Cincinnati Bearcats Finally Take the Field Friday

Well Cincinnati fans, the wait is almost over. This Friday the Bearcats will welcome the Toledo Rockets to Paul Brown Stadium, their borrowed home along the banks of the Ohio River. Because of an odd schedule quirk already discussed on this site here, UC’s first game will be Toledo’s third, and both Houston and BYU will have played their third game already as they go head-to-head Thursday night in the battle of the Cougars.

Before we get into a preview of the Rockets, I saw the following stat and was stunned: the Bearcats currently average more yards rushing per game (zero, obviously) than fellow AAC member SMU (-16 yards through two games). Maybe those were the “personal issues” June Jones referenced as his reason for resigning as head coach of the Mustangs.

Anyway, Toledo comes to Cincinnati with a 1-1 record having beaten New Hampshire 54-20 and falling to Missouri 49-24. The Bearcats lead the series between the two, 4-3, but surprisingly the Rockets have won the last three meetings with the most recent in Toledo in 2012. They had a record of 7-5 in 2013.

Last week, Toledo’s junior starting quarterback, Phillip Ely, tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season. That means sophomore Logan Woodside will get the starting nod against Cincinnati. Ely had thrown for 541 yards with a 60.3 completion percentage, four touchdowns and one interception in two games.

As for the Bearcats, Tommy Tuberville finally announced that Gunner Kiel will be his starting quarterback Friday, which had been expected almost as soon as last season ended. Tuberville had previously said all three of his quarterbacks will play, so it will be interesting to see if Munchie Legaux and/or Jarred Evans see the field at all.

Through two games, the Rockets offense is ranked in the top 40 in college football in rushing yards per game, passing yards per game and points per game, so it will be interesting to see how the loss of Ely affects them offensively. Despite their offensive effectiveness, Toledo currently ranks 103rd in points against, which could be a problem against what is expected to be a highly explosive Cincinnati offense.

The Bearcats are currently favored to win by 11 points, and I would expect them to cover that spread. The loss of Ely will likely slow down the Rockets offensively, and I think Tuberville and his players will be more than ready to play after waiting so long for this day. Look for Kiel to have an impressive debut as he spreads the ball around to a variety of the offensive weapons at his disposal, and for the Bearcats defense to attempt to overwhelm the young Rockets quarterback in just his second career start.