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Explosive. Dynamic. Creative. Disciplined. When was the last time you heard these four words associated with the Cincinnati Bearcats offense? Probably not last year when Zach Collaros threw 14 interceptions and with Isaiah Pead and D.J. Woods’ butterfingers. But 2011 is a different year and so far this season UC’s offense has shown no fear in exacting their will on opposing defenses. They scorched Austin Peay to the tune of 72 points. Against Tennessee they only put up 23 points but not one offense player was flustered playing in front of 100,000+ in Knoxville. The next week against Akron was just a case of the Bearcats again dominating with pure talent. But the clinic Coach Bajakian put on last night in the 44 – 14 drubbing was a thing of beauty.
It was definitely a good idea to bring in the sixth lineman on the short yardage formations but what made them so tough to stop was that each time Cincinnati ran a different play. On the first one, near the goalline, Zach called his own number and ran it outside for the first down. Later in the game, the Bearcats ran what seemed like the same play with Zach rolling out to his right instead of his left. But another wrinkle was added with Travis Kelce running a flat in front of him. Zach completed it to his tight end for a first down. Later in the game, the Bearcats ran a halfback slip screen. We saw that a lot during the Brian Kelly era where Isaiah Pead and some of his lineman would ‘slip’ away from the initial pocket. Pead would catch the ball on the outside third of the field while the lineman railroaded any safeties or linebackers in his way. That’s exactly what we saw last night on Pead’s touchdown reception. It was the perfect play call in that situation with NC State blitzing like madmen. So, well done Mr. Bajakian. I look forward to seeing that kind of creative playcalling the rest of the year.
As for the individual players themselves, Zach Collaros looked as comfortable at quarterback as I’ve seen him in this offense. That says a lot considering about three-quarters of the time the Wolfpack were sending extra rushers on the blitz. The offensive line also continued to do an exceptional job protecting him but the few times they did let a man threw, Zach did what he does best escaping the pocket and not panicking. The receivers looked very good outside of the constant bubble screens they were forced to deal with (more on that later). The trio of Woods-McClung-Thompkins continue to work well together and with Zach, busting broking plays for big gains through the air. Also, true freshman Alex Chisum looked really good filling in for Kenbrell Thompkins while he was nursing a cramp. Finally to Isaiah Pead who just continues to build on his NFL draft resume with 167 yards through the ground and 1 touchdown each rushing and receiving. It took him until later in the 2nd half to bust out his signature big runs but for the most part he
Now to the defense. How about Derek Wolfe and that defensive line huh? I’ve been saying all season that this position group would be the strength of the defense and the entire unit would run as the D-Line did. Against Tennessee the line did next to nothing. But against Austin Peay, Akron, and last night against NC State, the line dictated the play of the entire 11 on that side of the ball for UC. Just take a look at these stats from Cincinnati’s defensive lineman- 7 sacks, 10+ TFLs, and they held NC State to -26 yards rushing. That’s pure dominance in every sense of the word but it wasn’t just the starting front four who deserve all of the credit. ‘2nd string’ guys like Brandon Mills and Jordan Stepp combined for 2.5 sacks. I put the phrase ‘2nd string’ in quotes because like I’ve said before the backups along the defensive line are more than capable of stepping in for the starters so they can get a breather and not miss a beat. That’s just how much depth the Bearcats now have in the trenches.
The linebackers were flying all over the field and they corrected the problem from Akron of not hitting the gaps. That change goes to the coaches so hats off to them. J.K. Schaffer continues to be a menace in coverage by tacking on another interception and the entire unit was flying to the ball all night. The secondary outside of Deven Drane was where I saw the biggest problems and they are issues that even the defensive line can’t mask. Drew Frey played out of position big time on a long pass play where NC State quarterback Mike Glennon rolled out to his right. Frey bit on the run like he always does even though he was in Cover-2 and the receiver ran right behind him for an easy touchdown. What’s even more idiotic about the play was that he pointed to Wes Richardson for help over the top when he was doing his job nicely on the other side of the field. Frey did have a pick, though, so I guess I can’t be that harsh on him last night. The other NC State touchdown was just another case of poor tackling, a problem we’ve seen all too frequently from this unit this time out of Cam Cheatham. T.J. Graham is good especially in the open field with his race horse-like speed. Cheatham tried to go for the arm tackle on Graham which didn’t/doesn’t work and the receiver used that speed to fly down the field for an 87 yard touchdown. It should have been no more than a 10 yard gain. Thank you, Cam.
Finally, the special teams. I really like what I’m seeing out of Ralph David Abernathy. He hasn’t returned one to the house yet but he has the wiggle and burst that one Mardy Gilyard had when he was wearing red and black. RDA is only a freshman and will only get better so it’s safe to say the return game is stabilized for the next four years. Also, Pat O’Donnell should take a bit of his DNA and give it to every kicker in the country because his 76 yard punt was absolutely amazing. He’s an All-Big East (if not All-American) punter for sure. Tony Miliano (or ‘Milano’ as Rece Davis likes to call him) has solidified the place kicker spot having his best game of the season. He’s been playing very well so far replacing Jake Rogers.