Cincinnati Preview: Bearcats better than their record appears

The statistics tell a similar story of a team that’s experienced some hard luck, rather than a team not ready to compete in its new conference. Cincinnati’s 25.2 points per game is just a half a point behind an Iowa State team that’s experienced plenty of success, and its 443.9 yards per game is nearly 34 yards better than the Mountaineers.

“They’re one of the top rushing teams in the whole conference,” said WVU head coach Neal Brown. “Defensively, they stop the run at a high rate. Then you look at their win-loss record, and it’s really a weird makeup. They’ve been in most of their games, and they played their best against Houston. They’re a team we have respect for.”

Most of the offensive production has come on the ground. The Bearcats’ 223.3 rushing yards per contest ranks second in the Big 12, nearly 10 yards better than WVU, which ranks third. UC has run for 200 or more yards in eight of their 10 games, including 204 in the win over the Cougars.

Junior running back Corey Kiner is the most dangerous threat. He has five 100-yard games this season and is eying 1,000 yards with 885 to his credit with two games left to play. Myles Montgomery is also very capable and is averaging 6.6 yards per tote. Both run behind a solid offensive line that includes junior Luke Kandra, the nation’s highest-rated right guard, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Everything they do is based off the outside zone,” said Brown. “Their o-line does a really nice job. Their running back, we know well. We tried to recruit him out of high school. He’s a tough, physical runner that breaks a lot of tackles.”

That outside zone is a trademark of first-year head coach Scott Satterfield is known as an offensive mind. He found great success coaching wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks at Appalachian State, before leaving for a few years and then returning as offensive coordinator and eventually head coach from 2013-18. After a four-year stop at Louisville, he landed at Cincinnati, where he had to replace 10 of 11 starters on offense.

That includes a new quarterback in Emory Jones, who has been up and down this season. In his first year at UC, after previous stops at Florida and Arizona State, Jones has thrown for 1,949 yards and 15 touchdowns this year, but he’s been intercepted 10 times. He is a threat on the ground as UC’s second-leading rusher at 45.5 yards per contest. Redshirt sophomore Brady Lichtenberg has seen his playing time increase the last few weeks, as well.

“They’re playing two now,” said Brown. “The Jones kid is really fast, and he breaks tackles.

The favorite target through the air is Xzavier Henderson, who has caught 48 passes for 648 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also a threat on kick returns, averaging nearly 20 yards per return. Braden Smith is close behind in the receiving category with 38 grabs, and he’s the team leader in yards per catch (14.2) and touchdowns (4). Smith is the punt return man, though he’s averaging less than 3 yards per return.

“They’ve got a couple big guys who can run,” said Brown. “Then they’ve got a little slot that they get it to a bunch of different ways.”

Defensively, UC is allowing 26.9 points per game — just ahead of WVU, which is giving up 27.8 — and 363.7 yards, good enough for fourth in the Big 12. They're allowing 138.7 yards per game on the ground, just a fraction of a point better than Oklahoma, which limited the Mountaineers’ rushing attack a week ago.

The Bearcats have been a little more susceptible to the pass, allowing 225 yards per game through the air.

“They’re close to the top in almost every stat category,” said Brown. “They’re a three-man front, and it starts with their d-line. They mix up a bunch of different looks to change their coverages.”

The standouts defensively are senior “Star” Deshawn Pace, who is in the top 20 in the league with 64 total tackles and sixth in tackles for loss with 10. Senior outside linebacker Daniel Grzesiak, a Utah State transfer, has 3.5 sacks to his credit, while sophomore corner Jordan Young and junior safety Byron Threats each have seven passes defended.

Defensive coordinator Byron Brown has seen nine new players make their first career starts this season, but he returned plenty of experience on the defensive line, the unquestioned strength of the unit. Defensive end Jowon Briggs, a Virginia transfer, was an All-AAC first-team pick a year ago, as was sophomore defensive tackle Dontay Corleone.

“We’re going to have to know where he is,” said Brown of Corleone. “He’s a disrupter. He’s one of those guys that if you didn’t have to play against him, you’d really appreciate how he plays. He’s difficult to run against, and he generates pressure.”

Punter Mason Fletcher is one of the country’s best. He’s averaging 43.7 yards. Per boot, including 19 pinned inside the 20 and five of 50-plus. Carter Brown has connected on 14 of 17 field goal attempts with a long of 54 yards. All his misses came inside of 40 yards, including two inside of 30 yards.

WVU and UC have played 19 previous times. This will be the first meeting since a 24-21 Mountaineer victory in Paul Brown Stadium in 2011. That game saw Geno Smith throw for 372 yards, as WVU blocked a late field goal attempt to secure the win. Overall, the Mountaineers lead the all-time series 16-3-1. The last UC victory came in 2009, a 24-21 victory inside Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats’ last win in Morgantown came in the classic 2008 game, which saw the Mountaineers battle from behind to force overtime before Cincinnati won 26-23.

Brown and Satterfield have met three times when Brown was at Troy and Satterfield at Appalachian State. Satterfield won all three, including a 44-41 triple-overtime win in 2015.