Arquon Bush is the forgotten cornerback on the No. 2-ranked (Associated Press/Coaches) University of Cincinnati football team.
Bush, who is talented enough to start on most teams, is often stuck in the shadows of fellow corners and headline-grabbers Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and Coby Bryant.
More:Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, Coby Bryant are Cincinnati's impenetrable cornerback tandem
Bryant, a graduate student, recorded his first career pick-six this season and has earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll twice in the first seven games. Gardner, an AP first-team All-American, has yet to surrender a touchdown in his three-year career with the Bearcats.
Bryant and Gardner are two of 12 semifinalists for this season's Jim Thorpe Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top defensive back. But it's not just those two roaming the UC defensive backfield.
"Don't forget Arquon," Cincinnati safeties coach Colin Hitschler said when asked about the Bearcats' "two amazing corners."
Bush is UC's No. 3 corner and most often only plays nickelback in situations that require the "Blackcats" defense to line up with five defensive backs.
While Bryant and Gardner each have two interceptions this season, Bush is tied for the team lead with three. The third one came with 25 seconds left in last week's game at Navy and secured Cincinnati's 27-20 win over the Midshipmen.
"(He) probably practiced maybe five, 10, 15 snaps the whole week," Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell said. "He played only on field goal block in the game, but he stayed locked in, and his ability to be ready when his number was called, that's that competitive spirit that we talked about. He went in there at the end of the game and sealed the deal for us."
Because of Navy's run-heavy triple-option offense, Bush didn't play much against the Midshipmen. But the 6-foot, 190-pound Cleveland native was called upon late to help prevent the Navy offense from gaining 53 yards in 50 seconds.
Fickell said Bush is an example of "staying ready" that he and his coaches will likely use for the rest of their careers.
"I'm being honest, he was on the sideline asking the call every single snap like he was playing," Fickell said. "And the little opportunity that he gets, he goes in there and makes a play to win a football game. Those kinds of things are what we can learn from on both sides of the ball."
The Bearcats (7-0, 3-0 AAC) will need Bush on Saturday, as Cincinnati will look to stay unbeaten when it takes on Tulane (1-6, 0-3) in New Orleans (Noon on ESPN2).
Scouting report: A look at the Tulane Green Wave, the next opponent for No. 2 Cincinnati
3 keys to victory for the Bearcats
1. Be ready: Fickell admitted he maybe didn't prepare the Bearcats well enough for the excitement and emotion Navy and its fans had last week. After all, hosting the No. 2 team in the country adds a little more juice to the atmosphere.
UC notebook: Luke Fickell, No. 2 Cincinnati Bearcats eager to put Navy game behind them
Well, Fickell will have another chance to get it right. No. 2-ranked Cincinnati will be the highest-ranked team ever to play at Tulane's Yulman Stadium.
The Green Wave may only have one win (like the Midshipmen), but Tulane would love nothing more than to stun the Bearcats and hand them their first loss right before the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night.
2. Be dominant: A key to winning any football game is being dominant in the trenches, and UC's offensive line has done just that over the past four weeks.
Cincinnati O-line coach Ron Crook's group has been mauling opposing defensive fronts, keeping quarterback Desmond Ridder upright and creating massive running lanes for Jerome Ford.
The big boys up front need to push their way through the French Quarter on Saturday.
3. Give the ball to Ford: It took UC offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock an entire half last week to realize his best bet against the Navy defense was to put the ball in Ford's hands and ride him to the end zone.
Give credit to the Midshipmen for switching up their entire defensive strategy.
But this week, regardless of what the Green Wave do defensively, Denbrock needs to establish the run early in order to open up the playbook and the field for Ridder and his weapons on the outside.
Ford has rushed for 428 yards and seven touchdowns in the last four games. His 13 touchdowns this season were most in the AAC entering Thursday night.
How to watch
Time: Noon on Saturday
Where: Yulman Stadium in New Orleans
TV: Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst) and Taylor McGregor (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 25.5-point favorite 24 hours before kickoff.
Series history: Tulane leads 11-6 (7-3 in New Orleans).
Prediction
Saturday will be Cincinnati's last chance to make a good impression before the CFP selection committee releases its first playoff rankings. Fickell and the Bearcats will be better prepared following their narrow, seven-point victory at one-win Navy. UC wins, 49-10.
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