Cincinnati Football: Five players to watch in matchup against Miami

With the annual rivalry game versus the RedHawks less than 12 hours away, check out five players to watch as Cincinnati goes for a 16th consecutive win in the series including former Miami linebacker Ivan Pace Jr, junior Eric Phillips and several others.

There will be plenty of defensive talent on the field tomorrow afternoon and Pace might be the most impactful. After three years at Miami, the Cincinnati native has been great for the Bearcats this season.

Pace has 23 tackles and one sack in two games and should be highly motivated to face his former school in such a storied rivalry. On defensive, Eric Phillips is another player to keep an eye on for Cincinnati.

We talked about how multiple guys will get a chance on the edge with Malik Vann out for the season and Phillips deserves a spotlight for creating pressure in two games with five tackles and a fumble recovery.

Cincinnati Football: Five players to watch in matchup against Miami

The Redhawks entered the regular season with high expectations but it’s going to be difficult to move the ball with All-MAC quarterback Brett Gabbert out for a few weeks. That means senior wide receiver Mac Hippenhammer is even more important for Miami.

Aveon Smith is set to start his second game under center and will rely on Hippenhammer for big plays down field and on intermediate routes. The former Penn State receiver had three catches for 64 yards against Cincinnati last season.

Following a nearly perfect performance in the home opener, Ben Bryant will attempt to keep the offense running smoothly. The senior quarterback will have to avoid turnovers. Miami cornerback John Saunders Jr is a ballhawk that will be looking to create chaos.

Miami probably doesn’t have the depth and talent to keep up with Cincinnati but turnovers always have the possibility to swing an outcome and Saunders will be on the hunt for a second straight interception in the rivalry, which could keep Miami in the game.