Homecoming came off picture-perfect Saturday for Cincinnati Bearcats football. Brisk, morning air gave way to sunshine, a sell-out at Nippert Stadium and a victory over a confident Arizona State team, 24-14.
The Sun Devils had traveled to No. 16 Utah the previous week and knocked off the Utes. The Bearcats went to UCF and bounced the Knights. Saturday, UCF was 30 seconds away from surprising No. 10 Iowa State in Ames. The Big 12 could be up for grabs and parity appears week-to-week.
Is there a road to the Big 12 Championship Dec. 7?
Scott Satterfield’s squad is now 5-2 and 3-1 in the Big 12, the same record their next opponent, Colorado features along with Texas Tech. Arizona State, picked last by Big 12 media, is 5-2. The Bearcats were picked 14th, while “Coach Prime” Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes were selected to finish No. 11.
Kansas State is ranked No. 16 (as of Sunday) and like UC is 3-1 the league, 6-1 overall. UC travels to Manhattan, Kansas, on Nov. 23. No. 10 Iowa State is 4-0 in the Big 12 along with BYU (No. 11), and both are 7-0 overall. UC also goes to Iowa State on Nov. 16.
The opportunity is there. To make a bowl, UC needs one more win. Among the projections, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has UC in the Texas Bowl Dec. 31 in Houston vs. South Carolina. His partner, Mark Schlabach puts the Bearcats in the same bowl vs. Arkansas. Brett McMurphy of the Action Network places UC in the Dec. 26 Guaranteed Rate Bowl In Phoenix against Iowa. In the meantime, five games remain on the docket.
5 reactions/overreactions to a Cincinnati Bearcats Homecoming win over Arizona State
1. Cincinnati Bearcats continue to leave points on the field
REACTION: That is accurate, as it was at UCF. In Orlando, it was two red-zone interceptions and a missed field goal. Saturday, it was another missed field goal and a botched 4th-and-goal run from the 3-yard line that could have added 10 more points to the tally.
OVERREACTION: Get a new kicker! That reaction comes from pretty much any team who suffers a miss and did come from Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham after Ian Hershey missed a pair. Nathan Hawks still has made some long kicks when needed, but Satterfield also wonders why crucial kicks are missed. That said, if things are going well, coaches are reluctant to change, so look for Hawks to continue to hammer.
“We’ve got something against making a kick right before half,” Satterfield said. “I think we’re due. Maybe if we get it again, we’ll knock it down. I thought he (Hawks) had a really good week this week kicking the ball, He was very solid, he bounced back and had great confidence.”
As for coming up empty on a third-quarter 14-play drive, it did at least chew a lot of clock time. Maybe if Corey Kiner gets you there, he should finish.
2. UC needs to feed Corey Kiner
REACTION: Though he had a slow start, he had a strong finish. Had his arm been a tad longer, he would have had a touchdown in the game. Heck, Brendan Sorsby even apologized to him when they called a quarterback run from the 1-yard line after Kiner had battled on the previous rush. There is some proof in the numbers as UC is 4-1 the past two seasons when Kiner carries 20 times or more. They are 7-1 in his career when he busts a run of 40 yards or more. The lone exception in both categories is this year’s puzzling Pitt loss which may remain a universal mystery, though Pitt is 6-0.
OVERREACTION: Evan Pryor deserves more work. On paper, that makes sense as he now has touchdown runs of 64, 65, 36 and 55 yards. It’s no secret his breakaway speed is better. However, the truth of the matter is the Bearcats are better when they have both. When Kiner went out against Texas Tech in the first quarter, the run game suffered outside of one scoring run from Pryor. Pryor provides a nice change-up from Kiner and playing both keeps them fresh. It’s the same strategy defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt has used to allow for more stamina among his defenders late in the game.
3. Could Arizona State football have beaten UC?
REACTION: The Sun Devils moved the ball briskly in their first possession and Cam Skattebo bulldozed his way to a second score to cut the UC lead to 10. The two missed field goals hurt their chances.
OVERREACTION: UC nearly gave the game away. Sure, it did have a Pitt feeling after Skattebo’s second score, but again the UC defense held a potent runner to under 100 yards. Skattebo came in No. 3 in all-purpose yards and as the No. 5 rusher and was capped at 75 yards. In their previous loss at Texas Tech, Skattebo was held to 60 yards. In consecutive weeks, UC has now held UCF’s R.J. Harvey and Skattebo below the century mark. Both are among the top 10 running backs in the country in rushing yards.
4. Where did Antwan Peek Jr. come from?
REACTION: For a walk-on from Indian Hill High School, he’s doing pretty good. He forced a Skattebo fumble that led to UC’s first score and had a team-high nine tackles.
OVERREACTION: He was just in the right place at the right time. Don’t tell his father, UC Athletics Hall of Famer Antwan Peek that. The elder Peek forced 17 fumbles in his UC career and is far and away the record holder. Peek Jr. now has four, but three in the past two games. Knowing where the right place at the right time is happens to be an art form. If you didn’t know, Peek Jr. was put on scholarship last year.
“Off the field I’m just quiet, not really talking that much,” Peek Jr. said. “On the field, I’ve got to be that man. I’ve got to lock in. I can’t be the same person I am off the field. I’ve got to be a dog.”
5. Next Saturday will be much tougher vs. Deion Sanders and Colorado
REACTION: Whenever you’re on the road, the matchup is tougher based on playing at a strange venue and the number of people openly cheering for your demise. It’s also Parent’s Weekend in Boulder, so the game has been well advertised. Deion Sanders mentioned it was a sellout in early July at Big 12 media days in Las Vegas.
OVERREACTION: UC won’t have a chance at Folsom Field. That might be too pessimistic. The Buffaloes just lost their last home game Oct. 12 to No. 17 Kansas State 31-28. They needed overtime to beat 3-4 Baylor and only beat FCS North Dakota State 31-26 in their opener. North Dakota State played Towson in Week 3 and won 41-24. For comparison purposes, UC opened with a 38-20 win over Towson. The bottom line is the Big 12 has been predictably unpredictable. Preseason favorite Utah has dropped three straight and Saturday, Baylor put 59 points on Texas Tech in Lubbock to improve their record to 3-4.
Cincinnati Bearcats in Boulder
It’s UC’s first ESPN game of the season, and while it will be 8:15 p.m. in Boulder, the Bearcats and Buffaloes will kick off just a shade ahead of the nightly news at 10:15 if you’re watching in Cincinnati. Sunday betting lines had UC as a 3.5-point underdog, pretty much what they were in Orlando vs. UCF.
“We have all the confidence in ourselves,” guard Luke Kandra said. “All we need is all we got. I give credit to our fans. Our fans have been showing up all the time every single game and it’s great having them. What we need to do is just keep building every single week to try and be as perfect as possible.”
Said “The Godfather” Dontay Corleone, “We know they’re great players but we’ve got to put our shoulder pads on too, just like them. We’re excited for this challenge and it’s prime time. There’s nothing better than that being on ESPN. We’re just going to keep proving ourselves, underdogs, and just keep going.”
