Just like we did last year, we’ll be providing a preview of Ohio State’s opponent for the upcoming week. It’s a twelve game slate, so it’ll be done as a series with each piece running early on in the game week.
So, if you want to impress your friends while watching the game or snapping selfies with interesting tid-bits of scouting information, we’ve got your cheat code right here.
After taking care of business against Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic squad, Ohio State hosts in-state foe Cincinnati. It’s the return of Luke Fickell to his Alma-mater, and the Bearcats are sure to be pumped up for this one. Ohio State might want to tread lightly.
Cincinnati Record
(1-0); Beat UCLA 24-14 in week one
Series Record
Ohio State leads 14-2-0
Last Meeting
Ohio State won 50-28 in 2014
All-Time Vitals
Record: 617-588-50, No. 81 All-Time
National Championships: 0
Conference Championships: 14, No. 41 All-Time
Bowl Games: 17, No. 65 All-Time
Bowl Record: 8-9-0, No. 52 All-Time
Consensus All-Americans: 3, No. 77 All-Time
Heisman Winners: None
NFL Draft Picks: 116, No. 72 All-Time
Best All-Time Season
2009 – There’s not too many all-time type seasons in Bearcat football history, but the year Brian Kelly steered Cincinnati to an undefeated regular season is by far the best in school history. The Bearcats got out to a quick start that season and never looked back.
On the way to an unblemished regular season, Cincinnati beat six future Power 5 opponents including West Virginia, Illinois and Pittsburgh to finish out the year. The Bearcats received an invite to a BCS bowl game, but fell to Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl 51-24. It was a sour end to an otherwise sweet-treat of a campaign.
Brian Kelly would accept the Notre Dame job after the regular season largely because of the success of that year.
Best Player Of All-Time
Greg Cook, QB (1966-1968) – Cook is a fascinating story not too many casual fans know about. Heck, not to many recent die-hards even know how good the former UC quarterback was. Simply put, he was probably the most talented player to ever put the Bearcat uniform on.
At 6-4, 220 lbs., he was a physical specimen in the days before such a premium was put on size. He had a live arm and slung it around like nobody else in the country. In fact, he led the nation in passing yards in 1968, throwing for 3,372 yards with eight-straight games of 250 yards or more. He chipped in 25 touchdowns through the air.
Those numbers still play well today, but back then, it was remarkable. Cook was selected in the first round as the No. 5 overall pick in the 1969 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He had a very solid rookie campaign but had to call it a career because of an injury to his rotator cuff. He tried to play through the pain and hung on for three years or so trying to get things right, but he was never the same and had to hang up the cleats.
What could have been for Cook is still discussed today in NFL circles.
Next … Head coach, offensive and defensive style
Current Head Coach
Luke Fickell, 16-10 at Cincinnati, 22-17 overall with an interim stop as Ohio State’s head coach in 2011.
Offensive Style
It’s hard to pinpoint an offensive style for Cincinnati but it’ll base things out of a pistol/spread set. Still, the Bearcats offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock likes to use multiple sets, packages and styles depending on the team he’s going against. One play the team might line up in a down-hill blocking formation, and the next it might spread you out and try to make plays in space.
It’s a hard offense to prepare for because you’ve got to be flexible and be able to go against pro-sets, ground and pound formations, as well as the spread look. Against UCLA, the Bearcats were fairly balanced yardage wise but did lean on the run more than the pass. You’ve got to be ready for anything.
Defensive Style
There’s a familiar face calling the shots on defense for Ohio State fans. When Luke Fickell took over as head coach, he called upon former Buckeye linebacker Marcus Freeman to be the defensive coordinator. As you would expect coming from the OSU program, Freeman runs things out of a base 4-3 defense.
But much like the offensive philosophy, Cincinnati will change things up and morph into a 4-2-5 scheme, with a hybrid player to switch between run support and pass coverage. The defense will bring blitz packages if it has to and will put a premium on stopping the run.
Next … Player to watch and how Cincinnati can win
Player to watch
Michael Warren, RB — Warren took over for an injured Gerrid Doaks who went down with a hernia injury last year, and he took off — leading the team with 1,329 yards and 19 touchdowns. He’s got some shiftiness and burst to him, but can also support the offense a wee-bit in the passing game out of the backfield.
He led the team in rushing against UCLA by toting the mail 26 times for 92 yards and a TD, but also caught 3 passes for 27 yards and a score. He’ll be the main focus on offense, and Ohio State needs to find a way to limit his production.
Cincinnati can win the game If …
…the defense can make things difficult for Ohio State in the running game.
As good as things looked early on through the air Saturday for Justin Fields and Ohio State, once FAU adjusted and started coming downhill with more guys in the box, the O-line started to have issues in protection. With so many guys flowing to the line-of-scrimmage, J.K. Dobbins and the running game never really got on track either.
If you’re Cincinnati, you’re using that template until Ohio State can display an ability to block and protect long enough for routes to come open down the field. From there, stay close and look to steal the game at the end.
