The last time Desmond Ridder and the University of Cincinnati football team played inside Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on the U.S. Naval Academy campus, UC head coach Luke Fickell was doused at midfield with water from a Gatorade cooler.
The date was Dec. 31, 2018, and the impromptu shower happened after Fickell led the Bearcats to a thrilling 35-31 win over Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl.
Ridder, then the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, went 4 for 7 for 86 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an injury.
"It's a beautiful stadium, beautiful place, great atmosphere," said the senior quarterback. "So it's going to be fun to go in there and play and hopefully come out with a win."
Outside of that come-from-behind bowl victory three seasons ago, leaving that stadium with a win has been a challenge for Cincinnati over the years. The Bearcats are 0-3 all time against Navy on the Midshipmen's home field.
No. 2/3-ranked (Associated Press/Coaches) UC (6-0, 2-0 AAC) will look to end the drought at Navy (1-5, 1-3) on Saturday.
Scouting report: A look at the Navy Midshipmen, the next opponent for No. 2/3 Cincinnati
3 keys to victory for the Bearcats
1. Be disciplined: The triple-option offense can be a big ball of confusion for opposing defenses. Whether you run it with a bunch of big, bruising backs like Army, or use more of a finesse attack like Navy, it can easily make defensive front's look silly.
"As soon as you think you've got something figured out, it could get really ugly really quick," said Fickell, who on Thursday was named to the midseason watch list for the Dodd Trophy (nation's top college football coach).
The key to defending the triple option is to have a defense full of mature, experienced and fundamentally sound players who will stay in their lanes, read their keys, fill their gaps and make a play.
Luckily, Fickell and Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Tressel have all of those qualities in the "Blackcats."
UC notebook: No. 2/3 Cincinnati's secret weapon vs. Navy won't play a single down Saturday
After allowing a school-record 569 rushing yards in a 42-32 loss at Navy in 2017, UC buckled down the following season and thumped the Midshipmen, 42-0. The Bearcats also cracked Army's triple option last season, defeating the Black Knights, 24-10.
"Sometimes it's not about talent, especially when you're playing a triple-option team," Fickell said. "It's really about the discipline and fundamentals. I'm not saying we aren't that, but we've gotten away a lot of times in the last two years with the talent level we've had. I'm not saying they're not fundamentally sound and they're not disciplined, but I think you can get into games and let your talent kind of take over. This is a different animal."
Exhibiting discipline will be key for Cincinnati on Saturday.
2. Take advantage of every possession: The triple option can present opportunities for offenses to have long, methodical drives. If Navy can do that, Ridder and the UC offense will have fewer opportunities to get on the field.
"We might see probably at most 12 possessions," Ridder said. "At minimum, we might see four to six possessions throughout the entire game."
That means when Ridder and company get the ball, they need to execute and score. No false start penalties. No three-and-outs.
"We can't put the defense on the field longer than what they're already going to be on the field," Ridder said.
3. Continue to block out the noise: This has been a key all season for the Bearcats. It will continue to be a key as long as they keep winning.
With every UC victory comes more attention. Cincinnati should enjoy and embrace that. But the Bearcats can't overindulge it.
"Right now, it's the balance to being able to enjoy it a little bit – and enjoying it is going out on Saturdays and getting the best from everybody, going out on Saturdays and seeing that environment and that atmosphere that they've created, the buzz – and not letting it change who you are and how you go about your business," Fickell said.
This weekend is a business trip for Cincinnati. That's it. That's all.
How to watch
Time: Noon on Saturday
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
TV: Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (sideline) will have the call on ESPN2.
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 81, XM 81 and Sirius App 81.
Live stream: ESPN+
Betting line: UC was a 27.5-point favorite 24 hours before kickoff.
Series history: Navy leads 3-1. (Cincinnati is 0-3 at Navy.)
Prediction
The Midshipmen are a much better team than their record shows. They've got two losses by single digits and their defense is led by one of the top linebackers (Diego Fagot) in the AAC. Be that as it may, their talent level doesn't come close to Cincinnati's. The Bearcats have never beaten Navy in Annapolis. That ends Saturday. The Midshipmen's offense may scrape together a few large gains with their triple-option attack, but ultimately, UC wins, 38-17.
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