Cincinnati Bearcats 41, SMU Mustangs 3: Football Is Fun Again

The Cincinnati Bearcats blasted the SMU Mustangs 41-3 this afternoon in a game in which the frustrations of UC from the last three games were unleashed.

After a slow start, the Bearcats completely took over this game after the first quarter. UC led just 6-3 after this frame but scored 35 unanswered points from the second quarter onward. Cincinnati gained 505 yards on the day, 75 more than their season average, and breezed through SMU’s defense. Gunner Kiel threw for 241 yards and a touchdown through effectively two and a half quarters of work because he was pulled for most drives after halftime in favor of Jarred Evans and Munchie Legaux. But UC’s offense just kept right on scoring.

However, the defense was the star of the show today. After getting torched for 49 points and 647 yards in each of Cincinnati’s last three games, the Bearcats allowed just 3 points and 276 yards to the Mustangs. The defense also sacked quarterback Garrett Krstich several times, forced a fumble, and returned it for a touchdown (thank you, Jeff Luc and Nick Temple). That had to have been cathartic for a unit that was exposed a number of different ways this season.

But was this just a blip on the radar or a sign of things to come for Cincinnati’s defense? I’m not sure.

Considering the performance in the first five games, it’s probably best to assume Hank Hughes incompetent until proven otherwise. I certainly enjoyed UC winning a game for the first time in a month but I’m not sure if beating a team that averaged 7 points per game up until today is much to cheer about. It was fun, sure, but I need to see more consistent play like this against South Florida next week to deem this ship righted.