Cincinnati Football: Bearcats Blasted By USF In Embarrassing Fashion 65-27

Now, I’m perfectly aware of the sheer youth filling major roles on this team. UC’s secondary is basically a rotation of 19- and 20-year olds who were playing in high school not two years ago and a former quarterback. This especially with Adrian Witty being lost for the season with an ankle injury. The linebackers, with Nick Temple and Jeff Luc graduating in the same year, had massive holes to fill this past offseason and have done so, in part, with freshmen like Bryce Jenkinson.

But the defensive line from end to end isn’t exactly inexperienced. Every defensive end not named Silverberry Mouhon is either a freshman or a sophomore but most of the defensive tackles have been around for over a year, if not have saw the field last season. Plus Gunner Kiel is a junior with basically three full years in the program. He shouldn’t be constantly airmailing receivers and eventually throwing two interceptions. And the offensive line should be talented and battle hardened enough, with juniors and seniors across the board, to not allow three sacks to go along with the constant USF pressure.

Overall, I’ve never witnessed a UC team beaten so emphatically in a critical game, or any game really. This just isn’t how I pictured year three of the Tuberville era. Some of the older Bearcats fans liken this loss to the 81-0 drubbing to Penn State in 1991 during the dark ages of Cincinnati football but this might be our Penn State.

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A game one shellacking, like Butch Jones’ inaugural game at Fresno State in 100-degree temperatures where the Bearcats lost 28-14, is certainly forgivable. But game 37? It’s darn near inexcusable.

Last night was clearly the low point in a disappointing season, one in which most of us predicted in July and August Cincinnati would finish with nine losses at a minimum. I mean, 65 points to South Florida, which is the most the Bulls have scored since Florida A&M in September 2011, is more akin to a horrific nightmare than an actual UC football game.

Is this real life? Is this team really this bad? Were all of our expectations before the season began just excessive fandom gone wrong? Are there far deeper, institutional problems with this team that have just now bubbled to the surface in the form of this 65-27 loss to the Bulls?

Unfortunately I don’t really have a good argument to answer any of those in the affirmative. We definitely witnessed the Bearcats get their butt whooped up and down the football field last night. This team is most certainly deserving of their 6-5 record. Our expectations of them may have been a tad unrealistic. And it’s pretty clear that there are major issues within the fabric of this football program that culminated in the almost unbelievably terrible performance we witnessed last night.

At this point I’m not sure where we go from here. UC’s 6-5, waaay out of the AAC East Division or Championship race, and they could very well be staring at their first sub-.500 season since 2010 if they lose against East Carolina next week and their bowl game. My how far we’ve come since August. I have to think Tommy Tuberville takes a good, hard look at his program next Spring and Summer to ensure season’s like the one we’ve been forced to endure never occurs under his watch ever again.