TAMPA, Fla. – It was yet another game that could have and should have been a blowout for the University of Cincinnati football team.
But it was also another game that ended in a victory for the Bearcats, and for them, that's what's most important.
Cincinnati held off South Florida 45-28 Friday night to remain unbeaten and continue to its historic march through an undefeated season.
More:College Football Playoff No. 5 Cincinnati defeats South Florida Bulls, 45-28
"We're still climbing the mountain," UC coach Luke Fickell said. "Some people might think that we're somewhere up at the top of the mountain because what the public would say, but for us, we know we're still climbing, and when you're climbing the mountain, there's going to be struggles, there's going to be obstacles, and we had some tonight."
The Bearcats (10-0, 6-0 American Athletic Conference) are now 20-1 since the start of the 2020 calendar year, with their only loss coming against a Georgia team that won on a last-second 53-yard field goal.
UC will look to improve to 21-1 over the last two years when it hosts SMU on Nov. 20 in what will be the final home game of the regular season for the Bearcats.
What we learned from Friday's win:
UC's backup running backs delivered much more than 'style points'
Jerome Ford has been a workhorse for the Bearcats this season. The junior running back entered Friday night with an AAC-high 888 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns (15 rushing and one receiving), which rank third in the FBS.
But the Tampa native also entered Friday night with an ankle injury that kept him off of the field and unable to perform in his hometown.
With Ford on the sideline, backups Charles McClelland, Ryan Montgomery and Ethan Wright were forced to step up and carry the load.
They did just that.
While quarterback Desmond Ridder had 13 carries, 65 yards and a touchdown, the trio of McClelland, Montgomery and Wright combined for 143 rushing yards.
Montgomery scored two touchdowns, while Wright crossed the goal line for another. McClelland racked up 34 yards on six carries before leaving the game with an injury.
"You guys asked me earlier in the week if we were going to miss Jerome Ford, and I told you we wouldn't skip a beat because these guys, Chuck, Monty and Ethan, have put in the time, the work, the effort over their years that they've been here to be the best players that they can be. Obviously, I told you it was going to show, and it showed tonight," Ridder said.
Wright had 37 yards on 10 carries, including one that went for an 18-yard gain. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound sophomore from Akron scored from one yard out to make it 38-21 with 14:00 to play. Wright's touchdown, his third of the season, capped a 10-play, 73-yard drive.
"He's just a guy who really has one speed and that's just go," Ridder said. "Sometimes we have plays where the running backs need to be slow and let the play develop, and we have to pull him out for those because he just can't do it. He just hits the hole and goes downhill as hard as he can."
More:Wes Miller, Cincinnati Bearcats look to keep momentum going against visiting Georgia
As the Bulls were piecing together a rally late in the game, the Bearcats needed some style points. Montgomery, who usually mostly returns punts, delivered six of them after exploding through the USF defense for a career-long 55-yard touchdown with just over a minute left.
Tale of two halves for 'Blackcats' defense
Cincinnati's defense has struggled in recent weeks under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. But the unit was absolutely suffocating in the first half Friday night.
Opening in a 3-3-5 alignment with senior Malik Vann back in the starting lineup at defensive end after being limited last week, the "Blackcats" allowed just 39 yards of total offense (1.4 yards per play) before halftime.
UC led 24-7 at the break.
"The defense played really well in the first half, like (allowing) 39 yards of offense, and then to come out in the second half and, I don't know, we let up a little bit," Fickell said.
South Florida had 307 yards in the second half and was a perfect 6-for-6 on third down in the third and fourth quarters.
The Cincinnati defense allowed the Bulls to score 28 points, the most UC has surrendered this season.
"We're definitely going to think about that and try not to let that happen again," said cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, who forced his first career fumble, recorded a sack in his second straight game and intercepted his third pass of the season.
More:Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, Coby Bryant are Cincinnati's impenetrable cornerback tandem
Gardner said the Bulls used a lot of motions and crossing routes in the second half to try to shake things up offensively. It worked.
Teams are figuring out to move the ball against the "Blackcats." They just haven't figured out how to beat them.
It's time for UC to play its best ball
Fickell has said all season that he wants the Bearcats to be playing their best ball at the end of the season. Well, the time is now.
Cincinnati has two regular-season games left and then a likely AAC championship to defend in December. Though the Bearcats are winning, they are far from playing their best.
"They're not satisfied," Fickell said. "They'll be hard upon themselves and they'll look at it and find ways to get better and know we've got to. We've got to do a good job of learning from winning, because if you don't, the alternative is not nearly as good."
These last few games are the last games this group will ever play together. And then that's it. it's time for the Bearcats to flip the switch and finish strong. Not for some committee, but for themselves.
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