Final Huddle: UC Hammers Kennesaw State 63-10 in Home Opener

The point total is tied for the highest figure under head coach Luke Fickell.

© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats made it look easy in their 21st-straight home opening win over Kennesaw State 63-10.

They didn't tighten everything up, but the Bearcats left no doubt where they stand against a solid FCS opponent in the Owls. Ben Bryant and the rest of the UC passing attack put up a hyper-efficient outing.

They carried the baton from a hungry defense that forced two turnovers and returned both for touchdowns. 

It goes down as UC's fourth performance of the Luke Fickell era scoring at least 56 points and is tied for the most points during that period. A different Bearcat scored each of the nine touchdowns on Saturday. 

“I wish you had told me it was going to end like that," head coach Luke Fickell said postgame. "I would have slept a little better knowing that. The triple option is always challenging in different ways, and that is a different type of triple option team, and I am happy to say that we did a really, really good job across the board. Sometimes you don't realize when we talk about the triple option and our defense, the reality is it's the whole picture. 

"The ability to do things together because of the limitations, as far as how many possessions, and different things that you get and our guys really took that to heart. Across the board, all in all, we played well. It is only game two, but that is the most together football that we have had."

Let's dive into the Final Huddle of UC's 28th-straight home victory.

Defensive Masterclass

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The Blackcats' got roughed up on the ground last week against Arkansas, but they flipped the script against KSU. Every player 1-11 played locked in and never waivered in the face of this triple-option attack.

Ivan Pace Jr. led the way once again with 11 tackles (one for loss) and a forced fumble. He was one of six Bearcats who got in on at least one tackle for loss. Add in the two turnovers returned for scores, and it's hard to ask for a much better performance after struggling near the end of last week's game.

Stopping the triple option starts with stopping the fullback dive, and UC had the perfect duo for that job. Jowon Briggs and Dontay Corleone combined for 14 tackles and 1.5 TFLs on the afternoon and were there to meet nearly every KSU interior ballcarrier right at the line.

“In my opinion, defensive linemen and those like Curtis Brooks are one of the MVPs," Fickell said about the big fellas. "To fill those shoes is going to be a big deal. The good thing is Briggs’ going to do a great job. He's going to have some help behind him, so he doesn't have to play all the time. Corleone kind of stepped up today and hopefully we'll get Dominique Perry back here soon."

Chunk rushes are critical for keeping a triple-option drive alive. UC allowed one carry of 10-plus yards all day. All in all, UC's defense held KSU to 142 yards on the ground—breaking the Owls' 73-game streak of at least 150 rushing yards dating back to 2015. 

“All I can say is it's not that I was I wasn't doubting anything about us or the ones that were coming after me, (Jowon) Briggs, Malik (Vann) and down but the fact that they were able to stay just disciplined if not better than us is a very, very comfortable feeling," Defensive end Jabari Taylor said about the depth up front.

UC's opponent averaged 3.3 yards per play on Saturday, which would've tied for last place in the FBS in 2021.

Blistering Bryant, Performing Prater

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UC got both quarterbacks into the game on Saturday, but there is no QB controversy in Clifton. Bryant (17-of-20 for 201 yards and three touchdowns) made sure to start strong this week, catching a rhythm early on.

“I don’t know honestly," Bryant said about his performance. "I just want to get wins for this team. That’s really the most important thing targeting nine different receivers. What was it that you were seeing from that Kennesaw State defense? All those guys came out and played well. They came out and did a little don't know honestly, not clear. I just I just want to get the wins for this team."

The transfer did a nice job progressing through his reads, taking what the Owls gave him, and dicing things up along the way for an 85% completion rate. It was the highest completion percentage of his career (min. 15 attempts).

"Happy to see [Ben Bryant] at a high confidence level," Fickell said. "I think we kind of had an idea that we were going to throw it a little bit, but you know how those guys are at times they want to take the shots down the field. The best thing that he did, and we did all day (is we) took what was there, sometimes you get antsy and want to take a Tyler Scott and all the receivers down the field, but the accuracy and the ability to continue to move the chains is where we have got to continue to focus.”

Bryant led UC to a 3-for-3 showing in the red zone and hit both his top tight ends (Josh Whyle, and Leonard Taylor) for touchdowns early in the game. He and Prater combined to go 4-for-4 on passes 5-14 yards and 5-of-7 on deep passes (15-plus yards).

Speaking of Prater, he looked like he can step right in for Bryant and not have the offense miss a beat if needed. He showed his dual-threat talent to the tune of 4-of-5 passing for 92 yards and went untouched on a 44-yard QB keeper.

"We've seen it we know it," Fickell said about Prater. "But to go out there and do it, and have the opportunity to do it, is what sometimes is most difficult. I'd say he played well. He was sharp, and it wasn't just running the football. It was the ability to throw the ball down the field. I’m really proud of, not just the way he played, but the way he's handled this whole thing and his ability to be prepared for when that opportunity comes. It's going to be a great thing for us."

The top 2020 UC recruit was accurate, poised, and efficient in an opportunity he eagerly took advantage of. Both QBs performed exactly how fans wanted against inferior competition.

Penalties Still Popping Up

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Saturday ended up a great day for UC as they took full advantage of their athletic edge. Yet, the mental game still lacked at times, as UC committed ten penalties for 90 yards.

That marks the fourth most single-game penalty yards from UC since 2020. Some of them nullified big plays in scenarios that won't be as easy as they were on Saturday. Two games in, and UC has committed ten penalties in each contest.

“Well, we will see, we have to break down the film," Fickell said about how clean the game was. "I think there were some mistakes in Arkansas that didn't get exposed. Today, I'd still obviously love to be able to play cleaner. The penalties are still one of those things we need to fix. I know when you get later in the game, and it gets some guys that aren't in the same rhythm, they can get a little bit sloppy, but those are the kinds of things that we got to continue to focus on."

That penalty mark is currently tied for 124th nationally and would have led the whole country last season by 0.2 penalties per contest. Plenty of these were mental mistakes that can get cleaned up, but the cleaning has to happen first. The miscues had little effect on Saturday's result, but we saw the impact in week one, and it's a big reason why UC is 1-1 and not 2-0 as we look ahead to the Battle for the Victory Bell.

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