Indiana Football Week 4: Meet the Cincinnati Bearcats
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Indiana embarks on its first road trip of the season on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
In a Week 3 matchup in Bloomington, Ind. last season, Cincinnati outscored Indiana 15-0 in the fourth quarter to secure a 38-24 win on its way to a College Football playoff appearance.
Heading into this Week 4 contest at Cincinnati, Indiana is a 16.5-point underdog, according to the SI Sportsbook. Let's meet the 2022 Bearcats.
Replacing nine NFL Draft picks
After a College Football Playoff appearance last season, nine Bearcats were selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. First team All-American cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner was the fourth overall pick by the New York Jets.
Wide receiver Alec Pierce and safety Bryan Cook were taken in the second round, followed by quarterback Desmond Ridder and defensive end Myjai Sanders, who became third-round picks. Cornerback Coby Bryant went in the fourth round, running back Jerome Ford was taken in the fifth and linebacker Darrian Beavers and defensive lineman Curtis Brooks were sixth-round picks.
In total, the 2022 Cincinnati roster set a program record by producing nine NFL Draft picks.
Offensive leaders
Quarterback Ben Bryant took over for Desmond Ridder, and he's off to an efficient start to the 2022 season. Bryant boasts a 70.1 completion percentage on 97 pass attempts, throwing for 863 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions across three games.
With the loss of Jerome Ford, Cincinnati has divided carries between senior Charles McClelland and LSU transfer Corey Kiner, who have each scored three touchdowns. McClelland is averaging 6.4 yards on 33 carries with Kiner close behind at 5.0 yards per carry on 26 attempts. McClelland is used more in the passing game, hauling in seven receptions for 70 yards. Sophomore Myles Montgomery has made the most of his 10 rushes, going 112 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Alec Pierce now catches passes for the Indianapolis Colts after leading Cincinnati in all receiving categories in 2021. This year, Bryant has spread the ball around, completing at least five passes to seven different receivers.
Tyler Scott, a 5-foot-11 receiver, leads the way with 15 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns, and 5-foot-9 team captain Tre Tucker has caught 12 passes for 183 yards.
Scott and Tucker provide the speed for Cincinnati's receiving corps, which also features a trio of tall and athletic pass catchers. 6-foot-6 tight end and team captain Josh Whyle is third on the team with 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdowns, and fellow tight end Leonard Taylor, who stands at 6-foot-5, has scored touchdowns on two of his six receptions. Hawaii transfer Nick Mardner also brings serious size to Cincinnati at 6-foot-6, catching five passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bearcats are strong and experienced up front, led by three all-conference lineman Lorenz Metz, Jake Renfro and team captain Dylan O'Quinn.
Defensive leaders
Six of Cincinnati's nine NFL Draft picks came from the defensive side of the ball, leaving some talented shoes to fill. After making 125 tackles last season at Miami (OH), linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. transferred to Cincinnati, where he's made an immediate impact. Pace leads the Bearcats with 31 total tackles. 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
"I know [Pace] is behind me, I'll blink and next thing you know he's in the backfield," Cincinnati defensive lineman Jowon Briggs said. "That's probably one of the freakiest guys I've seen on the field."
Ja'Von Hicks and Arquon Bush have been mainstays in the Cincinnati defensive backfield, but they've take on even bigger roles with the departure of Sauce Gardner. Hicks and Bush each have one interception this year, coming in games where they limited Kennesaw State and Miami (OH) to 111 and 116 passing yards, respectively.
Linebacker Wilson Huber and defensive lineman Jabari Taylor are Cincinnati's team captains on defense. Huber sacked Alabama's Bryce Young in last year's College Football Playoff semifinal game, and Taylor brings 47 games worth of experience with 12 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Coaching staff
Luke Fickell is in his sixth year as Cincinnati head coach, and he received eight national coach of the year awards in 2021. He's led the Bearcats to a 50-16 record, which includes a 22-2 stretch during the 2020 and 2021 seasons where the only losses came against Georgia and Alabama.
Under Fickell, Cincinnati has won back-to-back American Athletic Conference championships and made a College Football Playoff appearance last year. A program-high nine players were selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, ranking third behind Georgia's 15 and LSU's 10. Fickell played nose guard at Ohio State from 1992 to 1996 before spending 16 seasons on the Buckeyes' coaching staff.
Cincinnati's defensive coordinator is Mike Tressel, whose uncle Jim Tressel coached Ohio State to a national championship victory in 2002. Mike was hired in this position before the 2021 season after holding various jobs on the Michigan State coaching staff.
After four years as Cincinnati's quarterbacks coach, Gino Guidugli took a step up to offensive coordinator before the 2022 season. He was instrumental in the development of quarterback Desmond Ridder, who is Cincinnati's all-time leader in touchdowns and total yards.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- LUKE FICKELL PREVIEWS INDIANA: Only fifth-round pick Jerome Ford, who transferred to UC from Alabama, was rated higher than a three-star by recruiting services entering college. CLICK HERE
- CHARLES CAMPBELL AND CAM JONES JOIN PODCAST: Welcome in to Episode 4 of the Hoosier Roundtable Podcast. This week's episode will feature linebacker Cam Jones and kicker Charles Campbell, who scored the game-winning field goal for Indiana's 33-30 win over Western Kentucky. CLICK HERE
- MYLES JACKSON EXEMPLIFIES 'BALL FINDS ENERGY': Myles Jackson intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in Indiana's 33-30 win over Western Kentucky in Week 3. After transferring from UCLA, he feels Indiana's bull position is a perfect fit. CLICK HERE
