As we took a turn away from politics, college football was in full throttle. UC entered today’s game with the fourth-longest active home win streak in the FBS. The Cincinnati Bearcats were riding a wave of momentum after dominantly beating AAC rival Memphis last week. The #6 teams in the nation sought to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Houston Cougars. The University of Cincinnati Bearcats put another win under their belt as they march to the postseason with a 38-10 victory. UC also extends its conference home win streak to 12 games.
The game was mostly about the Bearcats defense and running game. The defense came to play out the gate forcing the Cougars to punt the ball on three consecutive drives. Gerrid Doaks was up to his old trick again as he had five carries for 94 yards, a touchdown, and a reception for 15 yards. The majority of those rushing yards came off of a 72-yard dash deep on the UC side of the field. He had a full game worth of stats in the first quarter. There wasn’t much action in the first quarter, but Doaks set the tone for the rest of the game.
In the second quarter, the Cincinnati passing game came alive. The offense wasn’t explosive; it used flat and intermediate routes for clock control. To cap off two scoring drives, QB Desmond Ridder ran for touchdowns. The success of the Bearcats offense lay on the shoulders of their star running back. Once Doak got rolling, that allowed for play-action and misdirection plays. The Houston defense had no answer once the Bearcats offense became more blanched. The Bearcats caught a rhythm and went to a no-huddle offense that produced three scores. In total, the Bearcats had three touchdowns in the second quarter. The halftime score was 28-10.
The second half was about the defensive units. Both offenses seemed stagnant as neither team could catch a rhythm. The Bearcats went away from the no-huddle back to the traditional style offense. Desmond Riddle had the majority of the UC offense on the ground in the second half. In the second quarter, the Bearcats looked like a legit playoff contender. Outside of that, they looked like a team that could have lost to better competition. The Bearcats will have to work on their passing game consistency as we enter the latter parts of the season. Riddle ended the day 17-27, with 162 passing yards and a touchdown.
Every game becomes apparent that Gerrid Doaks should win AAC offensive player of the year. The star running back finished with 16 carries for 184 yards, three catches for 30 yards, and a rushing TD. He put the NFL on notice with a full package today. He showed big-play ability with his first-quarter run; Doaks ran in between the tackles, he passed blocked to keep Riddle with a clean pocket, and has become a reliable force in the passing game.
“This is a crew that has gone through a lot of things that a lot of people don’t realize,” Fickell said. “What it has taken for us to get here, that really gives you an opportunity to stay humble.”
The Bearcats take on the East Carolina Pirates next Friday. With Notre Dame playing Clemson the Bearcats have a chance to crack the top 5. As Luke Fickell and UC have more success, the top tier programs will begin to make calls to the Head Coach.
