ORLANDO, Fla. – A touchdown pass from the 25-yard line and an extra point would have spoiled a Cincinnati Bearcats resilient effort Saturday. Instead, native Floridian Jared Bartlett and fellow linebacker Jake Golday sacked UCF quarterback Jacurri Brown in the closing seconds and the Bearcats notched their first Big 12 road win of the season, holding off the Knights 19-13.
In his final season of college football, Bartlett took matters into his own hands (literally) and kept UC’s hopes alive at the halfway point of the season.
“It’s a very pivotal part of the season for us,” Bartlett said. “In the middle of the season, good teams get better and teams that don’t take that step forward tend to fall apart.”
UC is now 4-2, two wins from bowl eligibility. The Bearcats held UCF to 13 points which tied their season low set last week in Gainesville in a loss to Florida.
“The message was, ‘We’re not leaving ’til the job is done,'” UC coach Scott Satterfield said.
UC UCF victoryTakeaways from Cincinnati Bearcats Big 12 football win vs. UCF Saturday
In addition to Bartlett, another Floridian showed out in front of his family as wide receiver Tony Johnson from Ocala had a season-high eight catches for 76 yards. He also resurrected himself after taking a hit on the sidelines inside the UCF 10-yard line. Not long after UC’s medical staff surrounded him, he was back on the field scoring a touchdown.
“I thought it was a knee or something,” Satterfield said. “By the time I got over there, he popped up and said, ‘I’m going coach!'”
The Bearcats find themselves now in the mid-to-upper range of the Big 12. BYU, Texas Tech and Iowa State are undefeated in the Big 12 at 3-0. UC, Colorado, West Virginia, Arizona State and Kansas State have one league loss. UC has six more games, three at home, mostly against the current upper echelon.
5 reactions/overreactions as Cincinnati Bearcats football sits at 4-2 after beating UCF
1. UC could have had a more decisive win
Reaction: That’s a fair assessment when you figure Sorsby threw a pair of red zone interceptions. In the first quarter, a pass intended for tight end Joe Royer was picked off by UCF’s Brandon Adams at the 8-yard line. Midway into the second quarter, another pass meant for Royer was tipped, then caught by Ladarius Tennison, another Knight defensive back at the 3-yard line. All things considered, UC could have led 27-3 by halftime.
Overreaction: The Bearcats were a play away from being bounced at FPC Mortgage Stadium a/k/a “The Bounce House”. That’s also accurate, but the defense continually kept UC in the game as it finished with four sacks, two by Bartlett, one by linebacker Jake Golday and one by “The Godfather” Dontay Corleone.
“The signs of a good team are when you’re not having your best on one side and the other side’s picking you up,” Satterfield said.
2. More missed kicks allowed UCF to stay close
Reaction: The ever-reliable, knee-jerk of social media is quick to criticize a kicker. This week, Nathan Hawks missed a 36-yard field goal before halftime that could have made it a 13-3 game. He also missed an extra point. Both are a concern but Hawks did finish the game 2-for-3 on field goals and one was from 51 yards into the heart of the UCF student section.
Overreaction: UC still needs a kicker. Well, a kick requires a snap and a hold also, ask Bengals kicker Evan McPherson. More might come when coaches look at the tape, but coaches often hesitate to make changes when a team succeeds. Carter Brown still travels to each game, but the guess is as long as Hawks is hitting 51 yarders and the team wins, he’ll keep the job. His extra point miss was his first of the season.
3. Cincinnati Bearcats run game held below 100 yards
Reaction: UC had just 97 yards with Corey Kiner running for 83 of those. That was a season-low and the first time under Scott Satterfield the Bearcats have been below 100 yards.
Overreaction: They’re throwing it too much! Granted, UC is going through the air more than last year but Kiner was able to take some minutes off the clock late with some first-down runs. UCF would get the ball back, but the defense stood strong at the end. Plus, they held UCF’s R.J. Harvey below 100 yards and the Knights have lost the past three games with Harvey under the century mark each game.
“That was part of the game plan, being able to stop the run and force them to pass the ball,” Golday said. ‘Coach (defensive coordinator Tyson) Veidt made some really good calls at the right times.”
4. Where was Cincinnati Bearcats receiver Xzavier Henderson?
Reaction: Henderson had just two catches, matching the season-low that he had at Nippert Stadium in the 34-0 victory over Houston. On the other hand, UC won both of those games. Henderson’s catches came in the first half.
Overreaction: Sorsby needs to target Henderson more. First off, UCF surely saw tape of the Bearcats early in the year where Sorsby and Henderson were making plays. Secondly, Henderson was one of the walking wounded from the Texas Tech loss, so may not have been at 100%. The Bearcats also played without receivers Tyrin Smith and Aaron Turner. Turner is considering redshirting to gain an extra year. Tony Johnson also stepped up remarkably with eight grabs and a touchdown.
5. Should fans be excited for a 4-2 Cincinnati Bearcats team?
Reaction: If you’re going by the unbeaten regular seasons Brian Kelly and Luke Fickell had here, 4-2 might not work you into a lather. However, Pitt is now 6-0. As you may recall (or choose to forget) UC blew a 27-6 late third-quarter lead against the Panthers. Pitt held off Cal Saturday with former Bearcat Ryan Coe missing a 40-yard field goal that could have put the Golden Bears up late. Texas Tech is also 5-1 and unbeaten in the Big 12. The Bearcats had every opportunity to beat them in Lubbock Sept. 28 before losing 44-41.
Overreaction: It was an ugly win and they very easily could be 3-3. If you know anything about competing in college athletics on the road, there is no such thing as an ugly road win.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for UCF,” Satterfield said. “Offensively, we hold them to 13 points. What a great job by our defense to do that. In the Big 12, on the road, this is obviously a big win for us.”
Cincinnati Bearcats Homecoming might not be a picnic
There will be an 8 a.m. parade and a noon kickoff, but next Saturday’s football game won’t be a walk in the park at Nippert Stadium. For a second straight year, the team the Big 12 media picked dead last in the preseason rankings, is having a good year. Last year, West Virginia won nine games and went to a bowl. This year, Arizona State is 5-1 after just knocking off No. 16 Utah in Tempe, Arizona.
Their lone loss was to Texas Tech, which beat the Sun Devils 30-22 a week before holding off UC 44-41.
“It should be a great environment,” Satterfield said. “I’m excited and pumped for Homecoming back in Cincinnati!”
Said Bartlett, “We need a really big atmosphere. We need to sell it out. The more fan support the better. It’s going to put us in a really good position to perform as good as we can.”
