Cincinnati vs Austin Peay Football Preview

It won’t be a problem for the Cincinnati Bearcats to score against the Austin Peay Governors in week one of the college football season. Whereas other Big East teams such as Connecticut and Louisville will be anxious about their quarterback situations, Cincinnati’s issue is defense, defense, and more defense.

Last year was a genuine football disaster for first-year head coach Butch Jones. He inherited a truckload of offensive playmakers from departed coach Brian Kelly, but was unable to even come close to the standards Kelly established before bolting for Notre Dame. Cincinnati limped to a 4-8 record and missed the postseason for the first time since 2007. The Bearcats return the entire defense intact this season, and they still possess a great deal of offensive talent. The stage is set for Jones to either make or break his tenure at Cincinnati in just his second season at the helm. If the defense rebounds, he’ll be positioned to right the ship. If he struggles once again, the voices clamoring for a new coach will be heard quite clearly in 2012.

 For all of the struggles that the Bearcats faced in 2010, few can be laid at the feet of the offense. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw for just under 3,000 yards and had 26 touchdowns; tailback Isaiah Pead surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark; and the Bearcats finished the season in the top third of the nation in total offense at 417 yards per game. The problem for Cincinnati was that most of the big numbers were put up in games that were either shootouts or come-from-behind efforts that skew the numbers to be somewhat larger than they legitimately should have been. Nevertheless, the Bearcats return an impressive cast of skill position players in Collaros, Pead, receivers Kembrell Thompkins, D.J. Woods, and Anthony McClung, plus tight ends Adrien Robinson and Travis Kelce. With such an array of weapons, the Bearcats should once again field one of the most potent offenses in the Big East.  

The big project for Jones and his coaching staff in 2011 is to find ways to improve a defense that, while returning all 11 starters, didn’t excel at much of anything in 2010. In particular, the Bearcats struggled against the pass, finishing 88th in passing defense by allowing 234 yards per game through the air. In an effort to bulk up the pass defense, Jones reached out to the junior college ranks to bring in a few players that could make an immediate impact for the defense. Cornerback Malcolm Murray will likely find his way onto the field very quickly. Jones will also look to JUCO linebacker Greg Blair to beef up the front seven that was so often pushed around in 2010.

The biggest change for the Bearcats’ defense must come along the defensive line. The Bearcats finished with just over two sacks per game in 2010, which really isn’t much when one realizes how many Big East teams now run some version of a pass-first, spread-oriented offense. The Bearcats must get more of a pass rush from its pair of junior defensive ends Brandon Mills and Dan Giordano. The two bookend pass rushers must find new levels of performance for the defense to stand up against some of the Big East’s best offenses.

In this encounter with Austin Peay, Cincinnati needs to set a tone on the defensive side of the ball. A 52-35 win will be better than a one-point loss, but it would do little to quell doubts in the Queen City. The Bearcats need to be defensive in this game; otherwise, their head coach will be on the defensive in his postgame press conference.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer