Behind Enemy Lines: Five Questions for All Bearcats' Russ Heltman

Ahead of Louisville's Fenway Bowl matchup with Cincinnati, Louisville Report sat down with Russ Heltman of Sports Illustrated's All Bearcats to find out more about the Bearcats.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the 2022 regular season now in the rearview mirror, the Louisville football program - or what's left of it following Scott Satterfield's departure - now fixes their eyes on the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, where they will square off with longtime rival Cincinnati.

Ahead of the matchup, Louisville Report sat down with Russ Heltman of Sports Illustrated's All Bearcats to find out more about the Bearcats: 

1. What have been some of the more notable deflections to the transfer portal or opt outs for Cincinnati ahead of the bowl? Also, have the Bearcats lost as many assistant coaches as Louisville has?

The Bearcats are down a lot of key players for the Fenway Bowl. On offense, both starting tight ends (Josh Whyle, Leonard Taylor) are opting out of the game. So is second-leading receiver Tre Tucker, while third leading receiver Jadon Thompson has entered the transfer portal.

Defensively, the exodus hasn't been as dramatic. UC lost All-AAC corner Ja'Quan Sheppard to the portal, but he's the only starter to leave on that side. All-American linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has not indicated he will opt out to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Rotational edge rusher Noah Potter entered the portal as well.
On special teams, Ryan Coe entered the portal as one of the more successful UC kickers of the past ten years. No UC portal entries are expected to play in the game.

On the staff front, UC's lost a decent amount of coaches, most notably defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. UC will not have him, OC Gino Guidugli, WRs coach Mike Brown, or safeties coach Colin Hitschler in Boston.

2. How has UC’s offensive plan of attack been altered ever since QB Ben Bryant was lost for the season due to injury?

Given the player exits and a move to dual-threat option Evan Prater, I project a very run-heavy approach for UC against Louisville.

Expect a lot of RPOs and QB runs from Prater while mixing in a three-headed rushing attack of Ryan Montgomery, Charles McClelland, and Corey Kiner. I expect leading receiver Tyler Scott to play and he'll be a threat on play-action shots after averaging 16.6 yards per catch this season.

3. Ivan Pace Jr. is one of the top defenders in all of college football. What makes him such a deadly asset?

His motor and pass-rushing acumen makes him so difficult to deal with. Pace at one point made up a defense that had over five Colerain High School grads starting for them. Pace was one and another was third-team AP All-American Dontay Corleone.
Pace and The Godfather had great chemistry all season as Pace chose the right open gaps from Corleone consistently. It all starts between the ears for AAC Defensive Player of the Year, who is one of the smartest players on the field each week. Size is the only reason Pace didn't play in the NFL this season.

4. How has Cincinnati’s defense been so effective despite the fact that, with UC’s lack of offensive time of possession, they seem to constantly be on the field?

The two guys I just mentioned have a lot to do with that. The spine of UC's defense has afforded them a lot of success this season. Outside of Corleone and Pace up the middle, safeties Ja'Von Hicks and Bryon Threats were strong all season as well.
Hicks did enough to land second-team All-AAC honors as that duo kept big plays to a relative minimum and tackled very well at the second level. Cincinnati also leaned on a good amount of depth at cornerback and defensive line. The development under Fickell showed through in that respect this season

5. If Louisville were to pull off the victory, what would they have to accomplish or take advantage of?

It starts with making Evan Prater be a true dropback passer as much as possible. Fans wanted him to start all season, and when he did against Tulane, they saw what we've consistently seen in practice. Prater is very athletic and can break runs for long gains, but he leaves a lot on the table as a developing passer.
He went 10-of-26 with a 36.6 QBR against one of the better defenses nationally in Tulane, and the Cardinals strong unit can repeat that experience.

(Photo of Ivan Pace Jr.: Katie Stratman - USA TODAY Sports)

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