Final Huddle: UC Loses Sixth Consecutive Game 38-13 to Oklahoma State
CINCINNATI — The Bearcats spun their wheels during a 45-13 road loss against Oklahoma State. UC kept things close at half but big play opportunity after big play opportunity slipped out of their hands and the Cowboys pounced on theirs.
Emory Jones (6-of-16, 117 yards, one interception) and the Cincinnati passing attack were abysmal again on Saturday as real questions need to be pondered on his future as the starter. The Bearcats' predictability on offense helped drive the loss in game where Jones got benched.
Brady Lichtenberg (5-of-9, 48 yards, one touchdown) entered the game and played alright with one nice TD throw to Aaron Turner.
Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II (25 carries, 271 yards, 2 TDs, four catches for 21 yards) scored at will in the second half during a dark night game for Cincinnati football. UC allowed a season-high 615 yards of offense.
The program has now lost six games in a row. It's the longest losing streak since 1998.
Emory Jones Out Of Chances.
It's time.
Jones is unable to elevate any part of this offense outside the occasional run play that keeps the chains moving. He was inaccurate all night against a pass defense ranked in the bottom third nationally.
He has not played well since the first game of the season against an FCS opponent. the sixth-year player went and notched THIRD DOWN CONV through the air. Add in the two turnovers and overthrows hurt the team all night.
It was a mix of mostly poor throws and some rough drops from another lacking day out of the wide receiver corps. Perhaps Brady Drogosh is not ready to play behind an offense so hamstrung by issues in the passing game, but this is not sustainable if UC wants to salvage anything for the rest of 2023.
Lichtenberg looked alright in the road environment as I mentioned but he's not a slam dunk better option than Jones. It showed more evidence why the Bearcats' top quarterback recruit over the past few cycles may need a look sooner rather than later.
The offense ran 65% of the time and had an awful 33% success rate, it's impossible to win that way in modern college football.
Jones is in Year 6—it is what is.
Running Backs Banged Up
Corey Kiner (17 carries, 79 yards) and Myles Montgomery (eight carries, 90 yards, one TD) ran hard as the only major consistency from this offense in 2023, but both got knocked roughed up on Saturday. Cincinnati oddly kept running plays with seconds left on the clock to end the first half and Montgomery suffered an injury right before the break.
Kiner also came up injured in the second half but returned to the game as UC ran for 277 yards on 50 carries against a porous Cowboys' defense.
The running back depth is something to monitor along with other offensive position groups as UC faces the harsh realities of a rebuilding season.
Explosive Party
UC allowed Oklahoma State to notch 16 explosive plays as the pass defense continues to hemorrhage yards week after week. Kalen Carroll got his chance to help stop the bleeding at cornerback and it didn't change much as Alan Bowman (STATS) dropped bombs over the top consistently.
Cincinnati is an easy scout at this point of the season, especially once Ollie Gordon II got going on the ground as the game wore on (nine rushing explosives from OSU).
It's nearly impossible to win any football game when you give up over 600 yards of total offense. Gordon contributed close to half of that with his legs, showcasing why he's arguably the best running back in the country.
It was a hammering performance highlighted by a game-defining 75-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. UC doesn't have any game-breakers like that on the roster and it's contributed to a six-game losing streak.
Can Cincinnati break the streak at home next week? They face former AAC foe UCF as the Knights are also spiraling. Cincinnati and the Knights have lost a combined 11 straight games entering the 3:30 p.m. matchup.
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