It’s never easy losing games. Especially in this fashion, and especially to a team the Bearcats have been wanting to play since 2006. To have the offense battle to the best of their abilities only to get let down by the worst defensive performance I’ve ever seen in my years of watching football is a pill that I’m sure the Bearcats are struggling to swallow throughout this week. I attended the game at The Shoe, and I can attest to how much it sucked to watch. However, the sky hasn’t fallen. They don’t give trophies for moral victories, but that’s not going to stop me from making my own.
Ignoring the fact that the defense got absolutely incinerated, the offense looked solid. Playing against arguably the best defensive line in the country, the Bearcat offensive line was able to hold their own, giving up just a single sack and providing Gunner Kiel with just enough time to get rid of the ball. The defense struggled with Ohio State’s relentless rushing attack to such an extent that the Buckeyes seemed to hardly give up the ball. Considering the Bearcats were on offense for hardly 18 minutes of the game, it’s a wonder they were able to get into any kind of rhythm, let alone move the ball well and generate 28 points. Seriously, the time of possession in this game was absolutely unreal.
Due to the fact Ohio State had helped themselves to 30 straight points following UC’s opening-drive touchdown, the running game never had a chance to get going. The Bearcats needed points in a hurry, and they weren’t going to get them by grinding it out on the ground. In the very limited chances they were given, the running backs looked good. Hosey Williams and Tion Green combined for just 11 carries, but were able to pick up an average of 4.7 yards on those carries. Very respectable numbers, especially against that defensive line I was talking about. Jarred Evans provided a nice wrinkle, rushing three times for 17 yards. Evans also threw a touchdown pass that was called back due to a penalty, and nearly had another big passing play that fell incomplete, perhaps due to what I’ll call a “handsy” defensive back. I wasn’t quite sold on Evans’ involvement in the offense following the Toledo game, but I’m a fan after his outing in Columbus. I’d like to see similar usage for him going forward.
Then there’s Gunner. In his very first college road game, and third game since graduating high school back in December of 2011, he looked the part. He showed poise in a hostile environment, stood tall in a sometimes-crumbling pocket, and connected on 65% of his passes for four touchdowns without a single interception. The Buckeyes aren’t known for having an intimidating secondary, but that’s still an impressive feat, and one that may not be duplicated against Ohio State this season.
The story amongst the receivers is obviously Chris Moore. Despite being likely the third option for Kiel coming into the game, Moore torched the Buckeye secondary. He finished the evening with three catches for 221 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a 50-yard score from Jarred Evans that was negated by that penalty. Regardless, that’s 73.7 yards per catch, an NCAA record. He finished just 6 yards shy of the most receiving yards ever given up by the Buckeyes, and set an Ohio Stadium record. Not bad, kid.
On-field happenings aside, it was still a good day to be a Bearcat. An impressive number of UC fans made the trek up to Columbus and made their presence know. Amidst an Ohio Stadium-record crowd of 108,362, Down The Drive could be heard loud and clear following Bearcat touchdowns. The defense may have been a let-down, but the fans represented Cincinnati well.
Hopefully this one lights a fire under the Bearcats as they return to Paul Brown Stadium for a 7 p.m. affair against the Memphis Tigers on Saturday. The season is still young, and conference play lies ahead. As Coach Tuberville said, there is plenty of room to grow. Let’s see if the Bearcats can make something happen moving forward.