Three keys, prediction: No. 24 Cincinnati looks to bypass USF, extend home winning streak
University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell wins, a lot. In just five-plus seasons, the 49-year-old coach has led the Bearcats to a 52-16 record (.765 win percentage). That includes a 44-7 mark over the last four seasons.
Fickell's 52 wins at Cincinnati are already the second most in program history.
Another win Saturday against South Florida (1-4, 0-1 AAC) on homecoming would tie Fickell with Rick Minter for the most by any coach at the helm of the program. That's a Bearcats (4-1, 1-0) program that has had 42 different head coaches since its first season in 1885.
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Fickell doesn't care about any of that.
"It has no bearing on what it is that we do," Fickell said of the milestone. "It's not something I think a whole lot about. I sure as heck don't think that the kids that sit in these seats think a whole lot about that. It's another opportunity for us to continue to move forward."
While Saturday will be Fickell's 69th game at Cincinnati, Minter collected his 53 wins in 117 games over 10 seasons (53-63-1 from 1994-2003). A win Saturday would extend the Bearcats' home winning streak to a program-record 30 games.
The streak started with a 22-21 win over Connecticut on Nov. 25, 2017, the final game of Fickell's debut season (4-8, 2-6) at Cincinnati.
3 keys to victory for Cincinnati Bearcats football vs. USF Bulls
1. Continue to put pressure on the quarterback: South Florida is going to go as far as Baylor transfer quarterback Gerry Bohannon takes them. The 6-foot-3, 226-pound junior seemingly found his stride last week at East Carolina. Though the Bulls lost to the Pirates, they finally got in the end zone through the air, recording their first passing touchdown of the season.
USF racked up a season-high 455 total yards. Bohannon accounted for 327 (253 passing and 74 rushing) of those. He also had three passing touchdowns and another rushing score. Cincinnati, which leads the nation in sacks (23) and tackles for loss (50), will need to continue to get in the backfield and make things uncomfortable for the Bulls' dual-threat quarterback. That means Bohannon will need to see a lot of Bearcats senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.
"Obviously, you can't deny the fact that Ivan Pace is a really good guy inside there that creates some havoc," Fickell said. "The more havoc he creates, he also creates a lot more one-on-ones for the guys on edges and even the nose guard."
Pace leads the nation with 13.5 tackles for loss, four more than the next closest player. Pace also has six sacks.
2. Play complementary football: If there's one thing Fickell loves, it's when his Bearcats play complementary football. Cincinnati has done that over the last four games, especially as it relates to the the defense complementing the offense and sharing some of the scoring load.
The Bearcats lead the nation with four defensive touchdowns this season. Graduate defensive lineman Jabari Taylor had one on a 23-yard fumble recovery against Kennesaw State, sophomore defensive lineman Dominque Perry had another on a 14-yard fumble recovery against Indiana, junior linebacker Deshawn Pace recorded one last week with his 18-yard interception return, and Ja'Von Hicks had the other one. The graduate safety, who has nine career interceptions, returned a pick 45 yards for a score also in the Week 2 win against Kennesaw State.
"Being able to put the ball in the end zone is extremely good," Hicks said. "We haven't been able to do that for years. This year, it's showing that we can score too."
3. Control field position: Cincinnati punter Mason Fletcher has been a not-so-secret weapon for the Bearcats this season. The sophomore ranks fifth in the nation in punting average (46.6 yards) and already has 11 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Fletcher, who was named the National Punter of the Week by the Augusta Sports Council (the group responsible for picking college football's most outstanding punter) for his efforts at Tulsa (six punts for 264 yards for an average of 44 yards per punt), will be key again for Cincinnati on Saturday and going forward.
How to watch Cincinnati Bearcats football vs. USF Bulls
Time: 2:30 p.m. on Saturday
Where: Nippert Stadium
TV: Richard Cross (play-by-play) and Taylor McHargue will have the call on ESPN+.
Radio: Dan Hoard (play-by-play), Jim Kelly Jr. (analyst) and Mo Egger (host/engineer) will have the UC radio network call on WLW-AM (700), Sirius 382 and SXM App 972.
Live stream: ESPN+
Betting line: Cincinnati was a 27.5-point favorite 24 hours before kickoff.
Series history: Saturday will be the 20th meeting between the two programs. Cincinnati owns a 12-7 lead in the series, including a 7-2 mark at home. Cincinnati defeated USF 45-28 last season in Tampa, Florida.
Cincinnati Bearcats football prediction
Cincinnati enters Saturday on a 29-game home winning streak. The Bearcats haven't lost at Nippert Stadium since Nov. 10, 2017. With the USF game being homecoming and members of the 1992 Final Four and 1993 Elite Eight Cincinnati men's basketball teams set to be on hand, that streak won't end Saturday. UC wins, 41-17.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: College football prediction: No. 24 Cincinnati to host South Florida
