After taking down Navy at home on Saturday night, the Bearcats remain in the AAC championship race with three games left in the regular season. Check out a few takeaways from the 20-10 win as Dontay Corleone’s dominant freshman campaign continues.
During his freshman season, Corleone has become a defensive force because of his elite physicality, size and strength. The Cincinnati native was seemingly unstoppable against Navy and helped set the tone alongside fellow defensive tackle Jowon Briggs.
Corleone finished with a career-high 11 tackles on Saturday night as the Bearcats held Navy to only 3.3 yards per carry. The 6’2, 320-pound defensive tackle will have a chance to develop into one of the best players in the country over the next couple years.
Even though the Bearcats secured a win, the offense continued to play inconsistent. Ben Bryant hit Tyler Scott for 139 yards and two touchdowns but that was most of the offensive production as Cincinnati’s run game struggled for a second straight week.
Even though the offense struggled during the second half, the #Bearcats were able to hold off Navy for a 20-10 win on Saturday night. In addition to bouncing back from the loss last week, Cincinnati extended its home win streak. https://t.co/XioxfEBN1E pic.twitter.com/a3uOG4QILu
— Cincy on the Prowl (@CincyOnTheProwl) November 6, 2022
Cincinnati Football: Takeaways as the Bearcats bounce back with win over Navy
In the loss at UCF a week ago, the Bearcats finished with 35 rushing yards and it wasn’t that much better against Navy. Luke Fickell’s team had just 55 rushing yards after averaging 199.3 rushing yards per game in the recent wins over Tulsa, South Florida and SMU.
Despite remaining unbeaten at home, the Bearcats will need to play at a higher level to take down East Carolina and Tulane later this month. If the rushing attack can get back on the track, it’s still possible to win out and reach the AAC championship game.
Following the win, Corleone discussed how the Bearcats bounced back per Cincinnati Athletics.
"“We have a lot of respect for Navy so we prepare as hard as we can. We try to play with discipline. I have a big advantage against the triple option because I played against it my whole high school career. It was probably one of the best games I’ve ever played because of Briggs relieving all of those double teams from me. Having the senior leadership from Jabari, Briggs and Malik helps me just play my game so I don’t have to be anyone else. There was one play where I missed a tackle and Briggs and Jabari came to me and told me it was okay. Those leaders telling us to calm down is a big help. I just go out and try to help my team win.”"