Playing at Indiana University in the third game of the season, the University of Cincinnati football team was trailing by a point at the beginning of the fourth quarter when senior receiver Alec Pierce made his favorite catch of the season.
Pierce, listed at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, stutter-stepped past the cornerback in front of him before making a move to the outside. Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder tossed a fade pass and Pierce leaped at the goal line and snagged his first touchdown of the season with a defender draped across his body, securing the ball as he slid into the back of the end zone.
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It proved to be the game-winning touchdown in a 38-24 victory, caught in front of the Bearcats' student and family section in the road stadium, which kept Cincinnati on the path toward the College Football Playoff.
“I had been kind of quiet the first couple of games of the year,” said Pierce, who leads the Bearcats with 50 catches, 867 yards and seven touchdowns. “We were beating teams bad, so we didn’t really have to throw the ball. That was probably my favorite one so far. It just got more trust in me from the staff and the players.”
Acrobatic catches are nothing new for Pierce. He had six catches for 144 yards against Notre Dame. He recorded 113 yards and a touchdown on five catches versus Tulsa. The first catch of his career was a 52-yard reception against UCLA in 2019 where he leaped for a deep ball over the middle of the field.
He’s well-known for his athleticism, the son of two college athletes that played at Northwestern. He set a program skill-position record with a 675-pound deadlift and he runs a 4.45 40-yard dash.
That athleticism earned Pierce a key role on special teams as a true freshman, but it nearly moved him from receiver to defense.
“(Coaches) liked me on special teams,” Pierce said. “They liked how I played. They tried to move me to SAM linebacker, nickel-type player. That kind of was a turning point for me then because I was OK with the switch, but my heart was at receiver.”
It was three years ago this month when Pierce took reps in bowl practices at linebacker. If it meant a quicker path to the field, he was all for it. He was a two-way player at his high school in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and he remembered Bearcats Head Coach Luke Fickell telling him during his recruitment, “We think you’re a good athlete and we’re going to try to find a spot whether it be receiver, or if you get really big, maybe tight end, maybe linebacker or safety.”
What pushed Pierce’s path back to offense was the hiring of receivers coach Mike Brown.
“When (Brown) came in, I told him I’d give it a shot playing receiver with a new coach and see what he has to offer, see if he likes me and whatnot,” Pierce said. “That spring ball was big for me. I climbed the depth chart and was able to get the starting spot for that season. I’d say that was my turning point, and then, once you get on the field, you just have to show value, show worth and make plays.”
Three years after Pierce told the coaching staff how much he wanted to be a receiver, he’s viewed as a mid-round NFL Draft prospect at the position. He will be a focus for Alabama’s defense during the Cotton Bowl semifinal on Dec. 31.
“I was basically going into it saying, like, I’ll try out this new receivers coach and see where it goes,” Pierce said. “It was great. He taught me a lot. He really fine-tuned my craft. I was pretty bad before that and he worked on my technique and got me to where I am today. I’m thankful for that.”
Pierce laughed when he thought about his old technique and how far he’s come as a receiver in the past three seasons. The touchdown catch he made against Indiana was a moment where he felt like he’s shown growth.
“In the past years I think I ran a lot of deep balls and ran them down, stuff like that,” said Pierce, who missed about half of the Bearcats’ games last season because of knee surgery. “I think I’ve been able to show a little bit more physicality, defeating press and going up and getting the ball when I’ve got a guy on me.”
One advantage for Pierce is lining up in practice against Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, a consensus All-American cornerback. They’ve matched up against each other daily since spring ball in 2020, a competitive battle between two athletic players.
“He’s probably the best press corner in the country,” Pierce said. “It’s a great look and he works really hard every day in practice. He never takes any plays off. It’s a challenge every play trying to get off the line and get a clean release. You have to really learn how to play through contact.”
It's those lessons, that athleticism and big-play ability that make it no surprise Pierce seemingly always finds a way to boost the Bearcats' offense in key situations.
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