Both teams are dealing with injuries leading up to the matchup on Saturday night as the Bearcats are potentially going to be without senior cornerback Arquon Bush, while Tulsa senior quarterback Davis Brin might not be available either.
Bush went down with a lower body injury and limped to the medical tent in the second quarter against Indiana last week. A few days later, Luke Fickell explained that Bush was questionable to play and didn’t fully participate in practice via Cincinnati Athletics.
"“We’ll find out today. I think he’ll give us a little something today and we’ll see how he progresses throughout the week. I thought he might come back into the game last week but I don’t know if he could have.”"
If Bush is unable to play, Justin Harris will be tasked with helping the secondary limit Tulsa’s potent offense. Harris replaced Bush last week and played well in certain spots but committed three pass interferences. That type of performance would likely be much most costly at Tulsa.
Cincinnati Football: Arquon Bush headlines injury report against Tulsa
As for the Golden Hurricane, Brin suffered a right ankle injury in the second half at Ole Miss last week and was replaced by redshirt freshman Braylon Braxton. Brin is one of the highest rated passers in the entire country so his availability looms large.
The Bearcats will definitely be without Will Pauling, Jake Renfro and Malik Vann with a few others questionable including senior running back Ryan Montgomery, who could return after missing the last three games with bruised ribs.
One player that will be available is sophomore defensive lineman Dominique Perry, who made his season debut last Saturday and turned a fumble recovery into a touchdown. Fickell discussed what Perry brings to the table per Cincinnati Athletics.
"“He did a great job. I’m so happy for him. He’s had a tougher situation being out since camp and he got back on Tuesday. I don’t know if he played 30 snaps. We were a little concerned with how many snaps they would allow him to play but he went in there and played well. Practiced well all week and he’s a guy we need. With him being out, Dontay Corleone got more of an opportunity. With him coming back, we’ll be able to spread the wealth.”"