From preseason predictions as AAC champions to Gunner Kiel’s record-setting debut to having the worst defense in college football after five games, the Cincinnati Bearcats have been riding the figurative roller coaster so far.
I knew the defense was bad, check that—really bad, after the Memphis game but I never thought they would actually fall to the very bottom of the country in total defense. And by allowing 621 yards and 55 points to the Miami Hurricanes Saturday, they officially passed SMU and Bowling Green for the worst defense—128th of 128 FBS teams—in college football.
The same problems plagued Cincinnati’s defense against Miami that have all season: poor tackling, wide receivers running wide open and getting gashed up the middle in the running game. The Bearcats gave up an average of 10.4 yards per play to the Hurricanes, and their top two running backs averaged 16.2 and 14.1 yards per carry. It was so bad that head coach Tommy Tuberville compared his defense to the “Bad News Bears.”
I think Walter Mathau rolled over in his grave when those words were uttered.
One of the few bright spots for the Bearcats is their 11th-ranked passing game, which averages 333.8 yards per game and has 18 touchdowns with Kiel at the helm. However, turnovers and accuracy have been a problem lately for Kiel, as he has thrown four interceptions in his last two games, and has completed just 42 of his last 84 attempts (50.0 percent) after completing 71-of-108 (66.7 percent) in his first three games.
Cincinnati is still averaging 33 points per game, but even that doesn’t matter if it continues to give up 40.8 points on average to its opponents. It would help some if it could get its ground game going to control the ball more and keep the defense on the bench. However, the Bearcats are currently averaging just 96.2 rushing yards per game, a number that ranks them 116th in the nation. Couple that with the fact that their top two running backs, Hosey Williams and Tion Green, are currently injured, and that number doesn’t look like it’s going to improve.
So where do the Bearcats go from here? Is there any hope for the rest of the season?
I can still argue there is some, and even that they still have a chance to win the AAC, and here is why: their schedule is still favorable.
Only two of Cincinnati’s remaining seven opponents have a winning record (ECU and Temple), and it plays the Pirates at home in a Thursday night game, which is traditionally a tough spot for road teams. They do have to go on the road to play the Owls, but the Bearcats get to play their third-toughest remaining game against Houston at home and don’t not have to face UCF this season.
UC has to travel to SMU this weekend, and with the Mustangs being one of if not the worst team in college football. Hopefully the Bearcats can play better on defense and build come confidence for the rest of AAC play.
I will put it this way: if I were buying and selling stock on AAC football teams, I would be buying as many Cincinnati shares as I could right now while they are probably as low as they will get this season. This is still a supremely talented offensive unit, and a defense, in theory, that can’t get any worse. Combine that with a favorable schedule and the Bearcats should still be a team to be reckoned with when it comes to the AAC title.
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