Wrapping Up Week 1 For Cincinnati’s 2014 Football Opponents

As you are more than aware, the Cincinnati Bearcats are off for the first two weeks of the 2014 college football season. As such, we at Cincy on the Prowl decided it would be a good idea to get you caught up on the performance of UC’s upcoming opponents this year.

Toledo: W, 54-20 vs. New Hampshire

An unusually slow start for the Rockets saw them up just 16-14 at halftime. But Alabama transfer Philip Ely got it together in the second half, throwing for 337 yards and 4 touchdowns on the evening. Toledo also added another 306 yards on the ground. Overall, the Rockets look as dangerous on offense as they did in 2013.

Miami (OH): L, 42-27 vs. Marshall

The Miami (OH) Redhawks scored more points on Saturday hosting the Marshall Thundering Herd than they did in any game in 2013. To say that Don Treadwell was an unmitigated disaster would be an understatement and the number one reason why you never hire Michigan State offensive coordinators. Thankfully Miami replaced him with a legitimate OC in the Irish’s Chuck Martin. Notre Dame transfer Andrew Hendrix looked solid at quarterback running his old coach’s system. He connected on 24 of his 49 passes for 318 yards and 3 touchdowns. It’s still incredibly early but the Redhawks look much, much better in 2014.

Ohio State: W, 34-17 vs. Navy

As happens ever year, it seems, the Buckeyes started off glacially slow against the Navy Midshipmen. They were actually down 7-6 at halftime. But the Urban Meyer offensive powerhouse woke up in the second half en route to a 34-17 win. Quarterback J.T. Barrett was decent in his first collegiate game, going 12/15 through the air for 2 touchdowns and 276 total yards. However Ohio State’s defense allowed 370 yards on the ground, albeit to a Midshipmen offense that runs the option as well as any team in college football.

Memphis: W, 63-0 vs. Austin Peay

The Tigers completely decimated the FCS Austin Peay Governors at home. It’s still way early to tell if the fightin’ Justin Fuentes have turned the corner but to see a potent offense in Memphis is encouraging.

Miami (FL): L, 31-13 vs. Louisville

The Hurricanes have a major issue at the quarterback position. True freshman Brad Kaaya looked awful last night, albeit against a strong Louisville defense. But horrible playcalling in the redzone forced Miami to settle for field goals when touchdowns were more than on the table. This could have been a far different game if the offense from the coaching staff to the players operated even a hair better.

SMU: L, 45-0 vs. Baylor

They were manhandled by a good Baylor team on the road on Sunday night. No shame in the Mustangs losing to a better team but it was the way they lost that has to concern SMU fans. The ‘Stangs rarely got anything going offensively, passing for just 91 yards and rushing for (chuckle) -24 yards. June Jones might be starting at his final season at the helm if this keeps up.

South Florida: W, 36-31 vs. Western Carolina

The Bulls started off slow and were down 17-16 at halftime against FCS Western Carolina. But they got their act together in the second half and squeaked out a win. USF is clearly a long way away from recovering from the Skip Holtz era.

Tulane: L, 38-31 vs. Tulsa (2OT)

The Green Wave showed quite a bit of fight on the road against their former Conference USA rival. Redshirt freshman quarterback Tanner Lee completed 50% of his passes for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns but the real star of the game was fellow underclassman Sherman Badie. The runningback bowled his way to 215 yards and a touchdown on Thursday night. Hello, future 1st-Team All-Conference selection.

East Carolina: W, 52-7 vs. North Carolina Central

Quarterback Shane Carden picked up right where he left off last season, tossing for 283 yards, 3 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Isaiah Jones looks to be an ample compliment to Justin Hardy on the outside as the Pirates offense looks as potent as ever.

UConn: L, 35-10 vs. BYU

In a showing of ineptitude, the UConn Huskies proved that Bob Diaco’s rebuilding job in Storrs is going to take a few more years and that Paul Pasqualoni was the worst possible hire of all time. BYU methodically marched it down Connecticut’s throat on their 15-play touchdown drive to open the game. Less than a minute later, the Cougars scored another one. And that was that for UConn, who continue to muddle with their quarterbacks and jerk around on defense.

Temple: W, 37-7 vs. Vanderbilt

Gotta say, I never saw this coming. The Owls came out on Thursday night and blasted Vanderbilt on the road. Granted, the Commodores were without their intrepid leader James Franklin, now at Penn State, but they looked completely unprepared for what Temple had to offer. The Owls executed their gameplan to near perfection and look to be an early dark horse for the AAC title.

Houston: L, 27-7 vs. UT-San Antonio

LOL.