31 pressures from Oklahoma.

"They were there," Satterfield said about some missed big-play opportunities. "You go back and watch the film. We had guys running wide open and you know a couple of times we're getting pressure, we're getting hit as the ball is getting thrown. We need a little bit more protection on those particular plays. And if you hit those, that's 14 points and now it's a different game."

BYU is tied for 54th nationally in opponent red-zone TD rate.

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