The University of Cincinnati football team is learning that a lot comes with being ranked No. 2 in the country.
The Bearcats (7-0, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) are in the midst of their second week of being No. 2.
Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell admitted Tuesday that he didn't do a good enough job last week of preparing the second-ranked (Associated Press/Coaches) Bearcats for Navy.
It wasn't that Fickell didn't prepare his team for the Midshipmen's triple-option offensive attack. Fickell said he instead failed to adequately prepare UC for what a home game against the No. 2 team in college football would mean to Navy and its fan base.
"Just not recognizing that this is the highest-ranked team to come in (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium) since 1984, when they beat South Carolina," Fickell said. "All those things that I started to recognize and realize a little bit more come Friday night. ... Maybe I didn't pound it into their heads well enough. That's what I'm trying to look at for myself."
More:UC notebook: Luke Fickell, No. 2 Cincinnati Bearcats eager to put Navy game behind them
The Midshipmen upset then-No. 2-ranked South Carolina 38-21 but weren't able to deliver the same fate to the Bearcats.
After escaping Navy with a 27-20 win, Fickell gets another crack at preparing Cincinnati for yet another opponent in Tulane that has only one win but will be looking to knock off the Bearcats on Saturday (noon on ESPN2) and dismantle their path to the College Football Playoff.
The Bearcats will be the highest-ranked opponent to ever play inside Tulane's Yulman Stadium.
"We've got to make sure we're mature enough to realize what it is that we're going to be walking into," Fickell said. "... No matter what, as a competitor, you have to go in and make sure you focus on yourself and know what to expect.
Our First Look at the Tulane Green Wave
RECORD: Tulane is 1-6 (0-3 AAC) this season. The Green Wave opened the 2021 campaign by nearly defeating then-No. 2 Oklahoma. The game was scheduled to be played at Tulane but was moved from New Orleans to Oklahoma's home stadium because of Hurricane Ida.
The Green Wave outscored the Sooners 21-3 in the second half, including 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, only to fall, 40-35.
"Pop on Game 1 and watch them play against Oklahoma," Fickell said. "They had a chance to win the football game. Sometimes things don't go their way, and maybe in the last few weeks have not gone their way, but they're still scary."
Tulane bounced back the following week with a 69-20 win against HBCU Morgan State (0-7), but has since lost five straight by a combined margin of 236-119.
The Green Wave's losses include a 61-21 defeat Sept. 18 at No. 10/9 (AP/Coaches) Ole Miss (6-1) and a 55-26 loss last week at No. 19/16 SMU (7-0, 3-0).
HEAD COACH: Willie Fritz is 30-39 in six seasons at the helm of the Green Wave program.
Fritz led Tulane to bowl appearances in each of the last three seasons (2-1). It marked the first time in school history that the Green Wave appeared in three straight bowl games.
The 61-year-old Kansas native had stints as a head coach at Blinn College, Central Missouri, Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern before taking over at Tulane in December 2015.
Fritz was named the 2011 AFCA FCS Coach of the Year while at Sam Houston State (2010-13).
KEY PLAYERS: Freshman quarterback Michael Pratt threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns and had a rushing score against the Sooners in the opening week.
The 35-point effort led by Pratt was good for the most points scored by Tulane against a top-five opponent in program history.
Pratt has completed 126 of his 213 passes (59.2%) this season for 1,607 yards and 16 touchdowns against five interceptions. Pratt also also four rushing scores.
Pratt's top target is junior tight end Tyrick James. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound James leads the Green Wave in catches (23) and yards (350) and is tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with three. Senior wide receiver Shae Wyatt also has found the end zone three times.
Safety Macon Clark leads a Tulane defense that is allowing more than 42 points per game. Clark, a 6-foot, 190-pound junior, has a team-high 46 tackles (32 solo), three tackles for loss, including a sack, and an interception.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday will mark the 18th meeting between the Bearcats and Green Wave. Tulane owns an 11-6 edge against UC, including a 7-3 advantage in New Orleans. Cincinnati defeated the Green Wave 37-21 in 2018.
FUN FACT: Tulane has never beaten a top-five team in the 128-year history of the Green Wave program.
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