Cincinnati gets an early chance to keep rolling in Week 2, and the setup could hardly look more lopsided. The Bearcats are bringing FCS Western Carolina into Nippert Stadium on Saturday night for a 7 p.m. kickoff, and everything points toward UC being in control from the opening whistle.
This will be only the second all-time meeting between the programs. The first came in 2005, when Cincinnati escaped with a 7-3 win. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Bearcats a 97.4% chance to win this time around, and the betting market agrees: Cincinnati is a consensus 36.5-point favorite with a 60.5-point total.
The Bearcats opened the season the right way, beating Boston College 34-15 behind a physical run game and a defense that set the tone. UC went over 250 rushing yards for the eighth time in the Scott Satterfield era, and quarterback JC French IV said the line has already made a strong impression.
“Absolutely. It's the same thing I see in practice every day," UC passer JC French IV said about the offensive line. " I feel really comfortable behind them, and they're just going to continue to get better this season.”
That ground success may be the headline from Week 1, but this matchup gives Cincinnati a real chance to stretch things vertically. Western Carolina’s defense has already shown cracks through the air. The Catamounts are 1-1, and they held Boston College to less than 100 passing yards, but the larger body of work says UC should be able to attack them downfield.
Through two games, Western Carolina ranks 43rd in FCS scoring defense, 74th in passing efficiency allowed and 108th in passing yards allowed per game at 317.5. Those numbers came against two FCS opponents, and Cincinnati should be looking to make that secondary work harder than it has so far.
Satterfield said the Bearcats have spent the week preparing for a defense that forces quick decisions and makes life messy after the catch.
"The thing about this week is we have two games to scout, which is awesome," UC head coach Scott Satterfield said about WCU. "Having said that, I still thought we executed offensively.
We were only 14-or-18 for passing or something like that; we had two drops. We were pretty efficient throwing the football when we did.
We just did not push it down the field, but it really did not dictate that we do that in this game. But we have to be able to throw the ball.
We have to get better at it. This week will be something that I hope we will be able to do more of."
He also broke down what Western Carolina wants to do with the ball, and it’s a style built to stress a defense laterally before trying to hit it over the top.
"They utilize their passing game just like how some teams utilize their run game," Satterfield said on Tuesday. "They throw a lot of quick passes, a lot of the balls out of the hands of the quarterback, and put you out in space.
The toughest thing to do in football is tackling out in space, and so they are going to do a lot of that. They will keep you running side to side, and just when you come down, they are going to try to pop you right behind the defense.
That is the challenge they present. They're good at it."
Western Carolina quarterback Lex Thomas has put together a strong start after transferring from NC State. He’s averaging 8.2 yards per attempt and has thrown five touchdowns in wins over Eastern Kentucky and Campbell. Even so, this is a major step up in class, especially against a Cincinnati defense that looked sharp in the opener.
The Bearcats expect to see plenty of passes come their way. Western Carolina has already thrown it 79 times this season, and starting cornerback Jacob Finley is welcoming that kind of test.
"As a corner, you want some action just to see what you can do, or make a play on the ball. This week is going to be a challenge.
They like to throw the ball, and I think we're going to make some plays. We're going to capitalize on some of the passes," Finley said.
Cincinnati covered the spread and hit the under in its first game of the year, and the bigger wagering question this week is whether the Bearcats can clear an even larger number. Their 5.5-game win total also shifted from underdog status to slightly favored after the Boston College win.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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