The game that many Cincinnati Bearcat football fans had been hoping for came true tonight. The Bearcats offense exploded against FCS opponent Western Carolina. The Catamounts, who came into the Cincinnati game with a dynamic QB (Lex Thomas) who has shown he can explode for massive numbers throughout the game presented a bit of a different challenge than Boston College did last week. The Catamounts, however, proved no test for Cincinnati.
Cincinnati did start a bit slower, at one point up just 14-10. However, the Bearcats quickly expanded their lead and took a 28-10 halftime advantage. After the half, it was all UC. The Bearcats went for 21 3rd quarter and then 13 4th quarter points tonight. Ultimately, UC scored 48 unanswered points tonight en route to a dominant performance
How we got to 62-10:
- WCU 3-0: 33 yard FG McCullom
- UC 7-3: 5 yard receiving TD from French to Gibson
- UC 14-3: 2 yard receiving TD from French to Rusnak
- WCU 14-10: Thomas 1 yard rushing TD
- UC 21-10: Tabb 36 yard rushing TD
- UC 28-10: Johnson 3 yard rushing TD
- UC 35-10: Payne 40 yard rushing TD
- UC 42-10: Payne 17 yard rushing TD
- UC 49-10: Perry 40 yard rushing TD
- UC 55-10: O’Brien 11 yard rushing TD
- UC 62-10: Jones 4 yard rushing TD
Takeaways:
This offensive line is living up to the hype. The Bearcats rushed for 418 total yards tonight and 7 TD’s. Being on the sidelines to see the line, the holes they were opening were massive and make it much easier for dynamic guys like Payne and Perry to pick up big chunk plays. Both went for 40 yard rushes. Tabb wasn’t far behind with a 36 yarder of his own.
The offense is fine. The passing game is there. The rushing game is absolutely elite. Per Mo Egger on X: Cincinnati tonight put up the most rushing yards (419) since 1970 (vs. Xavier). Tied for 6th in program history. The Bearcats 690 yards is 5th highest all time and the most since 2009.
Penalties are a concern. Cincinnati had 11 penalties for 105 yards, and it is something they need to clean up immediately as Miami won’t be as forgiving.
JC French and JV Gibson have QB 1/WR 1 chemistry. French looked his way more often than not, and the passing game, though not needed, was explosive, showing the good things to come for the Bearcats. As the game slows down for French, things will get easier.
Finally, on a general note, the Big 12 is wide-open. I’m not saying they’re going to win the Big 12, don’t get me wrong. However, they can compete. Teams like Texas Tech ( down 3 to Oregon State as this is written) aren’t looking as elite as they were thought to be. That opens the door to a Bearcat season where 8+ wins are possible.
A sincere thank you to the UC Athletics team for having us out tonight. This opportunity is not one that we take for granted and we look forward to growing this partnership.
Next up: Rivalry Week! Noah and Hunter will have continued coverage throughout the lead up to Saturday at 3:30 at TQL Stadium!
Tonight’s Photos:
