Final Huddle: UC Storms Back and Buries Miami 38-17

The Bearcats started slow but left no doubt who dominates this rivalry.

© Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

CINCINNATI — UC got off to a rough start but turned things around in a hurry to win their 16th straight game against Miami (OH) 38-17.

Ben Bryant (26-of-35, 337 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) started the game 12-of-12 passing, and his connection with Tyler Scott (eight catches, career-high 119 yards, one TD) was more than enough to overcome two early lost fumbles. 

Cincinnati now owns a one-game lead in the series at 60-59-7 all-time.

"I think we came out the second half, didn't play clean," head coach Luke Fickell said postgame. "There's a lot of things, we got to do a lot better. I really do think we were in control and had a better grasp and a feel for what we were doing, but I am going to give them a lot of credit. It was a hard-fought battle.”

Here's the Final Huddle from Paycor Stadium.

Bryant Rings The Bell

The Bearcats starting QB was the steadying presence UC needed on Saturday. Bryant was poised and played his most comfortable football this season. The senior started the game 12-of-12 passing, mixing the ball around well, and showing great read progression.

That continued in the second half when he added a deep passing component to the equation. His 41-yard TD pass to Tyler Scott was arguably his best throw as a Bearcat.

Ben Bryant connects with Tyler Scott for 41 yards and a touchdown! https://t.co/pElqb9Ar8z

— Barstool Cincinnati (@UCBarstool) September 17, 2022

“We are figuring out what 'us' looks like," Fickell said about Bryant's day. "I think there's us a little bit more of a calm nature than last year. I think, offensively, that's what Ben (Bryant) is, where maybe last year, Dez (Desmond Ridder) would have been a little bit more vocal, a little bit more energetic. I think the calm nature of him is a little bit more of maybe where we are headed towards."

The QB gave his receivers chances to make plays all afternoon after getting nice protection on most plays. The passing pied piper hit eight different receivers on the afternoon, and six of them caught multiple passes.

Bryant fed two 100-yard receivers for UC for the first time since 2016. Tre Tucker (seven catches, 105 yards) had a nice afternoon as well to counter one of his best friends on the team in Scott.

"I don't play favorites," Bryant said. "I tell them all the time that I will throw to whoever is open. They aren't greedy and won't complain about not getting the ball. It isa really good group and I am happy I get to throw to those guys."

The ball placement can still get away from him on some throws (interception targeting Jadon Thompson) but Bryant has improved his consistency every snap since his shaky first half against Arkansas.

"I took some shots from Ivan (Pace, Jr.) last year," Bryant joked. "It was nice seeing guys on the other team take those instead of me."

Delightful Defense

QB Aveon Smith and the RedHawks looked great on their 75-yard opening scoring drive, and then things fell off. The RedHawks tallied just 108 yards after that stretch as UC's defense tightened up.

Ivan Pace Jr. (eight tackles, one sack, two TFLs) once again led the team in tackles on an emotional day against his former team. He continued showing how much impact he has down-to-down by snuffing out QB draws and getting Cincinnati's first sack of the game.

“They definitely changed up some signals," Pace said about Miami's offense. "I looked to the sideline a couple of times just to see if I could see anything. They changed it a little bit, but they were out there doing their thing."

Defensive tackle Jowon Briggs (two tackles, one sack, one TFL) got in on the sack party as well. He was a consistent force in the middle and a huge reason why Miami tallied 1.9 yards per cary on a rough day running the ball. For context, the worst rushing team in the country last season still averaged 2.9 YPC.

"I think going into the week, we made a really big emphasis on just being physical front, the front five, seven guys up there, their job is to stop the run," Will Huber said postgame. "That was a big emphasis going into the week. I think we did a really good job of executing what we needed to do. It worked out in our favor."

Back to the aerial defense, I loved the way Arquon Bush adjusted to the deep ball after giving up the opening score to Miami's Mac Hippenhammer. He snagged his first pick of the season on another ball down the opposite sideline. He got his head turned around this time and tracked the wobbly ball perfectly.

Outside of that opening drive, the Blackcats played textbook ball, holding Miami to 1-of-11 on third down conversions and 3.21 yards per play.

Mistakes Hanging Around

The Bearcats should've covered the 23-point pregame spread easily on Saturday, but instead found themselves down 17-7 at one point. Attribute that largely to self-inflicted wounds. The Bearcats had another three turnovers on Saturday bringing their season total to six.

All three were avoidable as well, whether it be tipped passes or loose ball carrying. Cincinnati coughed the ball up four times on Saturday, losing two of those.

Heading into the final week of non-conference play the easy mistakes are UC's biggest issue. 

None of them have been enough to lose in the past two weeks, but good teams like Arkansas take advantage of these mistakes and turn them into Ws. The Blackcats' defense helped them out with two forced turnovers, but averaging two per game isn't sustainable if this team wants a third-straight AAC title.

This goes without mentioning the penalty tally hitting double-digits again (10 penalties, 99 yards). Only four teams in the country averaged two-plus turnovers a game last season and none of them were conference-champion material. That number is worth monitoring as UC welcomes Indiana next weekend.

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How Much Slack Does Ben Bryant Have?

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