Know the Foe: Cincinnati

Inside Tulsa Sports was joined by the editor of Bearcat Report for a discussion about the Golden Hurricane's upcoming opponent, No. 2 Cincinnati. Tulsa takes on the Bearcats at 2:30 pm on Saturday in Ohio.

Bearcat Report editor Jason Stamm: I'd say about as well as they can handle it. Main media availability for UC is Tuesday afternoon, so before the rankings were released. But they probably had a feeling that rankings slight could happen. I honestly saw it coming.

I wrote a column about how the win over Notre Dame wouldn't be enough to change the national perception, including by the CFP committee, that the Bearcats belong in the playoff. I personally think they do. This is one of, if not the best team I've covered. They have the coach, the quarterback, the star on defense and a big win at Notre Dame.

Whether they get that shot, though, depends on if Cincinnati can take care of business handily and if enough teams around it in the CFP poll lose. So yes, I think the Bearcats should be plenty motivated. They certainly think they belong.

Jason Stamm: The play from Desmond Ridder has been consistent and that's where it all starts. He's finally gotten to where he makes great decisions with the ball, and he also has arguably the best set of playmakers, collectively, that he's had at Cincinnati.

Jerome Ford, I'd argue, is the best all-around back the Bearcats have had under Fickell. Michael Warren was a great runner, but I think Ford has him beat as a receiver. And the Bearcats have their best collection of tight ends, notably Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor, which is why you'll see them use a lot of multiple tight end sets.

Defense has been stout, too, and Ahmad Gardner is now in the discussion of being a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft.

Jason Stamm: The weakness continues to be the first quarter. I honestly don't quite sure know why, but in pretty much every game this season minus the opener, Cincinnati just takes forever to get moving. That means a low-scoring first quarter in which it allows its opponent to score and stay in the game.

It's really been on both sides of the ball. At this point, some of it might be mental. Now, the second half is a completely different story and the Bearcats just seem to click. But getting to that point has been a struggle and taken more time than it should. Partly why you've seen lower-scoring games than you maybe should with Cincinnati.

Jason Stamm: On offense, I'll stay away from the obvious, Ridder, and go with Ford and Whyle. The latter has played exceptionally well the last few games, while Ford continues to get it done from the backfield. He has at least 90 yards in five games, including 189 against UCF. And while Alec Pierce will get more targets and receptions, Whyle is a matchup nightmare in the red zone. He has a team-high five touchdowns and is the guy you'd throw it up to if you needed. Whyle has also figured out how to block better this season.

On defense, Gardner gets all the attention, so I'll go with Joel Dublanko and Coby Bryant. Dublanko rarely takes a play off and he's got a nose for the ball. No coincidence he has a team-high 67 tackles. And since teams avoid Gardner, you have to throw towards someone. That's been Bryant more this season, which is partly why he has three interceptions and nine breakups. It's not necessarily a better option to throw away from Gardner.

Jason Stamm: Cincinnati has a number of recruits in for this one, GameDay on hand, and the motivation from a CFP rankings slight. Oh, and it's also Homecoming. You might see a slow start, but I think the Bearcats really turn it on after that. Lots to play for here and lots to prove, all around. I'll take Cincinnati 49-10.