Cincinnati Preview

 BG will be heading down to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats.  Here's a preview.

The Series

• BG has beaten UC every time we've played..4-0. Last time was 38-0 in early Blackney.
• UC is, of course, now a P4 team, but they were original members of the MAC. 
• UC has a long-standing rivalry with Miami, which stands at 33-28-1
• They are 25-16 against the remainder of the MAC.
• UC's trends.
• They are 8-17 since joining the Big 12.
• They were top 10 for a couple of years when Fickell was there.  Tuberville, on the other hand, was never ranked in 4 years.
• They have had high-profile coaches:  Satterfield, Fickell, Tuberville, Jones, Kelly, D'Antonio

Expectations This Year...

• They have lost 6 straight.
• The Bearcats were picked 9th by Phil Steele in the Big 12, in which there are 16 teams.
• Here is where he ranked their position groups:
• QB: 8
• RB:5
• WR: 6
• OL: 7
• DL: 6
• LB:9
• DB: 11
• ST: 9
• Coach: 11
• They are #26 in experience, based on Phil Steele's experience rankings.
• Steele's pre-season Big 12 First team has Joe Royer (TE).
• Dontay Corleone (DT) and Mason Fletcher (P) are on the second-team.

The Opener...

• They lost 20-17 to Nebraska at Arrowhead with UC Alum Travis Kelce in the house.
• Offensively, they were very run-focused--30 attempts for 202 yards.
• All of their RBs were effective, but most worrisome was the 96 yards on 13 carries from their QB, Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby.  Historically, BG has struggled with running QBs, including Lafayette's run specialist.  It will be interesting to see how Pringle and Lamson manage this threat.
• Their passing was not much--13 of 25 for 69 yards, one pic on a last-minute drive in the end zone.
• He was their QB last year, and was #61 in passing efficiency in the country at 136.  Bazelak had a 142. 
• He had a 64% completion rate but was most effective on passes from 0 to 20 yards.
• Defensively, they were very effective against the Nebraska run game, allowing only 3.6 yards per rush, sack adjusted.
• They were more vulnerable on the pass, allowing 33-42 for 243, 2 TD, 0 INT. 
• They did have 3 sacks on 45 dropbacks.
• Jake Golday was Big-12 Defensive Player of the Week. (12 tackles and a sack)
• Overall, they were -1 in turnovers.
• Their punting and FG games were good, and return defense was good.  They had only 1 return opportunity of their own, for 20 yards.

General:

• On Thursday, the Bearcats were 21.5 favorites.