The Cincinnati Bearcats welcomed in a sold-out homecoming crowd on Saturday afternoon. Well-rested and fresh off a bye-week, the Bearcats were looking to get in the win column again after three straight losses. They did nothing of the sort. In an uninspired and disheartening loss to Iowa St., Cincinnati dropped its fourth in a row by a score of 30-10. There still is a zero in that Big 12 conference win column. Here’s how it happened:
Emory Jones’s Struggles Continue
Bearcat Quarterback Emory Jones has seemingly been on a constant decline since a booming performance in week one vs Eastern Kentucky. Jones has perhaps hit his lowest mark this season with a 14-for-26, 96 yards, and two interception performance on Saturday. Granted, one of the interceptions was a Hail Mary at the end of the first half, but even that was a poorly managed sequence in which the Bearcats should have gotten some points. Almost half of Jones’ yards came to tight end Chamon Metayer, who also scored the only Cincinnati touchdown in the game. A beautifully designed play with Metayer lining up as an eligible receiver from the tackle position. He released up the seam for a 20-yard touchdown. This was the only bright spot of the day for Cincinnati in the loss. It was also the longest play of the game for the team.
Iowa St. boasted strongly of its secondary, and Cincinnati knew it was the best level of its defense. But a 96-yard performance and just under seven yards per reception is simply inexcusable. Bearcats top target Xzavier Henderson didn’t see a single catch. These points bring up the question of why continue with Jones. It might not fully be at the point where Jones might get benched, but if the season continues to go south, it would only make sense to get a younger guy in there in hopes of inspiring some new energy. At the least gain experience to build on in coming seasons. Redshirt Sophomore Brady Lichtenberg is the backup. The former three-star from Toledo, OH entered the game late against Iowa St. Perhaps Lichetburg will see some more action if Jones can’t turn it around.
Secondary Woes
The Cincinnati secondary had a difficult time in this one. The style of play for this Bearcat defense calls for a lot of man-to-man coverage for some isolated corners, and they struggled on Saturday. Iowa St. wide receiver Jayden Higgins had the best game of his Division I FBS career with six receptions for 172 yards. That’s the most Cincinnati has given up to an opposing wide receiver this season. Clearing the previous high by over 40 yards. Justin Harris and Jordan Young have had better games this season. Safety Bryon Threats went down with an injury early but did return after a short break.
Cincinnati cornerback Sammy Anderson Jr. has been out with an injury since it occurred in the first game of the season. After the game, Anderson posted on X (Twitter) that he isn’t even hurt, and hasn’t been since week one. Anderson claimed the medical staff has a lot to do with it. This obviously looks quite bad on the program in general, as it’s hard to imagine that the medical staff isn’t doing their job to keep players safe. It certainly would be a boost for the Cincy back-half if Anderson were to return. Nonetheless, this is something to monitor going forward.
Observations
It seemed like last week’s bye week was perfectly timed for Cincinnati. The Bearcats were skidding, dropping three straight. Getting a week off to reset felt vital for oncoming success. Plus, a homecoming crowd at Nippert Stadium had the place rocking. For the team to come out as flat as it did, for the lack of execution and discipline to take place, off of a bye week truly is tough to see for Cincinnati fans. For a program that was on a constant incline over the past few years, this season has been a gut punch so far.
What’s Next
After this home loss as five-point favorites, Cincinnati now falls to 2-4 and 0-3 in conference play. The Bearcats get to stay at home for next Saturday’s game against the Baylor Bears. The Bears come into town with a 2-4 record as well, they do have a conference win though. Cincinnati has a lot of work to do. There are plenty of questions to answer and they need to be answered quickly if this team wants to play in a bowl game.
