Three keys, prediction: Ben Bryant, Cincinnati Bearcats look to outduel ECU Pirates
Ben Bryant played so well last week against Navy that University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell named the senior quarterback the offensive player of the game.
Bryant completed 25 of 35 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-10 win over the Midshipmen. Bryant also led the Cincinnati offense on two crucial drives that resulted in touchdowns, including a surgical eight-play, 98-yard march down the field in the third quarter that put the game out of reach.
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Bryant had no turnovers in the victory, but he was sacked twice and missed on eight throws (Cincinnati's wide receivers were credited with two drops). Those miscues used to haunt Bryant. Not anymore.
"I'm super hard on myself," he said. "If I throw an incompletion, I'm pissed. So I think sometimes I kind of (get down about it). But now, as a quarterback, you have to stay level at all times no matter what's happening. If it's good or bad. So I've really tried to work on that and just try to get better every day."
Bryant's levelheadedness has helped him brush off the scrutiny and criticism coming his way from outside the program. As Bryant and the offense have experienced ebbs and flows this season, some have called for sophomore backup Evan Prater (Wyoming High School) to supplant Bryant as the team's starting quarterback. Some have even gone as far as hurling insults and curse words at the 23-year-old Bryant on social media.
"Honestly, I have pretty thick skin," he said. "That stuff doesn't really get to me. I'm just focused on this team, this season. All I really care about is what the people in the locker room and the coaches say about me. I don't really care about what anyone else says about me. I'm just focused on getting better for this team and winning games.
"… When people say things bad about me, I don't really care. It's just words. I don't really care. All I care about is the people who are important to me and what they think about me. Besides that, I don't really care. It's really just my personality. I'm pretty easygoing. That stuff doesn't really bother me."
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Bryant has completed 190 of his 300 pass attempts (63%) this season for 2,358 yards and 18 touchdowns against six interceptions. Bryant and the Bearcats, despite losses at Arkansas and Central Florida, remain in contention for a third straight American Athletic Conference championship.
Cincinnati (7-2, 4-1 AAC) has a quick turnaround Friday night (8 pm. on ESPN2) against a team in East Carolina (6-3, 3-2) that is coming off a bye week.
"They have two weeks on us to prepare, and we have five days," Bryant said. "We've got to make every practice, every meeting count this week."
The Bearcats were an 4.5-point favorite against the Pirates 24 hours before kickoff. The over/under was 52.
3 keys to victory for Cincinnati Bearcats football vs. East Carolina Pirates
1. Catch the ball: Cincinnati has had issues with drops this season, particularly over the past three weeks. It's an issue that the Bearcats have largely avoided since wide receivers coach Mike Brown joined the program in 2019. Usually sure-handed senior wide receiver Tre Tucker, who hasn't been immune to drops this season, has said the No. 1 job of the UC pass catchers is to make whoever is playing quarterback look good. They'll need to do that Friday night.
2. Stop the run: The Bearcats have been inconsistent against the run under second-year defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. But they did well last week against Navy's AAC-leading triple-option attack. With defensive linemen Jowon Briggs (Walnut Hills High School) and Dontay Corleone (Colerain High School) clogging up the middle, Cincinnati held the Midshipmen to 176 yards on the ground, far below their then-250.8 yards-per-game average. Briggs, Corleone and the Bearcats defense will need another big game Friday night. East Carolina running back Keaton Mitchell leads the AAC in rushing yards (863), averaging about 108 yards per game. The sophomore has nine rushing touchdowns this season.
3. Contain Holton Ahlers: It only feels like fifth-year senior Holton Ahlers has been the starting quarterback at East Carolina forever. Ahlers has either been really good or really bad against the Bearcats throughout his career. He threw for 535 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for another score in a 46-43 home loss to Cincinnati in 2019. Ahlers threw three interceptions against the Bearcats in 2020 and completed just 19 of his 38 passes against Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and the UC defense last season (both losses). Ahlers has the ability to take over a game. Cincinnati can't let that happen Friday.
Cincinnati Bearcats football prediction
The last time Cincinnati hosted ECU (Nov. 13, 2020), the Bearcats put up 55 points on the Pirates in a 55-17 rout. Led by Desmond Ridder, UC compiled 653 total yards. Cincinnati won't have that kind of day this time around, but the Bearcats will feed off the "Nipp at Night" home environment at Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati will slow down Mitchell, get another big day from kicker Ryan Coe and punter Mason Fletcher and extend its home winning streak to 32 games to stay in the race for another AAC crown. UC wins, 31-24.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats football preview vs. East Carolina
