Three Storylines to Monitor at 2023 UC Football Spring Game

Cincinnati kicks off the event at 12 p.m. ET.

CINCINNATI — The spring football festivities wrap up this weekend at Nippert Stadium as the new-look Bearcats showcase their progress during the 2023 Spring Game.

Fans can check out the action for free at 12 p.m. ET at Nippert Stadium.

Saturday also marks the next transfer window opening from April 15-30. Cincinnati has a few spots they'll try to target on that front, specifically wide receiver. That's been a key position to watch over the last month of practice in preparation for the game.

From a tight quarterback battle to a veteran-laden defense, let's get to three things to watch during the 2023 UC Football Spring Game.

Razor-Thin QB Margin

Ben Bryant recovered faster than most expected from a 2022 season-ending foot injury and is making this a true battle with a big clash coming Saturday.

From my view, The UC veteran has been the best passer on the team in terms of ceiling and consistency. His red zone execution has been smoother than Emory Jones's. Same with his accuracy on normal team period drives.

Neither has been amazing, but Bryant's progress in a new system has been noticeable. Saturday figures to be a huge factor in this decision.

It hasn't been all bad for Jones. He's looked more athletic than Bryant and would be a much larger threat on QB run option looks. Still, it feels like he needs to take a step forward on Saturday. Head Coach Scott Satterfield confirmed there just aren't enough healthy players to field two teams for a true game.

There will be a lot of team period though, and it'll be more free-flowing than normal practices that contain a lot of teaching and installation along with reps. Maybe Jones can flip the switch and just play free football without as much to worry about snap-to-snap.

Some kind of decision feels necessary soon. Both players are entering their final year of college eligibility and it's unlikely they want to spend that as a backup. On top of that, Evan Prater isn't playing in the game due to a shoulder injury and Brady Lichtenberg hasn't stormed through the door in the QB1 race.

UC may leave the spring with a cloudier QB picture than it had before the opening practice.

Running Back Rotation

Pass blocking is a problem, but the offensive line is starting to gel as blockers in front of a deep running back room. Two backs that people might see pop on Saturday are Myles Montgomery and Corey Kiner.

Montgomery looks like a great fit for this outside zone rushing scheme that he told me fits closer to the scheme he ran in high school. The redshirt sophomore is a downhill runner that's hitting holes hard this spring and looks ready to be one of the featured backs in the stable.

Same with Kiner, who's not quite as explosive but has been consistent in a similar way to Montgomery.

Two guys who've popped further down the depth chart are Ethan Wright and redshirt sophomore Victor Dawson.

Wright has been the angriest runner of the group after moving from running back, to safety last year, and now back to running back. This  is his best position and it shows in his rushing angles and center of gravity. The dude can lay down some thunder one-on-one.

Dawson is running like a mobile brick house as well at 6 feet, 225 pounds. He's been great hitting inside holes and could be a nice complementary/goal-line piece in a room that's going to get used heavily this season.

Offensive line starters are shaping up in this order left to right: John Williams, Trevor Radosevich, Gavin Gerhardt, Dartanyan Tinsley, and Phillip Wilder.

They are run-blocking nicely at this point and struggling with the nasty UC front seven on passing reps. Luke Kandra figures to be direct competition for Radosevich and Tinsley in Fall Camp at guard when he returns from an injury.

Ballhawking Defense

The Blackcats defense has looked great under the guise of defensive coordinator Bryan Brown. Longtime fans know what to expect from the front seven as Jowon Briggs, Dontay Corleone, and Malik Vann form a powerful three-down front.

Then Deshawn Pace and Daniel Grzesiak hold things down on the edge/short pass coverage. Louisville transfer Dorian Jones is pairing with Jack Dingle at the interior linebacker spots while Jaheim Thomas recovers from an injury that's kept him out all spring.

Dingle did suffer an injury late in the spring that had him sideline at media-viewed sessions this week

The backend was the true question mark entering March, and they've answered a lot of my questions. They've shut down a shaky offense like one would expect from a group with a little more talent and less on its plate.

Florida transfer cornerback Jordan Young is locking up one of the outside spots. He's been sticky in man-to-man reps all spring and has nabbed multiple interceptions. Sammy Anderson Jr. looks nearly as stable on the other side.

Safety is where things have gotten interesting. Normal slot corners Taj Ward and D.J. Taylor are playing that role more alongside Bryon Threats. Pace and Grzesiak essentially fill the slot corner roles in their respective spots.

That's allowed Ward to add an extra bit of speed at safety, along with Taylor. Ward's picked off a few passes from the new position and could have unintentionally found his ideal role in 2023.

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