Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati Football: Mike Tyson sets defensive tone for Bearcats

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

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The Cincinnati Bearcats are off to a 2-0 start in 2016, thanks in part to safety Mike Tyson and his play against the Purdue Boilermakers.

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Cincinnati football fans had to be pleased with what they saw from the Bearcats (2-0) against Big Ten opponent Purdue (1-1) in week two action. The Bearcats got some nice play from quarterback Hayden Moore, but it was safety Mike Tyson who was the big difference-maker.

Tyson picked off Boilermakers quarterback David Blough three times, leading to 21 Cincinnati points. Those three picks were only part of five total turnovers (all interceptions) by the Boilermakers, who are picked by many to finish last in the Big Ten this year.

The loss can’t do a lot to help boost the confidence in Purdue coach Darrell Hazell, who is trying to turn that program around in his fourth season on the job. As for Tommy Tuberville, these are the kind of games which will have fans still scratching their heads wondering what the identity of this team really is.

The Cincinnati defense, despite Tyson’s ball-hawking, was still gouged in the air, giving up 401 passing yards to a Purdue team who only averaged 251 yards per game in 2015. Had it not been for the turnovers, this game may have had a much different outcome. The Bearcats can’t count on some of the top teams in the AAC being as careless with the ball.

But for all the deficiencies on defense, there was Hayden Moore spinning the ball quite nicely all day. Moore finished the day 19 of 32 for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Behind Moore was a very potent Cincy running attack, including a dandy 79-yard run by Kahlil Lewis.

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After two games and two wins, there’s still a lot we don’t know about this Bearcats team and what they’re capable of. But with the next test coming against No. 6 Houston at home next week. Tuberville had better prepare his defense for a lot more than they saw from Blough and the Boilermakers.