PFF Notes Cincinnati Football's Biggest Weakness Entering 2024 Season

Worries about this facet of the game haven't been eased in the past month.

Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Dontay Corleone, center, the Cincinnati Bearcats defense take the field in the first quarter of a college football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Pittsburgh Panthers, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — PFF released its Cincinnati Bearcats Football season preview and has run defense as the biggest projected weakness for UC. It was a major issue last season (23.6% explosive run rate allowed, 134th nationally, 176.9 yards allowed per game, 111th nationally).

"The Bearcats earned the sixth-worst run-defense grade in the Power Five (62.4) last season and play in a conference where almost every offense has a dominant ground game," the article stated.

All of this amidst a fall camp where Cincinnati lost two starting pieces along the defensive line for the season (Jalen Hunt, Mikah Coleman) and hasn't had a full practice from the team's best player: DT Dontay Corleone.

It's hard to see this problem improving much if he misses portions of the season due to blood clot recovery.

"'The Godfather' has earned a 92.7 PFF overall grade across the past two seasons, the highest of any defensive tackle in college football," the article stated. "He’s especially dominant in the run game, whether it be by eating up double teams or making plays in the backfield. His 93.1 run-defense grade is tied for the highest in the FBS in that span, and he’s a top-10 interior defensive lineman in run-defense stops (44) and tackles for loss or no gain (16). Corleone is easily one of the 10 best returning defensive tackles in college football."

Corleone is essential to this run defense turning around in 2024. 

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