Orlando, FL – We are itching to go see a game of national significance for which we could actually get tickets! With one game under our belts at least featuring the current No. 24 team in the nation, Louisiana, we should be seeing a rock ’em, sock ’em game this Saturday. The No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0, 6-0) with the third top scoring defense in the nation (12.4 ppg) travels to Bounce House Stadium in Orlando to try to stop the high-scoring Golden Knights of Central Florida (5-2, 4-2). UCF, led by QB Dillon Gabriel leads the nation in passing yards averaging 396.9 yards per game. The Knights average 44.0 ppg. The “unstoppable” offense versus the unyielding defense. It doesn’t get much better than this for an exciting match-up.
No. 7 Cincinnati
Last year, Cincy tagged UCF at home in Nippert, 27-24. In 2020 so far, both squads mangled common American Athletic foes Houston and ECU. However, if Memphis is an indicator, the Bearcats walloped them at home, 49-10, while the Tigers edged the Knights 50-49 near the birthplace of Elvis. HC Luke Fickell, former Ohio State assistant and player, has his team rolling in his fourth season with a record of 33-13. Their two previous seasons totaled eleven wins in both for a program that has generally struggled for many years. Read “Our two cents” below. Fickell’s focus on defensive improvement gives his team an edge for CFP contention. A formidable showing against this offense could vault this team into this year’s final four.
High-flying UCF
UCF is led by HC Josh Heupel, also with an impressive collegiate resume as starting QB at Oklahoma where in 2000, he led the Sooners to a national championship and finished second in the Heisman voting. After two years mentoring UCF, his program comes into this contest with a record of 27-6 under him. His first team finished the regular season 12-0 before falling to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. This year, he has his Golden Knights at the top of the nation’s scoring charts once again. Besides the one-point loss at Memphis, the Knights other loss came in a surprising upset by improved Tulsa at home, 34-26.
UCF offense vs Cincy defense
On offense, Knight QB Dillon Gabriel has thrown for 2,774 yards, 23 TDs, and only two INTs. Marlon Williams leads in receptions (63), yards (942), and TDs (8). Jaylon Robinson also impresses in these same categories with 41 snags, 822 yards, and four TDs. Defensively the Bearcats counter with LB Jerrell White leading his team with 63 stops. CBs Coby Bryant and Ahmad Gardner both tallied three picks to their credit. They have held opponents to 188.9 passing yards per game. This matchup between these two units will be one of the most competitive in college football during this regular season.
And vice-versa
QB Desmond Ridder leads a more balanced attack for Cincinnati. His passing prowess stands at 1,483 yards with 14 TD tosses. He’s added 469 yards and scored nine TDs rushing. The teams leading ball carrier is Gerrid Oaks with 565 yards and seven scores. Ridder likes to spread his passes as four of his receivers total over 200 receiving yards and total 11 TD passes among them. Their scoring prowess compares to UCF’s at 41.6 per game. Knight DB Richie Grant ( 3 INTs) and his secondary mates will have their work cut out for them. Defensively, the UCF defense yields 28.7 ppg. This is where Cincinnati holds the edge to win this one. We expect to see a score similar to last year’s final as the Knights have the home edge despite the covid-restricted crowd. Fickell’s defense should give the Bearcats the edge to stay atop the American Athletic and shoot to become the first non-Power Five school to make the CFP. We hope that we can be able to say, we saw the first such team to do so!
Our two cents
For what it’s worth, here’s a little Collegefootballfan.com history regarding the opponents in our 612th game on our historic tour through time. This will only be our second time attending a UCF game. In 2004, times were very different for the Knights back then. They came to State College, PA to meet a downtrodden PSU team in the throes of a 4-7 season under HC Joe Paterno. The Lions entered this contest 1-1 while the Knights came in at 0-2. In a sloppy game on a hurricane trodden field surrounded by devastating floods throughout Pennsylvania, the Lions won, 37-13. The visitors never won that year finishing 0-11 under first-year HC George O’Leary. Needless to say, this is our first game at The Bounce House.
The Bearcats stand 1-4 in the annals of our history with some interesting albeit not so favorable accounts to their credit. Our first experience with the program was a 41-0 loss to PSU at State College in 1987. In my book, Tales from the Tailgate, the chapter entitled “Low Budget Bearcats” details my most vivid memory of that game. The Bearcats spent the night before the game in the same hotel my friends and I did. Those familiar with my football budget understand what I mean here. Ten years later, I attended my first game at the Carrier Dome where Syracuse rocked them, 63-21.
Their next meeting depicts my most memorable about the Bearcats. As favorites in 2004, Cincy (2-3) ventured up to West Point where a dreadful Army team came in on a 19-game losing streak. Behind in the fourth 41-29, on fourth and goal at the Army eight, Cincy QB Gino Guidugli’s pass got batted down in the end zone. Army answered with 93-yard TD run to pull the upset to ignite a frenzied Army celebration with a 48-29 victory. The Cats reeled off five straight wins after that and beat Marshall in the Fort Worth Bowl to finish 7-5. Gino Guidugli is now Cincinnati’s very effective offensive coordinator!
In 2017, enter Fickell. Navy dropped them 42-32 on a blistering hot September afternoon in Annapolis. The Bearcats finished 4-8. In 2018, Cincy returned to Annapolis with a 10-2 record (one loss was to 12-1 UCF, 38-13). At the Military Bowl that day, Cincinnati triumphed for the first time in our presence, 35-31, in a very competitive game against Virginia Tech. We expect to see something very similar in Orlando on Saturday!
