Intriguing Game- (Week Eight, NCAA Football)
(9) Cincinnati Bearcats at (16) SMU Mustangs
Cincinnati: They’ve dominated so far. If you look at the results of their first three games, they have won by a large margin of victory. A 35-point win against Austin Peay, a 14-point victory over a pretty good Army team, and a 21-point win over South Florida. Many of the analysts have stated that the Cincinnati Bearcats are a darkhorse playoff team. Of course, the knock on them will be that they haven’t played anyone. However, the adage is true: You play who you play. Entering the year, Luke Fickell stated that quarterback Desmond Ridder has been more relaxed than he was last year. On the year, he’s thrown six touchdown passes with four interceptions. The Bearcats play stingy defense which has also helped them. They’ll travel to Texas on Saturday for a big game in the conference.
SMU: If you know anything about a Sonny Dykes coached team, they like to score and score often. Now at SMU, they average a little close to 42 points per game. I’m not shocked one bit because they are taking after their coach. I said this last season and I will repeat myself. This offense goes as far as Shane Buchele takes them. When he’s good and is firing the ball on all cylinders, the Mustangs are a tough group to beat. So far, he’s been on his a-gam throwing 12 touchdown passes to only a low, two interceptions. He also has a nice supporting cast of weapons in Rashee Rice, Ulysses Bentley, and Danny Gray. Their offense covers up many holes for their defense which struggles. To keep the ball moving, they’ll host Cincy on Saturday night.
Cincinnati X-Factor: Gerrid Doaks– He’s finally healthy. Gerrid may not be the quickest running back, but he plays with a charging style where he wants to run downhill every time he touches the football. When you need those hard-fought yards, this is who you feed the ball to.
SMU X-Factor: Reggie Roberson Jr.- This is the Mustangs most dynamic wide receiver. Not only is he a threat on offense, but he’s also a contributing factor on special teams. On offense, Shane can just lob it in his direction and Reggie will come away with it.
Final Thoughts: This is a huge game in the AAC. SMU has been impressive in their first few games, but they also keep their opponent in the game too much for my liking. This will be the first opponent that Cincinnati will face who can keep up with them. Expect fireworks in this one because the ball will be flying all over the field. Time of possession will be key for the Bearcats to keep that SMU offense off the field. Can SMU tighten a few things up defensively? Only time will tell.
Prediction: Cincinnati 42 SMU 38
