Before becoming the first Group of Five team to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff and before back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, the Cincinnati Bearcats had a chance to prove themselves against a top-five program in the country.
The Bearcats traveled to Ohio State for the second game of their 2019 season, one week after beating UCLA at Nippert Stadium. They were coming off an 11-win season, plus a Military Bowl victory against Virginia Tech, so they weren’t sneaking up on anybody.
No, this was a chance to show they were ready for the big stage as expectations for the program began to grow.
“I think that was a necessary learning point,” receiver Alec Pierce said. “We needed that for our team. We were super young back then. A lot of the same guys we have playing played in that game and that was two years ago. It was just necessary for us.”
Ohio State, which featured four future first-round picks (quarterback Justin Fields, defensive end Chase Young, cornerback Jeff Okudah and cornerback Damon Arnette) and advanced to the College Football Playoff, scored on its second possession and had a 28-0 lead by halftime.
Head Coach Luke Fickell said in his postgame press conference, “It was a humbling experience for a lot of us.” It was the first time Cincinnati had been shutout since 2005 and it was a gut punch for a young Bearcats squad looking to prove themselves.
“I think it probably lit a flame under us,” Pierce said.
The Bearcats found a way to channel it as a positive for the rest of the 2019 season. They won nine consecutive games, beating a ranked UCF team, before losing in back-to-back games against AAC champion Memphis.
