Cincinnati Football: Injury report for Kennesaw State matchup
By Charles Post
Just before Cincinnati kicked off against Arkansas, it was announced starting center Jake Renfro suffered a season-ending knee injury. Ryan Montgomery, Dominique Perry and a few others are questionable with injuries for the home opener on Saturday.
Jake Renfro (Out): In the season opener, Gavin Gerhardt replaced Renfro at center and Joe Huber slid in at right tackle alongside Jeremy Cooper, Dylan O’Quinn and James Tunstall. Luke Fickell discussed the offensive line‘s performance without Renfro at Arkansas per Cincinnati Athletics.
"“We didn’t have that solidarity. Not just because Jake wasn’t there but because that’s such a unique group. For the first game of them actually playing together, I thought they played really well. Obviously there’s things we have to get a lot better at. Communication wise, I was really happy with where they are.”"
During fall camp, the junior center went down with a significant knee injury and is expected to miss the entire season. Renfro appeared in 19 games over the last two seasons, earned All-AAC First Team honors as a sophomore and was expected to have a big year.
Cincinnati Football: Injury report for Kennesaw State matchup
Dominique Perry (Questionable): The sophomore defensive lineman remains questionable after missing last week with an undisclosed injury. It’s unclear if Perry will be able to play in the home opener on Saturday against Kennesaw State.
Dontay Corleone, Justin Wodtly, Eric Phillips and Noah Potter filled in for Perry last week and will continue to if necessary. All four players made an impact in limited playing time including Phillips finishing with four tackles and a fumble recovery.
Ryan Montgomery (Questionable): Corey Kiner and Charles McClelland stepped up and played great against the Razorbacks but missing two running backs could be a concern at some point. In the most recent media availability, Fickell updated Montgomery’s status via Cincinnati Athletics.
"“He’s got some rib issues but it’s still early in the week. He did not make it back into the game. It was significant enough that they couldn’t get him back in and he didn’t feel comfortable enough to do that. We’ll get him back whether he’s able to go for this week or not. We don’t know yet.”"
The senior running back started against Arkansas but had to leave in the first half with an upper body injury. Montgomery had four rushing attempts for seven yards before exiting in the eventual loss.
Myles Montgomery (Questionable): The other running back that went down last week was Myles Montgomery. After carrying the ball three times for four yards in the first half, Montgomery left the game with an unknown injury and didn’t return.
Devin Hightower (Questionable): Michigan State transfer linebacker Devin Hightower missed the season opener with an arm injury and is unlikely to play on Saturday. Hightower appeared in two games and totaled five tackles with the Bearcats last year.
Landon Fickell (Questionable): The final player on the injury report is sophomore offensive lineman Landon Fickell. Prior to the season opener, Fickell suffered a shoulder injury and will likely sit out a second straight game against Kennesaw State.