University of Cincinnati running back Charles McClelland crossed the goal line at the 7:45 mark in the third quarter last Friday night against Temple.
The 28-yard touchdown came on McClelland's fourth carry of the game and was the junior back's first score since Nov. 23, 2018. It was also his first score since suffering two torn ACLs, one in each knee.
"It was a long time coming," McClelland told The Enquirer. "Through all the work I've put in, I finally got in the end zone."
McClelland's backfield mate, fellow running back Jerome Ford, jokingly said McClelland's touchdown run looked like the movie scene when Forrest Gump breaks through his leg braces.
UC running backs coach Darren Paige said it was only a matter of time before McClelland found his way back onto the painted turf.
From the spring:'Competition breeds excellence': Ford, McClelland lead crowded race to be UC's No. 1 RB
"As his confidence grew, the play call came in and I knew. I said, 'Yeah, he's about to score on this one,'" Paige said. "Jerome looked at me and he was like, 'Chuck's about to get in the end zone on this.' He made the cut, and it's the same cut he had been making in practice. We watched him accelerate through the hole, and it was an awesome feeling on the sideline. I mean, you could see the athletic training staff, the coaches, we were all super excited. A couple people started welling up a little bit because they know how hard the young man's worked."
McClelland suffered a torn ACL in his right knee last season at SMU. The date was Oct. 24, 2020. Fourteen months earlier, while participating in a non-contact drill during fall camp, McClelland suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.
After scoring five touchdowns (four rushing and one receiving) as a freshman in 2018, the Homerville, Georgia, native spent most of the past two years in rehabilitation.
But last Friday, after racing through the middle of the Temple defense and finally ending his personal scoring drought, McClelland, while his teammates and coaches celebrated his moment, only had one thought:
"I was like, ‘I gotta go get on kickoff.’"
After opening American Athletic Conference play with a 52-3 win over the Owls, McClelland and No. 3/4-ranked (Associated Press/Coaches) Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0) look to stay unbeaten when they host AAC rival UCF (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday.
Scouting report:A look at the UCF Knights, the next opponent for the No. 3/4 UC Bearcats
3 keys to victory for the Bearcats
1. Don't sleep on the Knights: Though this isn't the matchup Cincinnati may have envisioned at the start of the season, that doesn't mean it will be an easy one.
UCF isn't ranked and already has two losses. The Knights' best player, junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel, is hurt. In some respects and at some positions, UCF is rebuilding after having a program-record five players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
But UC coach Luke Fickell is making sure none of that affects how his players view the Knights.
"Since I've been in the league, this is year five, they've been the most talented team year in and year out in this league," he said. "I think they are a very talented football team. They still have a lot of skill. I think they're really strongest up front, on both sides of the line, with some veteran guys on the D-line and the O-line.
"They still have that talent and they still have that big-play capability. ... I think that more than anything it's the respect, respect for who these guys are and what they've done in the past four years. It's about the way you prepare."
UCF would love nothing more than to come into Nippert Stadium and knock down everything Cincinnati has built. The Bearcats can't overlook this team.
2. Continue to block out the noise: Being ranked among the top-three teams in the country is fun, isn't it?
"It's kind of cool," UC senior quarterback Desmond Ridder said. "I was talking to Joey Groeber in the locker room, and you know, he's a second-string offensive guard and he comes from CCU (Cincinnati Christian University). I was like, 'Hey, Big Joe, did you ever think that you'd be here?' And he was like, 'No, I never thought I'd 1) be playing for the University of Cincinnati and 2) be playing for a top-three, top-five program and a top team.' We just looked at each other and said, 'Man, it's a blessing, ain't it?' He was like, 'Let's just keep it going.'"
The Bearcats have the highest ranking in program history and are now experiencing the noise and commotion that come along with it.
Ridder is in the Heisman Trophy conversation. National media requests are coming in at an all-time rate. The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy will be on the sideline Saturday, all but stamping Cincinnati as a legitimate contender for the hardware.
But none of that matters until it matters, and it won't matter until the end of the year, when UC has accomplished its goal of completing an undefeated regular season and claimed a second-straight AAC championship.
"I think for us, as a team and as a program, it's really about how are we going to handle this attention and the things that are going on," Fickell said. "We can't bury our head in the sand. They can't be like me because they're not, meaning they don't have to go out and they don't have to be around. They still have to go to class and be in the community and live on their phones at times.
"We've been good about handling the attention and some of the buzz. It'll be a big deal for us to continue to handle some of the attention and some of the buzz that we don't change the way we've done things, and I mean that in just how we play, but most importantly how we prepare. So the maturity of this team is going to have to continue to grow. They've done a really good job so far, but we're only five games in."
3. Keep spreading the wealth: Defensively, the "Blackcats" are playing as well and are looking as dominant as they have under Fickell. But offensively, what has made Ridder and company so potent is both their consistency and unpredictability.
It has gotten to point where it's nearly impossible for opposing defenses to know which skill position player to key on because Ridder and Cincinnati offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock have so many weapons at their disposal.
Ridder completed 22 of his 30 pass attempts last week to nine different targets.
"I trust every guy who steps out on that field," Ridder said. "I'm not saying that I didn't trust every guy in years before, we just might not have had the connection that we have now. That's just a testament to all of the hard work they've put in and all of the time we've put in together."
Ridder needs to keep spreading the wealth and keep opposing defenses guessing.
How to watch
Time: Noon on Saturday
Where: Nippert Stadium
TV: Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline) will have the call on ABC.
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 113, XM 201 and Sirius App 964.
Live stream: ESPN+
Betting line: UC was a 21.5-point favorite 24 hours before kickoff.
Series history: Tied 3-3 (Cincinnati leads 2-1 at Nippert)
Prediction
For years, UCF was the mountain the Bearcats had to climb in order to reach the top of the AAC. Now, Cincinnati is that mountain. The Bearcats have won two straight against the Knights and 23 straight overall at home. Both streaks will stay alive on Saturday. UC wins, 41-17.
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