Cincinnati Football: Takeaways from underwhelming win over South Florida

Even though the Bearcats were able to survive an upset scare from South Florida, there were a lot of costly mistakes that could have resulted in a loss. Check out a few takeaways from the narrow win as Cincinnati heads into the bye week with a 5-1 record.

Both sides of the ball struggled at times on Saturday including the offense getting off to a terrible start. Turnovers are going to happen but Ben Bryant must avoid throwing an interception on the very first play because it basically handed the Bulls a 10-0 lead.

In order to stay undefeated in conference play, the Bearcats can’t commit turnovers and dig an early hole. If that happens against a better opponent in a road game then it might be too much to overcome. Bryant finished with 178 yards and two touchdowns.

Charles McClelland received most of the carries since Corey Kiner was sidelined with a hand injury and he was the biggest reason why the Bearcats escaped with a win. The senior running back racked up a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns.

Cincinnati Football: Takeaways from underwhelming win over South Florida

The defense didn’t have nearly as much success as last week. After finishing with 11 sacks in the win at Tulsa, the Bearcats didn’t have any sacks today and gave up an alarming 224 rushing yards and 5.2 yards per carry in the 28-24 win over South Florida.

Following the upcoming bye week, Cincinnati will hit the road for matchups against SMU and UCF. Both teams have enough offensive firepower to create problems for the Bearcats, especially if the defense allows several explosive plays like it did on Saturday.

Bryant later went down with a head injury and Evan Prater was forced into action with Cincinnati trailing in the fourth quarter. It’s disappointing to lose any player but Prater explained why it’s so important to be prepared at all times per Cincinnati Athletics.

"“You have to step up when your number gets called. I’ve been preparing and I’ve been ready day in and day out. Going to practice everyday and trying to do everything I can to stay ready for the moments and it finally came today. It’s just an opportunity to showcase what you can do. The coaches told me ever since camp and Ben was named starter that these moments are going to show up and you’re going to have to win games this year. This was one of those moments today. They’ve been prepping me and always come in with a positive attitude. Even though I’m not be the starter, I know I’m in a position to help us win games like today.”"