The Cincinnati Bearcats’ 41-14 blowout loss to Memphis on Saturday night was truly as bad as it gets. I can’t remember the last time the Bearcats lost a game in such an embarrassing fashion – a game that they were favored to win and should have won.
Yes, there have been other bad losses in recent years. Other games where the Bearcats were blown out. Other games where the Bearcats were beaten by an inferior opponent. But not both. None that I can remember where UC lost to a worse team and got blown out doing it. There were some bad losses late in 2010, but at that point, we knew what to expect from that team. The loss to USF this time last year was horribly bad, but it was UC that gave that game away. They dominated the stat sheet, but lost a close game after allowing the Bulls to return a blocked FG and a fumble for TDs. 2005 had tons of rough moments, but that was to be expected in UC’s first year in the Big East. And there have been some blowouts to perennial powers like Florida, Oklahoma, etc., but again, those were to be expected. Since the program has become a competitor in the Big East/American and a regular bowl game participant, this is by far the worst loss I’ve ever seen.
I joked in last week’s power rankings that the UC-Memphis matchup would be a battle of the stoppable force versus the movable object. Well, it’s not funny anymore. I thought UC could get it together against a Memphis offense that only gained 104 yards last week, but I was wrong. Hank Hughes’ defense is horrendous. They can’t stop anybody. Conventional wisdom said that UC would play at least a little better this week since it didn’t have to face a hulking offensive line and speedy receiving corps stocked with 4- and 5-star recruits, like it did against Ohio State. You hoped to see improvement, but all of the issues with this defense have only gotten worse. The only bright spot was that they were able to create a few turnovers. Otherwise, it was a dreadful performance. Since others have already done it, I feel like going through them would be like beating a dead horse, so I won’t go there. I will simply say that I am disgusted and embarrassed. This was Memphis. I mean, really. UC gave up 610 yards and 41 points to Memphis. And this sums it up: Memphis killed the final 12:55 of the fourth quarter on a single drive. I don’t want to be “that guy” who calls for the firing of coaches online, but Tuberville needs to clean house when it comes to this defensive coaching staff. This is not acceptable.
But what bothered me even more was the offense. We knew the defense had been underperforming, but the offense’s effort was even more embarrasing. Their execution and mental focus was terrible, but it also seemed like their heart wasn’t in this game. How many passes did UC receivers drop? I wasn’t keeping track of stats while watching from the stands, but seemed like 10+, including numerous drive killers that would have been first downs. Before his injury, Gunner Kiel’s accuracy wasn’t always perfect, but he was putting the ball right where it needed to be (for the most part). His receivers let him down – they played like they had each eaten a bucket of movie theater popcorn with extra butter before taking the field. Kiel finished 11-of-27 passing, but should have been more like 20-of-27.
Late in the second quarter, Casey Gladney dropped a TD pass that hit him in the hands, and another TD was wiped away on an offensive pass interference call within moments of Gladney’s drop. Either would have put UC right back in the game before halftime, but instead, UC settled for a missed FG, and the Bearcats’ fates were sealed. The Mekale McKay offensive pass interference penalty was just plain stupid. I won’t even call it an “illegal pick play.” It was quite literally a block. Every wide out in America knows that that’s illegal, but McKay did it anyway. A total lack of focus. The offensive line certainly didn’t protect Kiel, either. Even before he got hurt on the half’s final play, he was getting beat up. He had no chance on the sack-fumble in the first quarter. No chance whatsoever.
And a side not while I’m speaking of protecting Kiel: I’m not going to second-guess the decision to throw a Hail Mary on the last play of the first half. I would have done the same thing, but I do have one question regarding Kiel’s injured ribs. Why on earth does the staff not make him wear a flak jacket? He’s the only pro or college QB I haven’t seen wear one in a long time. He wears the back plate, but not the rib protector on the front. A QB not wearing a flak jacket is asking for a rib injury to happen. The only good news is that X-rays were negative. I bet we see Gunner sporting a rib protector next time we see him on the field. Let’s hope that’s sooner, rather than later.
The bottom line is that I’m worried that this team may struggle to even make a bowl game. I think that UC ultimately will play in the postseason, but if they continue to play like this, it’s not a given. It’s going to take everything this team has to win four of it’s last eight and become bowl eligible, especially if Gunner Kiel misses an extended period of time. There are some soft teams on the upcoming schedule after next week, but expecting anything better than a 7-5 season seems like wishful thinking. Maybe 8-4, best case. And 8-4 is being very optimistic. If we’re lucky, we’ll be looking at a trip to the Birmingham-County-Bell-Helicopter-Bitcoin-Credit-Union-.com Advocare Bowl this year. UConn and USF may rush for 250+ yards on this UC defense. Even lowly SMU showed some fight and an improved offense this week against ECU. If the defense continues to give up an infinite amount of yards, there are no gimme games on the remainder of the schedule. And if Munchie Legaux is pressed into the starting role for any extended period, this offense will not be able to cover for the defense’s ineptitude. This season could spiral out of control and turn into an unmitigated disaster, much like 2010 did under Butch Jones. I’m hopeful for the best, but I fear the worst.