Cute model train.
(Courtesy Bleacher Report)
Man I’ve missed writing these.
Finally finally finally college football is back. It begins tonight in the AAC with Central Florida hosting Akron, UConn taking on FCS Towson, and Rutgers traveling all the way out to California to face Fresno State (good luck with that, Scarlet Knights). For the Bearcats they host the Purdue Boilermakers from the Big Ten on Saturday at noon. While the conference affiliation might “wow” the casual fan, that’s about the only thing that’s appealing about this opponent. Like the Bearcats, Purdue is in the midst of a coaching change after going just 6-7 in 2012 and winning just three Big Ten games. Unlike Cincinnati, however, this season is expected to be even worse for the Boilermakers who will likely battle for the conference cellar along with Indiana and Illinois.
It’s bound to be a rough first year for new coach Darrell Hazell and it likely won’t get off on the right foot with the Boilermakers making the trip to Nippert Stadium on opening weekend where Cincinnati hasn’t lost a non-conference game since 2003. Ouch time for Purdue.
(h/t @tacunningham1 for the stat)
Let’s get to the five keys to the game.
1) Come Out With A Bang
Cincinnati has come out of the gates on fire the last two seasons with Isaiah Pead scoring on the first offensive play from scrimmage against Austin Peay in 2011 and George Winn doing the same against Pitt to open 2012. To capitalize one what will be a sellout (and perhaps a record) crowd, the Bearcats must take the opening possession and shove it down Purdue’s throat. It’s not imperative that they get into the endzone one their first offensive drive but they need to set a tone early. Cincinnati is the more talented team but can’t allow the Boilermakers to get their feet under them if UC starts to sputter. Everything should be working in the Bearcats’ favor, there’s no reason to let Purdue think otherwise.
2) Establish Tempo And The Running Game
The mark of the Bearcats’ newish offense under Eddie Gran will be the running game. UC ran the ball more so under Jones/Bajakian than under Kelly and the most since the Dantonio era but with different schemes than what the former Florida State RB coach will bring here. There will be spatterings of the zone-read from the past but the main difference is that Gran is installing far more blocking techniques for his offensive line to learn. Despite oodles of depth and experience along the front, we’ll definitely have to keep a watchful eye on this unit to see just quickly/slowly they absorb the new schemes. Obviously the quicker the better and playing a Big Ten defensive line will be a solid benchmark for how the entire running game will perform over the course of the season.
3) Will Bond Be A Capable Replacement?
Speaking of offensive line, Dan Sprague is out for the season with a knee injury. Other than the fact that seeing a player go down with an injury is a terrible thing, this concerns me because of the amount of knowledge and leadership he brought to the front five. Redshirt freshman Deyshawn Bond will assume the starting role this Saturday, which could be boom or bust for the Bearcats. On the one hand, the youngster is bristling with talent and looked to be the starting center from 2014 until he graduates. On the other hand, the redshirt freshman is exactly that – a freshman. This is his second year in the program and unless they are elite talents, it’s best practice not to start underclassmen at center because of the physical and mental strain the position entails. Bond’s been able to handle it thus far in practice but the environment of a live game is a far different animal. I’ll definitely keep an eye on him Saturday.
4) Steady Quarterback Play
Tommy Tuberville has not named a starting quarterback. To the casual fan, and most importantly Purdue, this means that either Brendon Kay or Munchie Legaux could lead the first team offense onto the field. But you’re smart enough to know that the only way Kay starts over Legaux is if he had a serious enough injury. And if that were the case, something would have been leaked from camp to confirm that. Instead the only thing we’ve heard is that Kay has a “sore” shoulder, one of the most vague descriptions of an injury to a QB as you can get. Regardless, the Bearcats need to get smart, solid play from whoever is taking the snaps especially if the running game takes a little while to get going.
5) New Punter John Lloyd/Sam Geraci
The punter might be overlooked on most teams but UC fans know the importance of this position with guys like Kevin Huber and Pat O’Donnell almost literally kicking the leather off the ball here in recent years. They’ve been absolutely crucial in Cincinnati’s success during this time with their ability to flip the field on fourth down. With O’Donnell transferring to Miami (FL), it opens up a world of new questions about this position. In steps John Lloyd and Sam Geraci who are complete unknowns as of now. The fact that neither has emerged as the defined starter is somewhat concerning but I’m sure the coaching staff will have a better idea of who to go with after seeing their tape against Purdue.
AAC Games
UCF v. Akron: The Zips are about 2 years away from not being a laughing stock and another 2 years after that from stabilizing the program. Unfortunately they run into a fairly strong Central Florida team on Thursday night. This one could get ugly. UCF – 55, Akron – 10
UConn v. Towson: The Huskies are looking for something, anything to build momentum offensively this season. Thankfully they get FCS Towson right off the bat. While beating up on a program from a lower division isn’t the best litmus test for a team, it should make for some happy Huskeis in the locker room and in the stands. UConn – 35, Towson – 6
Rutgers v. Fresno State: This has “trap game” written all over it. As Cincinnati very well knows, traveling to Fresno, California to open the season presents a world of problems. The Scarlet Knights will learn first hand on Thursday night and I’m picking this one as my upset this week. Fresno State – 23, Rutgers – 20
SMU v. Texas Tech: Both of these teams might wind up with point totals in 50’s. With Kliff Kingsbury (TT) facing June Jones and Hal Mumme (SMU), the air-raid philosophies will clash on Friday night. This will be a game of efficient possessions. The first team to start consistently mucking around with the football and punting will lose. Honestly I have no idea what to make of this game but I’ll give the edge to the Red Raiders. Texas Tech – 59, SMU – 52
Houston v. Southern: Another lamb to the AAC slaughter this weekend. The Cougars are looking to replace all-everything Case Keenum but beating up on Southern will go a long way to getting a better understanding of their new starting signal caller. Cougs roll. Houston – 48, Southern 12
Temple v. Notre Dame: This is such a tough opening game for Temple. Not only is Notre Dame coming off of a National Championship birth, Brian Kelly has had weeks to prepare for them. He’s likely has dozens of ways in which he plans on slicing and dicing the Temple defense. But when it comes down to it the Owls just don’t have the horses to run with the Irish. Notre Dame – 42, Temple – 13
South Florida v. McNeese State: A new coach and lots of question marks on offense are the primary storylines surrounding the Bulls this fall. Facing FCS McNeese State, like with the other AAC games against FCS teams, will help USF learn more about itself after the opening weekend against a low-risk opponent. Still, the Bulls offense is painfully bad and this might be one of the closest margins of victory over an FCS opponent this Saturday. South Florida – 20, McNeese State – 6
Louisville v. Ohio: Like with Rutgers-Fresno State, this presents an opportunity to be a trap game for the Cardinals. Ohio is a top-tier MAC team with a fairly deep roster. However, despite the Bobcats potentially sneaking up on the Cardinals, UL is just too darn strong. Louisville – 31, Ohio – 21