Know your opponent: Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats are coached by third year head coach Butch Jones. Jones is in his third year at UC following a successful run at Central Michigan. His career coaching record is 41-24 and he is 16-12 as head coach of the Bearcats. He utilizes the spread offense, featuring the read option and an up tempo pace. His offenses have been very solid and this year’s team is no exception.

The Cincinnati offense is led by quarterback Munchie Legaux. The junior from New Orleans has thrown for 1435 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, while also rushing for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback, and with the read options Cincinnati runs, Legaux is a dangerous weapon. He only completes 53.3% of his passes, so keeping him in the pocket would not be the worst thing in the world for the Cards.

When Legaux is not running the ball, look for senior George Winn. A native of Michigan, Winn has rushed for 607 yards on 97 carries with 4 touchdowns. He is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has broken a long of 58 yards. In addition, sophomore Ralph Abernathy is no slouch with the ball. The 5-7, 161-lb Abernathy has rushed for 245 yards and a touchdown, while averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

The Bearcats average 225 yards per game on the ground and will present a stiff challenge for the UofL defense. If the Cards can limit the damage UC does on the ground, their chances for success will improve. If UC runs all over them, I have a hard time seeing how Louisville wins this game.

Defensively, Cincinnati will get after the quarterback. They have record 19 sacks on the season and will bring pressure in many different ways. They also have 7 interceptions on the season and have scored a defensive touchdown. The Bearcats are ranked 37th in total defense and 20th in scoring defense only giving up 16.8 points per game.