Cincinnati Bearcats

After Houston Loss, Where Does Cincinnati Football Go From Here?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Cincinnati football has dropped its AAC opener for a fourth straight year under head coach Tommy Tuberville, so what now?

The Bearcats have put themselves behind the eight ball again with an 0-1 behind their name after a 40-16 home loss to the #6 Houston Cougars last Thursday, and showed that they have a long way to go to be a great team. I was just as disappointed as the next guy late Thursday night, but mostly because UC came so close to pulling out a win, only to throw it away late. To be honest, I had a gut feeling early in the fourth quarter that UC had used up all it had in the Riverboat Gambler’s old bag of tricks.

After a wild trick play down the sideline to Mike Boone led to a go-ahead touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, Nippert was at fever pitch, and I believed. UC had done almost everything it needed to do beat a top 10 team. Despite being totally unable to run the ball (including giving up a safety and missing a 4th-and-1 conversion), the Bearcats were winning the turnover battle 3-0 (yeah, you read that right), playing good defense, and scoring just enough to keep pace with the Cougars.

But when Houston answered UC’s go-ahead score by methodically driving 71 yards in a little over 3:00 to retake the lead, a the logical part of my brain knew that we were done. UC had done everything it could, and Houston withstood it and continued to answer. Of course, the rest is history. UC had a meltdown and tossed three straight INTs to send the raucous crowd to the exits early. I have to admit that I was one of them. I did something I rarely do: I left early after Pick-Six number one. Hey, I had to be into work at 7:15 am the next day – Give me a break.

Dropping a fourth straight AAC opener isn’t what you want to see. And yes, there was certainly a distinct talent gap between Cincinnati and Houston. But I’m not one of the one’s who’s going to call for Tuberville’s head or talk about how unprepared he is for conference openers. In years past, yes. I was upset. Tubs didn’t have his teams ready to play against Memphis and Temple the past two seasons. And the USF debacle of 2013 was simply awful, but when the kids are mourning the tragic passing of a teammate, it’s tough to be critical.

But this year, I’m honestly encouraged by how UC played against Houston. The Cougars aren’t the #3 team in the nation for nothing, folks. They are damn good. And UC almost had them. Dominic Toretto would say that that doesn’t mean anything, and moral victories aren’t victories, but the way UC played shows that this team has made progress since last year.

Tuberville and staff have clearly addressed several of the most glaring weaknesses from last year. I’ve mentioned those weaknesses above: turnovers and defense. Last year, UC would’ve been out of this game early. The would’ve turned the ball over a time or two in the first half, not made that key interception of Greg Ward in the end zone, and probably given up 700 yards of offense. This year, the boys have come out focused and ready to play against both Purdue and Houston. Houston was just plain better than UC.

I know, you are saying that UC’s run game sucked, too. It sure did. Boone and Green combined for 43 yards on 20 carries, a 2.1 yard average. But Houston’s front seven is flat out better than UC’s offensive line. Matter of fact, Houston’s front seven is one of the best in the nation, and Ed Oliver will be an NFL first-rounder who makes multiple Pro Bowls some day. Like I said, they aren’t the #3 team in the nation for nothing.

So where do the Bearcats go from here? Well, the short answer is, they still have a chance to achieve a whole lot. The Bearcats control their own destiny in the AAC East, with games against USF, Temple, and the rest of the division forthcoming. The start for an AAC East title starts with a night game against the Bulls on October 1st.

If UC can beat South Florida, they easily become the favorites in the East. East Carolina has looked okay, beating NC State, but losing to South Carolina. ECU also has to come to Nippert on homecoming this year. Temple, who was picked to finish ahead of the Bearcats in the preseason media poll, hasn’t exactly look like world-beaters. The Owls are off to a 1-2 start, with losses to Penn State and Army. Yep, Army. In fairness, Army has already won more games this year (3) than it won all of last year, but that’s not a good look. The East is UC’s for the taking if they can continue to play great defense, take the ball away, and not give it up.

In essence, UC has to reset. Butch Jones used to say “Snap and Clear.” The Houston game is over, but the ‘Cats can’t afford another AAC loss. They have a chance to take the East. They have a chance for a national statement win against BYU. They have a chance to earn a rematch with Houston in December. But they have to keep making progress.