TUCSON, AZ – Most of the 43,760 on hand at Casino Del Sol Stadium had hit the exits when the University of Cincinnati Bearcatsscored in their 34-7 lopsided loss to Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Probably, several Cincinnatians watching the 11 p.m. (Eastern) kickoff on Fox hit the hay early based on the game, which may have been a wise decision.
UC came back to reality as fifth-year Arizona quarterback Noah Fifitathrew for two touchdowns, ran for another and watched his team plow through holes for a 238 yards to 74 rushing advantageand a total offense win of 522-227.
During their brief stay in Tucson, there were heat warnings, though the game-time
temperature was pleasant. However, "heat warnings" may be a thing if the Bearcats don't clean up the disarray that occurred in the desert.
"If you can't run or pass, there's not anything else to do," UC head coach Scott Satterfield said. "You've got to be able to do one of those things and we did not do either one of them any good."
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Grading Cincinnati Enquirer prediction on UC Bearcats, Arizona Wildcats
We predicted an Arizona win, but by a much closer margin. The same goes for others. Most hit around Arizona's point total of 34, but nobody had the blowout. We also, based on past games, predicted UC would have over 200 yards in the running game.
Outcome: Correct on the win. Wildly off on the run game, as was UC's effort. The last time they were held below 100 yards was last November's loss to BYU at Nippert Stadium (87). Cole Tabb was among the NCAA leaders in yards per carry but finished with 19 yards for 3.2 yards per carry, and Gi'Bran Payne averaged just 2.2 for a total of 24.
That's a big ol' swing-and-a-miss for all parties involved. Especially when Arizona was successful in their ground game.
"They were able to run the football," Satterfield said. "Obviously, Fifita's going to get his. We never got any momentum going."
Sadly, it gets worse. We picked JC French IV to throw for 200 or more yards.
Outcome: He was 47 short. Mainly because UC had no downfield presence and Arizona eliminated JV Gibson. French's average completion yardage was 9.6 to Fifita's 11.4, but Fifita extended more plays. French was also limited to 57 plays due to Arizona controlling time of possession for over 35 minutes.
Finally, we said Fifita would be sacked, intercepted and would still win.
Outcome: Bingo! Drew Logan sacked him on the first Arizona play and he would go down two more times. MJ Cannon picked him off in the first quarter, but UC went backward on offense and Rusnak clanked the post on the long, 53-yard attempt. Not much went right for the Bearcats, nor left, for that matter.
Overreactions from Cincinnati Bearcats at Arizona
Well, it was fun while it lasted
Watching the game may have been disturbing, but the rest of the league is anyone's guess. Houston was down 17 to UCF and won. BYU only beat TCU 17-10 and Texas Tech briefly was in a tussle with Colorado. Iowa State, picked last by some Big 12 media, knocked off West Virginia and Baylor bashed Arizona State 55-19.
"All these teams are good," Satterfield said. "No matter who you're playing, they can beat you. On the road, it's tough. It's travel and away games are tough environments with these home crowds. All of those things you have to battle, but more importantly, you have to figure out what you do well and be good at it."
UC doesn't play until Oct. 17 at West Virginia, so there's ample time.
Where was JV Gibson?
He was held without a catch. In the first three games, he had touchdown receptions from French. Arizona eliminated him and UC's throwing game was mainly east and west. Isaiah Johnson had six catches with a long of 24 yards. It would be overreacting to say Gibson won't bounce back, but negligent not to note his lack of involvement.
"It was frustrating; there were opportunities to make plays and we didn't," French said. "It starts with me. We're going to get it fixed on this bye week."
UC's offensive line had a difficult day
Not much to debate here when you're outrushed by 164 yards. Also, French had only been sacked five times in four games, but went down three times against the Wildcats. For the record, last year's offensive line allowed only eight sacks of Brendan Sorsby. Arizona's rush defense was allowing only 80 yards per game and lived up to their billing, possibly giving opposing teams a blueprint on how to play the Bearcats.
"There was a lot of uncharacteristic things that we did on offense," UC QB French said. "They (offensive line) are all leaders. Everybody takes accountability for tonight; it just wasn't our night. We have a lot of games left."
Arizona coach Brent Brennan said, "We knew they wanted to run the ball and we said, 'We're not going to let you do that tonight.'"
Noah Fifita for Heisman?
Arizona's communications staff passed those flyers out in July at Big 12 Media Day in Frisco, Texas. On a national front, he has a big climb because the SEC and Big Ten still get more press than the Big 12. However, Fifita is solid and has remained at one school: Arizona. He's a dangerous competitor.
Too many missed opportunities for Bearcats
Not turning an interception by Cannon into points in the first quarter hurt when UC was already down 7-0 after the opening drive. A seven-yard sack foiled that drive.
Still down 7-0 in the second quarter, you can't drive to the 2-yard line and come up empty. They thought about a field goal there, but went for it on fourth down and Gavin Grover's reception was ruled out of bounds. A 10-0 halftime deficit could easily have been 10-10.
In the third quarter, Antwan Roberts had the 70-yard run with UC's Jacob Finley knocking the ball loose. It looked like it would have gone out of the end zone anyway, but Antwan Peek Jr. batted it out, drawing a flag, which eventually led to a Fifita touchdown run and a 17-0 deficit.
Undefeated teams don't miss on game-changing plays, which is why UC is 4-1.
Grades from Cincinnati Bearcats at Arizona Wildcats
- Overall: C-
The defense was exposed somewhat, so I didn't go there. They did have a key fourth-down stop near the goal line, but Fifita did what he does and UC had no second-half answers this weekend. Once Arizona was rolling, they looked like a team that could beat anyone at Casino Del Sol Stadium. All UC did was open themselves for the criticism that came when many pundits predicted them to have fewer than six wins.
- Offense: D
Here's where the "O" gets the "D." If UC can't run the ball effectively, they can't throw the ball. JV Gibson came into the game with 18 catches in four games, the same total he had all of last year at Oklahoma in nine games. He left Tucson with 18 catches as Arizona took away JC French's favorite target. Also, when your quarterback is the top rusher with 29 yards, it's probably been a long night.
- Defense: C-
The fourth-down stop was nice, as was MJ Cannon's interception. Neither was capitalized on. Jasper Beeler had 12 tackles and two tackles for loss and Fifita was sacked three times, but Arizona gashed UC in the running game on top of having one of the better passing offenses in the league.
Antwan Peek Jr.'s batting of the ball out of the end zone was also costly, but I doubt every defender knows that rule. That was another instance where UC could have had a momentum shift, but failed to seize said moment.
- Special Teams: B-
Max Fletcher punted five times for a 48-yard average with a long of 62 yards. Twice he dropped the ball inside the 20-yard line. That's the good part. Stephen Rusnak missed a 53-yard field goal off the post. That's still a long boot, but it would have put points on the board. Return-wise, there were none.
- Coaching: D
Here's where you have to give the "D." Arizona knew UC's intentions and the Bearcats didn't deviate from that. When you get behind double-digits, it's often tough to stick to the same plan. The longest pass play was 26 yards to Isaiah Johnson and it was French with the longest run of 21.
UC won't be the only Big 12 team to lose to Arizona in Tucson, but the second-half adjustments that served them well four games in Cincinnati were missing.
After bye week, it's Cincinnati Bearcats at West Virginia
It'll be another Big 12 tight tussle in Morgantown as the Bearcats haven't won vs. West Virginia since back-to-back victories in 2008 and 2009 when both teams were in the Big East and Brian Kelly was coach. Current WVU coach Rich Rodriguez only lost to UC once in his last tenure, a 2003 defeat to Rick Minter's Bearcats 15-13. West Virginia leads the overall series by a landslide, 18-3-1. The Mountaineers host Arizona Oct. 10, then UC tries their luck. West Virginia lost to Iowa State Oct. 3 in Ames, 45-42 and it's another offense that will need to be stopped or answered.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Grades, overreactions to Cincinnati Bearcats defeat at Arizona
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