Collaborative Preview: Tulsa vs. Cincinnati

Before we get into the game here is your fun fact: there are eleven division 1 NCAA teams whose mascot does not end with an “s”.  Tulsa is one of them.

Both teams are playing for bowl eligibility this week.  If the Bearcats don’t get it this week then they will have an uphill battle with two road games dominating the schedule.  The forecast is looking decent for tonight’s game.  Tuberville lamented last week over the weather conditions which, to his credit, have made us resemble the college football equivalent of Eeyore.  It will be a cold game, but cold alone shouldn’t count as inclement weather.   Here are our best guesses for tonight’s game:

Chris Bains

Expect lots of yards, lots of points, and in general offenses that look like they’ve turned the sliders way down on defense and are running rickshaw all over them. But the Bearcats have the advantage in that 1) they have a better defense in general and 2) their defense has shown signs that they’re improving this season. Tulsa boast as explosive of an aerial attack as UC’s seen since Memphis but really can’t do much of anything on the other side of the ball. Cincinnati wins in a shootout and we all start talking about bowl projections.

Cincinnati 49, Tulsa 38

Ben Levin

On paper, the Golden Hurricane look like a decent team – like UC, they carry in a decent 5-4 record, and they’ll be looking to become bowl eligible on Saturday night. Tulsa has a high-flying offense that almost matches the Bearcats, averaging 520 yards and 36 points per game. They’ve put tons of points on the board, even against good teams like Oklahoma (38) and Memphis (42). But if you scratch below the surface, you see that Tulsa’s success is as thinly gilded as the paint on their helmets. Their five wins have come over teams with a combined record of 9-37, and their defensive ineptitude nearly matches their offense prowess (they allow 519 yards and 37 points a game, too). I don’t see any shot for Tulsa to take this one on senior night at Nippert unless UC makes even more mistakes than they have in their losses to date. Tulsa’s defense can’t stop a nosebleed, so while I think this one will be high scoring (and probably take about 4.5 hours to finish), UC will comfortably run away with it on Senior Night. I’ve got Hosey Williams running one in in his last game at Nippert and Gunner and Hayden combining for 6 TD passes (tossing one to each senior WR).

Cincinnati 58, Tulsa 37

Alex Thomas

Even against Tulsa’s high-powered offense, I’m not overly concerned about our defensive effort. They have played really well over the last 3 weeks. They played great against Houston’s offense but offensive turnovers put the D in challenging situations.

I expect the offense to put up a crazy amount of yards against this Tulsa defense because nearly every receiver and all running lanes will be open. That said, we still cannot turn the ball over.

I don’t see the Bearcats losing on senior night.

UC 52, Tulsa 30

Travis Holmes

For as prolific as Tulsa’s passing game is, the running game for the Golden Hurricane is strong behind the emergence of Ramadi Warren in recent weeks. As good as their passing game is the options are quite limited with receivers Joshua Atkinson and Keyarris Garrett gobbling up the lion’s share of touches since Keevan Lucas’ season-ending injury. Having watched this team play a few times, they run some creative and challenging route combinations for opposing defenses.

With that said, this game is all about the Bearcats. I do not foresee a scenario where Cincinnati scores less than 50 points. Gunner Kiel has been lights out at Nippert and Tulsa won’t be able to keep up with UC’s skill position players in the backfield or at wideout. Ultimately, the defense will make enough stops to keep this game from being very competitive and Senior Night 2015 will be a rousing victory for the good guys.

Bearcats 55, Golden Hurricane 32

Mike Jorgensen

What a mess this game could be.  Both teams enter in AVERAGING over 500 yards per game.  Cincinnati is averaging 37.6 ppg to Tulsa’s 36.3.  This could be a photo finish and an old fashioned shootout.  Although I’m inclined to think it will go a little easier than we expect.  Believe it or not, Cincinnati has played more consistently than Tulsa this season.  Tulsa has had multiple losses by multiple scores whereas Cincinnati has been in every game and only gotten blown out once.

I am calling for a “low” score compared to the rest of the Cincy on the Prowl crew because I think the Cincy defense will step up at home.  The offense will do what they need to, but we better score early as it will be the coldest game of the year and they’ll never get a glimpse of sunshine with their 7:30 EST kickoff. I can probably sum it all up in three keys to the game:

1. Have fewer than 5 turnovers
2. No special teams disasters
3. Give Mike Boone the ball.  Rinse and repeat.

Most of us are pretty good at live tweeting during the games so be sure to tweet at us and you’ll hear back (sometimes more than you bargained for). Go Bearcats!