While the Cincinnati Bearcats still do not open their 2014 season until next Friday, two of their marquee opponents were in action during college football’s opening weekend as Ohio State managed to get past Navy via a late offensive surge, and Miami (Fla.) unspectacularly fell to Louisville.
Granted UC won’t play the Buckeyes until September 27 and the Hurricanes until October 11, here’s a look at how those two played last weekend and how it bodes for their games against Cincinnati.
Ohio State 34, Navy 17
To say the Buckeyes started slow would certainly be an understatement. It would be more appropriate to say the offense with J.T. Barrett at the helm looked anemic early, as they were down 7-6 to the Midshipmen at the half. Had Darron Lee not had a 61-yard scoop and score on a Navy fumble early in the second half, who knows if the Buckeyes’ offense would have ever come out of its slumber. OSU went on to score 21 points in a 20 minute span, including an 80-yard TD pass from Barrett to Devin Smith.
Ohio State started nine, I repeat, NINE new players on offense, and without the experience and playmaking ability of Braxton Miller the growing pains were evident and exemplified by stats like a 2-of-8 third-down conversion rate. Barrett’s numbers didn’t look too bad—he was 12-15 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while rushing for 50 yards on nine carries—but it is clear he does not possess the same type of game-breaking athleticism when running the ball that Miller does. While Miller was the focal point of Urban Meyer’s offense, Barrett will be more of a distributor, putting more pressure on the rest of the inexperienced Buckeyes offense.
OSU takes on Virginia Tech at home this weekend, so we will see if Barrett and the rest of the offense can get into a better rhythm early in the game. Another thing to watch is how the uber-hyped Buckeyes defensive line fares against a team that runs a more conventional offensive scheme than Navy’s triple option. Many believe the front four to be OSU’s biggest strength, however they did little to stop the Midshipmen’s rushing attack as they tallied 370 yards on the ground.
The Buckeyes have the Hokies, Kent State and bye left before the Bearcats come into town for an in-state showdown, so there is plenty of time for them to figure out life without Miller. OSU, as currently constructed, appears to be a team that needs an early lead against higher quality opponents to limit the amount it has to rely on Barrett to make plays in the passing game. They want to run the ball and play defense. If the offense continues to show the same inconsistency it did against Navy, UC would have to like its chances for a victory in Columbus if its own offense can be as potent as it is projected to be.
Louisville 31, Miami (Fla.) 13
I think Brad Kaaya is still running from a Louisville defender somewhere right now. Kaaya was only sacked twice, but man did it feel like he was constantly running for his life. That showed up in the stat sheet as Kaaya was 17-29 for 174 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Cardinals were also stout against the run as the Hurricanes only managed 70 yards on 27 carries. If “the U’s” offensive line continues to play that poorly this season, the Bearcats, and anyone else Miami plays will be licking their chops.
Constantly behind the chains and struggling to move the ball, the Hurricanes wound up 1-for-13 on third-down conversion attempts, and 1-for-2 on fourth down. That kind of offensive impotency will result in a loss to just about anyone. While the Hurricanes defense didn’t play all that bad—it held Louisville to 336 total yards and a 3.0 yards per rush average—the offense left them in several bad spots and could not sustain any drives long enough to give them adequate rest.
Miami has Florida A&M, Arkansas State, Nebraska, Duke and Georgia Tech before welcoming the Bearcats to Sun Life Stadium, so there is certainly time to make improvements. However, if the offensive line fails to gel and Kaaya remains ineffective, UC’s defensive front seven could hold down the Hurricanes’ offense the same way Louisville did.
The Bearcats’ defense should be stout against the run again this season (they held opponents to a 3.2 yards per rush average in 2013), and with Silverberry Mouhon and Nick Temple leading the way, they should be able to get to opposing quarterbacks with regularity.
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