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Behind Enemy Lines: South Florida at Cincinnati

South Florida (1-4, 0-1 AAC) will play its fourth straight game away from Tampa when the Bulls travel to Cincinnati (4-1, 1-0 AAC) for the 20th series meeting, the most-played in program history. The Bulls also seek their first road win since an Oct. 28, 2019 victory at ECU.

With that in mind, BullsInsider.com went behind enemy lines and asked Jason Stamm, of BearcatReport.com, about the matchup from the Cards perspective.

Sept. 24, 2022, Cincinnati, OH; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati Bearcats take the field before the start a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Nippert Stadium.
Sept. 24, 2022, Cincinnati, OH; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati Bearcats take the field before the start a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Nippert Stadium. (Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Cincinnati leads the nation in sacks, tackles for loss and defensive touchdowns, what makes the Bearcats defense so good?

THE key to the Bearcats' defense this season has been one guy, Ivan Pace Jr. The transfer from Miami (OH) could easily go down as the best overall defender in school history. That's saying something, seeing as how Sauce Gardner was the No. 4 pick in the 2022 draft and didn't allow a touchdown during his college career. Pace just gets the job done. He's the leading tackler for UC by a landslide with 56 tackles, 13 and a half for loss and six sacks. One of the best examples of just how valuable he is came last weekend at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane had first and goal at the two late in the fourth quarter. On second down, he wrapped up quarterback Braylon Braxton for a two-yard loss. And on fourth down, he broke up a would-be touchdown pass in the end zone to give the Bearcats the ball back. That's not counting the pressure he applied to the quarterback on third down.

Now, Pace has gotten some help from UC's beef up front on the defensive line. Jabari Taylor and Jowon Briggs might be the two to watch most.

How is quarterback Ben Bryant different from Desmond Ridder?

The short answer is Bryant is a pure pocket passer, where Ridder could get out and scramble. There were designed run plays for Ridder, one of which he took 75 yards for a touchdown a couple of seasons ago at SMU. There are no designed run plays for Bryant. He can push everything he's got and pick up a first down if he's forced out of the pocket, but that's about it. Bryant just isn't that mobile. But I will say, I think he has more arm strength than Ridder. What Bryant still needs to do, is get that accuracy down. It's drastically improved from the season-opener at Arkansas where he missed a lot of targets high, but he's still nowhere near the precision passer that Ridder is.

Who or what else stands out about UC’s offense?

Going into the season, the focus was on the Bearcats' tight ends, Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor. Though I still think both are NFL Draft picks, they just haven't been the big factors I (and most others) thought that they would be. Instead, Bryant has really connected with his wide receivers, most notably Tyler Scott, who had a monster game against Indiana and this week was named to the Biletnikoff watch list. Scott is speedy and has great hands. Tre Tucker will also factor in considerably, but Scott has really separated himself as Cincinnati's No. 1 wide receiver.

What do you expect the atmosphere to look like Saturday afternoon?

Nippert Stadium has been sold out each game this season. The whole city has really rallied around the football program. It's been a few years now, but the Bearcats recruit well, produce NFL talent and win. They're easy to get behind. This is also homecoming, so there will be a lot of pageantry of alumni coming back in town, plus a lot of recruits on the sideline before the game and in the stands. It should be another sellout and good fall weather on Saturday. High is in low 60s, but sunny, so good football weather.

What’s your score prediction and how do you see the game playing out?

This offense has been rolling since the season-opener and I don't see that changing. And because Ivan Pace Jr. is a heat-seeking missile, the defense has been unbelievably stout. USF has also struggled on defense, which could open the flood gates even more. I think the Bearcats win comfortably, I'll say 45-17.


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