Bearcats Gunner Kiel, Sam Geraci Named AAC Players Of The Week

After a defining victory over the Toledo Rockets 58-34 on Friday night, several Cincinnati Bearcats players are being honored by the conference.

The first is quarterback Gunner Kiel, who completed 68% of his passes for 418 yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s been named the AAC offensive player of the week. Kiel’s 6 touchdown passes, in his first collegiate game of his career mind you, are now the most in an American conference game. That will be one record that the UC quarterback himself might break sometime over his career. Overall, Kiel showed a mastery of Eddie Gran’s offense like he was a battled-hardened senior. He had been running with the first team since last December, after all, but there was a question if those practice reps would translate to a live game. The answer to that is apparently a resounding YES.

Not to be outdone, Sam Geraci earned AAC special teams player of the week honors. With Cincinnati putting up 58 points on Friday night, it’s easy to forget that UC even punted at all. But Geraci did a nice job pinning Toledo back on the rare occasion the Bearcats’ offense stalled. Of his four punts on the evening, he dropped two inside the Rockets’ 5-yard line. Geraci and incumbent John Lloyd battled throughout camp but the former earned the starting role on Friday night. With performances like that, he might not relinquish it.

Finally, middle linebacker Jeff Luc was named to the AAC’s weekly honor role. His 12 tackles paced the Bearcats on the evening and he looks right as rain in his more natural MIKE role. Luc is on pace to surpass 100 tackles this season.