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Down The Drive

https://www.downthedrive.com/ | 8 entries published

A Cincinnati Bearcats blog for the moderately intelligent

Latest Entries

Paycor Stadium Ended the Battle for the Bell

Stephanie Scarbrough/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK There is no more rivalry between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Miami Redhawks. Just take a look at the student sections from last Saturday’s game if there is any doubt. Maybe back in the 90’s or early 2000’s when Miami fielded competitive teams and Cincinnati was just starting to navigate their football program, this rivalry meant something to the fans of both schools, but this game is about as important to both fanbases as K eeping ...

about 3 years ago | 0 reads

Experiencing Fayetteville As A Bearcat

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports Football is religion. For most of the country, football is a way of life, something that people eat and breathe daily. Places in the south like Starkville, Gainesville, and Fayetteville look forward to six Saturday’s every year, and this weekend, I found out how truly religious every fan in Arkansas is about their Hogs. I’ve wanted to go to a SEC game for as long as I could remember. Seeing a game with 75,000+ fans all cheering for their lifelong team is...

over 3 years ago | 0 reads

The History of Season Openers in the Fickell Era, Part 2

Albert Cesare / The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC As we inch closer and closer to the long awaited 2022 season for the Cincinnati Bearcats, I have been looking back at the past season openers for Luke Fickell during his time in Cincinnati. Let’s dive into the season openers of the 2020’s and see how each result showed a glimpse of what the rest of the season looked like. 9/19/20 55-20 Win vs. Austin Peay Repeat season opener opponents seem to be the theme for Fickell’s sc...

over 3 years ago | 0 reads

The History of Season Openers in the Fickell Era, Part 1

Albert Cesare / The Enquirer, York Daily Record via Imagn Content Services, LLC Season openers are always electric. The feeling of having college football back is unlike any other, but sometimes fans can read too closely into the results of a single game. Today, we’re going to be looking back at every season opener in Luke Fickell’s tenure in Cincinnati and seei how the result for that game aligned with the trajectory of the season. 8/31/17 26-14 Win vs. Austin Peay In Fickell’s fir...

over 3 years ago | 0 reads

Opponent First Look: East Carolina

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images Mike Houston looks to have turned a corner at East Carolina. He is starting to have his crew in place on the field. Last year, the progress was evident. The Pirates posted a 7-5 mark and earned a bid to the COVID-cancelled Military Bowl. The majority of starters from both sides of the ball return in 2022. Most significantly, Holton Ahlers, who seems to have been ECU’s starting quarterback for about 25 years, returns for his senior campaign. The big, s...

over 3 years ago | 0 reads

Opponent First Look: Navy

Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Navy is on the mend after a 4-8 season in 2021. The Midshipmen had piles of freshmen and sophomore playing significant roles last season. This bunch has grown up into sophomores and juniors. They will certainly be better. Jr. QB Tai Lavatai is back for his second year at the helm. In a system like this one, time in the lead role will almost certainly pay dividends. Defensively, Navy should improve as well, as they return the major...

over 3 years ago | 0 reads

Opponent First Look: UCF

Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images UCF recently named Ole Miss transfer John Rhys Plumlee their starting quarterback. Back in 2019, this dude ran for 1,000 yards as the starting QB for Ole Miss and started eight games. He is going to be a fearsome force for our Cincinnati Bearcats to handle. Gus Malzahn has got himself a talented team. They UCF Knights return the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball from a 9-4 team. WR/occasional wingback Ryan O’Keefe is one of th...

over 3 years ago | 0 reads

Opponent First Look: SMU

Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Cincinnati Bearcats are in for a tussle with the SMU Mustangs this season. New head coach Rhett Lashlee has a cadre of offense weapons coming back. QB Tanner Mordecai was the leading passer in the American Athletic Conference last season, averaging better than 300 yards per game while tossing 39 touchdowns. Wideout Rashee Rice is an NFL go-to guy in the making. The Mustangs have plenty of excellent WR talent alongside Rice too. ...

over 3 years ago | 0 reads