The University of Cincinnati football team has had its struggles in recent weeks. But Saturday will be a test unlike any other the undefeated Bearcats have faced this season.
After Cincinnati honors quarterback Desmond Ridder and the rest its seniors, the Bearcats (10-0, 6-0 American Athletic Conference) will host the Southern Methodist Mustangs and their explosive, top-ranked offense.
Senior day:Cincinnati Bearcats preparing for emotion-filled day ahead of must-win game vs. SMU
Even with having a new starting quarterback this season in Oklahoma transfer Tanner Mordecai, SMU continues to grow under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, who took the reins of the Mustangs offense in January of last year.
No one has noticed that growth more than Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, who has the Bearcats planted at No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
"You can see an evolution," Fickell said. "Obviously, they've continued to reload at quarterback with guys that are very, very, very talented, and not just the ability to throw it too. When you throw it as well as they have and they do, I think what gets overlooked is sometimes the quarterback's ability to make some things happen. Whether he's being pressured, being able to deliver it at the right time, be able to keep the thing alive and be able to run a little bit too. Today's day and age of a quarterback being one dimensional, the great ones aren't. He's a very, very, very great one, obviously, with 37 touchdown passes, and it's not just his ability to throw the football."
More:Cincinnati Bearcats stay at No. 5 in latest College Football Playoff rankings
Mordecai, who Monday was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week for a conference-leading fourth time this season, leads a SMU squad that ranks first in the conference in total offense (498.7), scoring offense (41.6), passing offense (329) and first downs (260).
Fickell, UC defensive coordinator Mike Tressel and the "Blackcats" will look to trip the Mustangs on Saturday at Nippert Stadium (3:30 p.m. on ESPN) and earn a spot in the AAC championship game.
More:What channel is the game on? Here's how to watch, stream Cincinnati vs. SMU
Our First Look at the SMU Mustangs
RECORD: SMU is 8-2 (4-2 AAC) this season. After losing back-to-back games at Houston (9-1, 7-0; No. 24 in CFP rankings) and at Memphis (5-5, 2-4), the Mustangs look to capture their second straight victory following last week's 55-28 win over UCF (6-4, 4-3).
RANKING: SMU is not ranked but is receiving votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 poll and USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll. The Mustangs climbed as high as No. 16 in both polls before falling out of the rankings.
HEAD COACH: Sonny Dykes is 30-16 in four seasons at the helm in Dallas.
The 52-year-old Big Spring, Texas, native has led the Mustangs to 25 wins since the start of the 2019 season, the most of all FBS teams in Texas during that span.
Dykes led the Mustangs to a 10-3 mark in 2019. The 10 wins doubled SMU's win total from 2018 and was the most for the program since 1984. It was just the sixth 10-win season in Mustangs history.
KEY PLAYERS: Mordecai, who has been named a semifinalist for both the Maxwell Award and the Davey O'Brien Award, has thrown for 3,264 yards and 37 touchdowns (a Mustangs single-season record) against 10 interceptions this season.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound junior has completed 267 of his 382 passes (69.9%) while also running for 191 yards and two scores.
SMU has four players with at least 35 receptions this season in junior wide receiver Rashee Rice (51 catches, 599 yards and eight touchdowns), senior wide receiver Danny Gray (49 catches, 803 yards and nine touchdowns), junior receiver Reggie Roberson Jr. (45 catches, 567 yards and six touchdowns) and graduate Oklahoma transfer tight end Grant Calcaterra (37 catches, 451 yards and four touchdowns).
The Mustangs have two talented running backs in graduate North Texas transfer Tre Siggers (137 carries, 663 yards and eight touchdowns) and sophomore Ulysses Bentley IV (73 carries, 517 yards and three touchdowns), the 2020 AAC Co-Rookie of the Year.
Defensively, graduate linebacker Delano Robinson leads the team with 60 tackles, while senior linebacker Gary Wiley has a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the sixth meeting all time between Cincinnati and SMU, with the Bearcats owning a 4-1 advantage. UC is 2-1 against the Mustangs under Fickell. Cincinnati lost to SMU 31-28 in overtime at Nippert in 2017.
FUN FACT: Saturday will be a matchup between the AAC's top scoring offense (SMU, 41.6 ppg) and the conference's top scoring defense (UC, 16.2 ppg).
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