Photo by: Brett Rojo
GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS CINCINNATI IN AAC OPENER SATURDAY
10/1/2022 10:01:00 AM | Football
TULSA PLAYS DEFENDING AAC CHAMPION CINCINNATI SATURDAY AT H.A. CHAPMAN STADIUM
| GAME 5: TULSA (2-2, 0-0 American) vs. CINCINNATI (3-1, 0-0 American) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time: | Saturday, Oct. 1, 6 pm (CT) |
| Site: | Tulsa, Okla. |
| Stadium: | Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (30,000) |
| Coaches: | TULSA – Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State '95), 8th year CINCINNATI – Luke Fickell (Ohio State '97), 7th year |
| TV: | ESPNU |
| Talent: | Jay Alter (pxp), Hutson Mason (analyst) |
| Tickets: | Click HERE |
| Radio: | Big Country 99.5 FM or Online |
| Talent: | Bruce Howard (pxp), Rick Couri (analyst), Jeremie Poplin (sideline) |
| Live Stats: | Live Stats |
| Series: | Series tied 17-17-2 |
| Game Notes: | Tulsa | Cincinnati | American Athletic Conference I Digital Program |
GAME PREVIEW: TULSA HOSTS CINCINNATI IN AAC OPENER
TULSA, Okla. –– The Cincinnati Bearcats are back in Tulsa for the first time since the 2016 season as the Golden Hurricane football team returns home to H.A. Chapman Stadium this Saturday in a 6 p.m. kickoff against the defending American Athletic Conference Champions and a BCS final four team.
It's the league opener for both teams as the Bearcats enter the weekend with a 3-1 record, losing only to Arkansas in the season opener. Tulsa's comeback bid a week ago fell short, 35-27, at No. 13-ranked Ole Miss of the SEC and now sits at 2-2 on the year.
Temperatures will reach the low 80s on Saturday and at kickoff are expected to drop into the high 70s.
Cincinnati comes into the game scoring 42.5 points per game to lead the AAC, while Tulsa's 39 points is second. Tulsa leads The American in total offense with 507 yards, while the Bearcats defense is third for total defense, allowing just 307.7 yards per game.
The two teams have been led by their passing game with Tulsa throwing for 358.5 yards and Cincinnati 328.2, ranking first and third, respectively, in the conference.
Let's look at the storylines …
BREAKING THE TIE
Tulsa and Cincinnati have played 36 times in the past 75 years and have played it to a standstill as the series standing sits at 17 wins for Tulsa, 17 wins for Cincinnati and two ties. Tulsa has won the last three games, all in Ohio and all as the Bearcats were nationally ranked. Tula won 14 of the first 23 meetings and there were two ties, while Cincinnati has won 10 of the last 13 contests.
FIRST TIME SINCE 2016
The two teams last played in Tulsa in the 2016 season, while playing in Cincinnati in each of the past three years. The Bearcats were scheduled to play at Chapman but two Stadium in 2020 but the covid pandemic forced the cancellation of not one, but two scheduled games. The teams met in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game that same year on December 19, as the ninth-ranked Bearcats kicked a last second field goal to pull out a 27-24 victory. Tulsa won that 2016 meeting by a score of 40-37 in overtime.
THE COACHES
Cincinnati's Luke Fickell has compiled a 51-16 record in his sixth year as the Bearcats' head coach. Fickell's teams have posted a 29-9 AAC record and has won the last two league championships. He led Cincinnati to a No. 2 national ranking last year and a spot in the BCS Final Four. Before that, Fickell spent 15 years in various capacities at his alma mater Ohio State, including posting a 6-7 record as the head coach in 2011.
Tulsa's Philip Montgomery is in his eighth year guiding the Hurricane program, his first head coaching position. He has led Tulsa to the second-most bowl games in school history with four and the first Tulsa coach to defeat two top-20 teams in the same season and the first coach to have two No. 1 NFL Draft selections, and that came in back-to-back years (2021, 2022).
BOTH TEAMS RELY ON PASSING GAME
Both teams have relied a lot in the first four games on their passing games to put up yardage and points. Tulsa has thrown for 1,434 yards, a 358.5 average per game, and 14 touchdowns. The Bearcats have passing yards totaling 1,217 yards, 304.3 yards per game and 11 touchdowns. The run games of the two teams have gained not even half of the passing yard totals was Tulsa has gained 594 and Cincinnati 522 yards with their ground attacks.
TULSA RUN GAME COMES ALIVE
The Tulsa run game has improved each week during this four-game stretch to start the season, and it will need to be at its best on Saturday against a Cincinnati defense that gives up just 125 yards on the ground. The Hurricane had just 61 yards in the season opener at Wyoming for an average of only 1.9 yards per rush, moved up to 126 a week later, 164 in week three and last week had a career-high 262 yards on the ground for a 6.1 average per carry against the nation's 15th-ranked rush defense.
DOMINANT DEFENDER
Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has been a dominating force for the Bearcats this year as he leads the country with 11.0 TFL, two more than the next closest player. A week ago, Pace tallied 15 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2.5 acks and three QB hurries in the 45-24 win over Indiana.
DEFENSIVE CARRY OVER
The Hurricane defense will look to carry over its second-half performance last week against #13 Ole Miss. Tulsa held the Rebels scoreless in the final 30 minutes, to 150 yards of offense and forced a turnover that turned into seven points for the Hurricane.
NEXT WEEK
After this week's game, Tulsa will be back on the road next Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland against the Navy Midshipmen, and after an off week, the Hurricane will be in Philadelphia, Pa., against the Temple Owls on Friday, Oct. 21.
Tuesday, May 19
Tuesday, May 19
Tuesday, May 19
Monday, May 04