College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Cincinnati Bearcats season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Cincinnati Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 11-3 overall, 7-1 in AAC
Head Coach: Luke Fickell, 4th year, 26-13
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 22
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 22
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 64
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats Offense 3 Things To Know
– The Cincinnati offense wasn’t the best in the AAC, and it certainly stalled out way too often, averaging just 390 yards and 30 points per game. The O moved the chains and controlled the clock, but it was about the running game rolling and the defense taking care of the rest.
Head man Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock wanted to create a powerful attack, and they did just that. Cincinnati went from running for 1,624 yards in 2017 to over 3,000 with 38 touchdowns in 2018 and close to 3,000 last year with 30 scores. However, the main man for the ground game is gone.
CFN in 60 Video: Nebraska Preview
Cincinnati at Nebraska, Sept. 26
– Michael Warren ran for well over 2,500 yards over the last two seasons with 33 scores. He was the focus of the attack, but the system had a lot to do with the production.
Enter Alabama transfer Jerome Ford, a superstar get for Nick Saban who couldn’t find his way into a ridiculously loaded backfield. He’s the most talented option, but 230-pound Gerrid Doaks is a pounding veteran who can handle the work, running for 526 yards and five scores last season.
They might have a better line to work behind than Warren did.
The guard situation is a wee bit iffy going into the fall, but the addition of Michigan transfer James Hudson gives the staff a whole lot of flexibility. There’s depth, good size – expect the UC line to average about 315 pounds per man – and a whole lot of options to play around with. Now the pass protection has to be stronger.
– The passing game has to be more consistent, but Desmond Ridder was great at pushing the ball down the field, and he’s a tough, dangerous runner who was second on the team with 650 yards and five scores. However, he only completed 55% of his passes. Sophomore Ben Bryant subbed in for the big game against Memphis late in the season and was good enough – he’s at least a solid No. 2.
The receiving corps loses star TE Josiah Deguara to the Green Bay Packers, and a few other parts are done, but leading receiver Alec Pierce is back coming off a 37-catch, 652-yard, two touchdown season.
The addition of Notre Dame transfer Michael Young along with Ohio State transfers Blue Smith and 6-6 Garyn Prater give the corps an upgrade of talent, and Michigan State transfer Noah Davis will make a push to be the new Deguara at tight end.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats Defense 3 Things To Know
– The defense was very good, but it was more about coming up with the big stops and the right times than it was about being dominant overall.
The Bearcats had an okay pass rush, were okay on third downs, and were okay against the pass. But the run defense was great, and there were lots and lots of takeaways, leading the AAC and finishing tenth in the nation with 26.
And now, with 15 of the top 17 tacklers expected back, look out.
– The linebacking corps is the one early concern with Bryan Wright and Perry Young done, but fourth-leading tackler Jarrell White is back, and the hope is for former UConn transfer Darrian Beavers to do more after coming up with 36 stops. 235-pound senior Joel Dublanko will likely take over for Wright in the middle.
They will all catch a break by working behind what might be the AAC’s best line.
The combination of Elijah Ponder – whether he plays inside or out – and Jabari Taylor is experienced and good, and Myjai Sanders is a dangerous veteran end. This is a big line with the flexibility to move around Ponder where needed.
– The secondary starts with ball-hawking safety Ja’von Hicks, who came up with 50 tackles and a team-high five picks. Corner Ahmad Gardner had a huge first season with three picks – taking two for scores – with eight broken up passes, and the rest of the secondary is back after turning into one of the best in the nation at generating big plays.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Cincinnati Bearcats Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Cincinnati Bearcats Players
Best Cincinnati Bearcats Offensive Player
QB Desmond Ridder, Jr.
If nothing else, he showed off his worth late last season as he missed the key regular season finale against Memphis before coming back and being less than himself in the AAC Championship.
He might not be the most accurate passer around – he didn’t hit the 60% mark after doing it against Marshall in late September – but he’s mobile, big, and can hit the big play down the field.
2. WR Alec Pierce, Jr.
3. RB Jerome Ford, Soph.
4. OT James Hudson, Jr.
5. WR Blue Smith, Soph.
Best Cincinnati Bearcats Defensive Player
DE/DT Elijah Ponder, Sr.
A whole lot of the Bearcat defenders could push for this honor of being the team’s best player. The 6-3, 275-pound Ponder isn’t nearly as flashy as most of the other options, but he’s the glue that helps keep it all going.
While he’ll get behind the line – he came up with 2.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss with 33 tackles – his main role is to hold firm up front along with 293-pound veteran Jabari Taylor.
If Ponder moves to the end and Curtis Brooks plays a bigger role, then the line becomes massive against the run. It all happens because of Ponder’s versatility.
2. S Ja’von Hicks, Jr.
3. CB Ahmad Gardner, Soph.
4. S Darrick Forrest, Sr.
5. DT Curtis Brooks, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Cincinnati Bearcats Offense
Don’t blow off the passing game. The ground attack will be there again. Michael Warren might be done, but the Bearcats have a good-looking backfield working behind another huge, talented line. Blasting away will be the norm.
Now complete more passes.
The Bearcats only hit 55% of their passes – mostly from Desmond Ridder – bit it didn’t matter all that much. They weren’t beating Ohio State no matter what, and Ridder was out in the first game against Memphis and the passing game didn’t work in the AAC title game.
However, the offense threw 17 touchdown passes in the first nine games and just two in the final five. Under Luke Fickell, the team has won its last 15 games – going 14-0 over the last two years – when generating two touchdown passes or more.
Biggest Key To The Cincinnati Bearcats Defense
It’s not like the Bearcats had too many problems overall with the defense, but a few more third down stops would’ve been a plus.
Considering the defense allowed teams to convert just 28% of their third down chances in 2018, allowing 38% last season was a slip.
When the D worked and dominated, the O took over with the ground game, and forget it – just ask Boston College, who was stopped on all 11 third down tries in the blowout loss in the Birmingham Bowl.
Seven times UC allowed 40% or more, and three times it gave up 50% or more. In those three games, the team got whacked by Ohio State, and it got pushed way too hard by East Carolina and Tulsa.
Key Cincinnati Bearcats Player To A Successful Season
RB Jerome Ford, Soph.
And/or Gerrid Doaks. The 230-pound Doaks led the team with 513 rushing yards in 2017, got knocked out for the season before 2018 even got started, and last year turned into a good part of the rotation behind Michael Warren.
Doaks might be the No. 1 guy early on, but Alabama transfer Jerome Ford is too good to keep off the field.
The former Alabama star recruit is built for this offense. He’s 5-11 and 213 pounds, has great balance and quickness, and he’s got a whole lot of tread on the tires.
As good as Ford and Doaks might be, replacing what Warren did is still asking for a lot.
Key Game To The Cincinnati Bearcats Season
Memphis, Oct. 31
It’s different this year – the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference play each other for the championship. That means the road game at UCF on November 21st doesn’t mean as much as it did last year, but that’s only if UC beats Memphis first.
2013. That’s the last time the Bearcats beat Memphis, losing five straight including the two back-to-back games last year that cost them the American Athletic Conference title.
– Cincinnati Bearcats Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Cincinnati Fun Stats
– Penalties: Cincinnati 123 for 977 yards – Opponents 93 for 757 yards
– 4th Down Conversion: Cincinnati 11-of-17 (65%) – Opponents 5-of-19 (26%)
– Time of Possession: Cincinnati 31:50 – Opponents 28:10
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Cincinnati Bearcats Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
11-3 is 11-3. You are what your record is – as the line goes – and Cincinnati lost to a phenomenal Ohio State team in Columbus, and two times on the road at Memphis in good battles. That was it.
Sort of.
Coming up with 11 wins two years in a row is coming up with 11 wins two years in a row. Again, you are what your record is, but last season the Bearcats won four games by three points or fewer. That’s fine when you’re battling with UCF, but it took way too much club to get past East Carolina, USF and Temple.
It also helped that the bowl game was against a Boston College team moving on from its head coach, and the supposedly splashy win over UCLA really wasn’t a big deal, and …
11-3 is 11-3. The last two years were good enough to get Michigan State all into UC head man Luke Fickell, but it didn’t work, the coach is back, and so are way too many parts from last year’s fantastic squad to not be great again.
Set The Cincinnati Bearcats Regular Season Win Total At … 9.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 8.5
Can Cincinnati win at Nebraska? Absolutely.
That’s the only date against an FBS team.
However, the trips to UCF and Temple come at the very end, Memphis and Houston will be tough, and back-to-back road games at Tulsa and SMU are scarier than they might seem.
But get the running game going again, get the defense to make a whole lot of big plays and takeaways again, and win the close games again – this team can do that.
11 wins might be 11 wins for a third straight season.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
