Cincinnati Football Coach Luke Fickell, Players Preview Indiana Matchup

Indiana football travels to Cincinnati this weekend for its first road game of the season. Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance last year, and offered his thoughts on Saturday's matchup with Indiana.

Cincinnati football Coach Luke Fickell, along with tight end Josh Whyle and defensive lineman Jowon Briggs, spoke to the media on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming matchup with 3-0 Indiana this weekend at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Here's what they said. 

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell paces the sideline in the second quarter during the College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the 86th Cotton Bowl Classic, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas :: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Cincinnati's matchup with Indiana:

Fickell: Now onto Indiana. This is going to be a great challenge for us. I know it's something we've been looking forward to, obviously getting them into our home stadium. Excited for Nippert Stadium to really be rocking, and I think that's something we've said and we've seen and you guys know about it, one of the tougher stadiums to play in in college football, and that's what I would expect on Saturday. We've got a job to do, and I know just like last week our student body and our fans will do their job. I know I'm excited and I know our entire team is excited for that."

On Cincinnati's 38-24 win over Indiana last year:

Fickell: Well, it was big, but it was big in a lot of different ways. Obviously every year you're going to go through adversity, and I've said that that was probably the worst 28 minutes of football we played in a while and we did not play well. You know, we didn't handle the the atmosphere quite as well, maybe the heat all the different things being on the road we did not handle that well, and for us to find a way to kind of rally the troops, gather ourselves and win a big, big game on the road. That that was kind of the start, not that we didn't believe and think we had a really good football team, but more than anything to be down the way we were to kind of be facing what it is that we were facing on the road, I thought that really helped define us kind of as a team because every year you're different. I think that was the point last year where we found out a lot more about all the other things we had around us. We knew what Desmond Ridder was gonna be like, we knew a lot of other guys, but how are those guys really going to come together? And that second half in particular, the last, you know, minute and a half of the first half, I thought was really really big for the growth of our football season last year."

On if they have to prove something against a Big Ten opponent:

Fickell: Yeah, I don't think our guys look at it as proving anything. I do know that they, you know, they grew up in this region, the majority, 81 percent of our guys. So anytime you can play a team that's within our region, I mean, think about our league, we don't get a whole lot of opportunities to play the teams that maybe that some of those guys grew up watching. Not saying that they were diehard to go to Indiana or whatever, but I think that does mean something. And, you know, so anytime someone comes in, especially a team that's undefeated, you know, I think it's a big deal. It's a big deal to our guys. I don't think they look at it any differently being you know, the P-words that we don't say [Power Five]. I think from not just because of what we did last year, but I think in general, you know what we pride ourselves on, but that doesn't sell it short of saying, 'Hey, this is a 3-0 football team, that you don't get a whole lot of these guys to, to come into your stadium at times.' And so it's a big deal. It's a big deal for us. I'm sure it'll be a big deal for them because obviously last year in their house, it didn't go the way they wanted it to. So in some ways, you know, I think if I was them, I'd have this one circled, you know., ability to go on the road and kind of redeem what maybe we did to them last year. So the key is that we understand that the key is that we prepare for that. But I think more than anything, our guys just love being at home and have the ability to play in from a wild crowd."

On Indiana's offense:

Fickell: Yeah, you know, there's not a giant sample size because you're kind of looking around and obviously what Walt Bell, the offensive coordinator, had done in other places or whether it was at UMass. You know, they just got three games looking at him. So there's a lot of things that you're still trying to speculate. But you know this, that they're going to spread the ball around. If you remember playing the UCFs of the world I think, you know, that is very similar to what it is that they're doing. The unique thing about UCF was that, you know, hey, if you didn't pay attention to run, that's where they were most dangerous. Everybody talks about the shots down the field and the space, but their ability to have balance is what made them so good. And, you know, that's a little bit of the vision of what I see from Indiana. You know, that sometimes you notice just the splits and things like that, but their ability to still be able to run the football is I think where they create the difficult situations, when you really got a balance to what is it they're doing."

On defending D.J. Matthews:

Fickell: The good thing is, you know, that we've got some pretty good slot receivers that we've gone against every day and that's where Tre Tucker and the guys that we face on it on a regular basis really, hopefully prepare us for when we get opportunities like this. Our nickels, those guys in the slots have been challenged a lot. So the difference is they do create some more space with some of their splits and things like that. So there's always, you know, different things and you got to be aware of it, but that's why I kind of said before that I think those nickels will have a little greater challenge on their on their hands, not just because of [D.J.] Matthews, but also because of how they use him and the space that they create. You know, that's a great challenge for us.

On having a lot of players from 'Big Ten country' and playing a Big Ten team:

Fickell: Well 81% of our team are from a 300 mile radius I wouldn't just say right here but when you say that you're talking from Chicago to to Detroit to Pittsburgh, just kind of Nashville and you know, maybe some would say and grew up in somewhat of a big 10 country so they know a lot about whether it's the big 10 Or it's Indiana, you know, we've got several guys from Chicago and and you know, so they know a lot about you know, the history of it. And so I don't know that they envision and understand and see, you know, to for a big 10 team or Indiana to come into our place is not as normal like they don't always do these kinds of deals. But I think for them, it's it's just the idea that, hey, this is a three no football team. This is a team that really kind of helped us get on the track for where we were last year. And knowing that, you know, when you beat somebody at their place, they've had this thing circled, so I don't know if they understand the magnitude of it, of maybe what has to go down to get to make these deals happen, nor does it matter. The reality is I think this they respect what it is and the opportunity they've got last year."

Redshirt tight end Josh Whyle also spoke to the media on Tuesday. The 6-foot-6 Whyle has 10 catches for 195 yards and a touchdown this year. Here's what he said about the upcoming matchup with Indiana.

Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Josh Whyle (81) makes a leaping catch in the end zone for a touchdown in the first quarter of the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Kennesaw State Owls at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 :: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

On what last year's game against Indiana revealed about Cincinnati:

Whyle: Yeah, I think it was just kind of, you know, it allowed us to see what kind of team we had, and it's set the standard for this year. It showed us what we can do and what we can achieve, and that's our goal and that's what we're gonna go out to do this Saturday. Simple as that.

On needing to avoid slow start:

Whyle: That's how it was last week. I mean, just this past week I thought we got off to a little rocky start. As an offense, you know, you got to start fast and you got to stay fast. I think we got to limit turnovers and penalties. I think that's gonna be a key factor to this game, but at the end of the day, they're all x's on the board, and we just got to be us. I mean, it really comes down to that.

On pressure of facing Indiana's defense:

Whyle: Yeah, I mean, you mentioned best shot. I think, you know, they're gonna come out strong and fast, so we want to be ready for that. On defense, I think they're physical upfront. They like to disguise things on the back end and move guys around upfront. I don't really feel pressure. I just like to think do what we do. [Coach Fickell] always says 'focus on us and don't worry about outside noise or anybody that comes in here.' This is our house. No matter who comes in here. We got to protect it. It's plain and simple and that's all I got on my mind.

Defensive lineman Jowon Briggs spoke to the media on Tuesday, as well. This is his second year at Cincinnati after playing two years at Virginia. Briggs has 13 tackles and one sack across three games this year.

Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) chases Houston Cougars quarterback Clayton Tune (3) in the first quarter of the American Athletic Conference Championship football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Houston Cougars at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 :: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

On his mindset going into the game against Indiana:

Briggs: So one of the main things that I'd say is important from a D-line standpoint is no matter what, you're going to be coming in contact with somebody every play. I try to treat that as, you know, just come off the ball and every time we come off the ball with the same mentality every time and let everything else take care of itself. Of course, with a great Indiana team coming in, you know, got a lot of downhill runners. Obviously coming back for vengeance and coming off a 3-0 start, they're coming in with some oompf to them. I feel like it's gonna be important for us to start fast, play aggressive as you said, and you know, just really have a good showing out there at the 'Nip.

On matchup against Indiana center Caleb Murphy, who made his first-career start against Western Kentucky:

Briggs: In my head, I say, 'Hey, that guy earned his COA. He's a scholarship player as well, at a Big 10.' So, you never know. I mean, he might be the best center they got, so I'm gonna get after him as well as I get after the first string or whoever will be out there. I say it's more of a mindset of coming to play the team than coming to play an actual person.

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