Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 2, 2021 35 GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI Opponents have used extra blockers and quick passes to reduce Sanders' im- pact. Notre Dame would be wise to do the same, especially given the struggles the Irish have endured along the offen- sive line. Junior cornerback Ahmad Gardner, meanwhile, has experienced a similar situation in his own right. Why throw at the corner who intercepted three passes and defended six in each of the last two seasons? Gardner was a Football Writers As- sociation of America and USA Today first-team All-American last year. He has one interception and one pass de- fended through three outings. He has recorded just four tackles. The Bearcats' defense is led by a trio of linebackers — sophomore Deshawn Pace, and graduate students Darrian Beavers and Joel Dublanko — who have all recorded 20-plus stops through three games. It won't be easy for a shaky Notre Dame ground game to get going against those stout men in the middle. But it won't be easy for Cincinnati to prove it belongs on a national stage against a prominent program like Notre Dame, either. With the rise in level of play comes a rise in level of expectations. "It's a little different world for us just because it's a little bit of a spot- light, a little bit of a bull's-eye," Fickell said. "I'm not saying it's any more of a spotlight or bull's-eye than anyone else who's ranked. "But for us as a program it's a little different than what we've experienced and our guys are finding a way to really handle it." ✦ 2021 CINCINNATI SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 4 Miami (Ohio) W, 49-14 Sept. 11 Murray State W, 42-7 Sept. 18 at Indiana W, 38-24 Oct. 2 at Notre Dame (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Oct. 8 Temple (ESPN) 7 p.m. Oct. 16 Central Florida TBA Oct. 23 at Navy (ABC/ESPN) 12 p.m. Oct. 29 at Tulane TBA Nov. 6 Tulsa TBA Nov. 12 at South Florida (ESPN2) 6 p.m. Nov. 20 SMU TBA Nov. 27 at East Carolina TBA Three Things To Know About Cincinnati 1. Defensive Identity Twelve years ago, Notre Dame hired Cincinnati's head coach in part due to his offensive acumen. This past winter, it pilfered a Bearcats assistant because of his defensive body of work. First-year Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman's success in the same role at Cincinnati from 2017-20 earned him a job (and a big raise) at one of college football's most visible programs. Cincinnati's defense ranked in the nation's top 30 in points per game, yards per carry, oppo- nent completion percentage, passes defended per game and opponent passer rating every year from 2018-20. The Bearcats' defense was the backbone of 11-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, and a New Year's Six bowl appearance in 2020. It hasn't stopped there under Freeman's re- placement, Mike Tressel. Through three weeks, Cincinnati led the country in opponent comple- tion rate (44.3 percent), and ranked eighth in passes defended per game (6.67), 19th in scor- ing defense and third in opponent passer rating (80.5). Junior cornerback Arquon Bush is tied for second nationally with seven passes defended (two interceptions and five passes broken up). 2. NFL Talent The Notre Dame opponent with the most players on ESPN analyst Todd McShay's pre- season top 50 NFL Draft prospects isn't peren- nially talented USC. It's not top-25 teams North Carolina or Wisconsin. Nor Virginia Tech or Florida State. It's Cincinnati — the team the Irish are paying to come to Notre Dame Stadium. The expected on-paper mismatch at the time the game was scheduled hasn't materialized in top-25 ranking or talent chasm. The Bearcats have three players in McShay's top 50: third-year sophomore cornerback Ahmad Gardner (No. 13), fifth-year senior quarterback Desmond Ridder (No. 19) and fourth-year junior defensive end Myjai Sanders (No. 43). Each of them has started since his freshman or redshirt freshman season. Gardner, a three-year starter, was a Freshman All-American in 2019 and a second-team Associated Press All-American in 2020. For his career, he has allowed completions on just 39 percent of the passes thrown his direction, with zero touchdowns and seven interceptions. Sanders does not have a sack this year, but he posted 11 of them and 76 quarterback pressures from 2019-20. He has 12 pressures in three 2021 games. Ridder, a fourth-year starter, is the Football Bowl Subdivision active leader in quarterback win percentage (88 percent). He has thrown for 7,653 yards, 64 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in his career with a 61.3 percent completion rate. He rushed for at least 550 yards in each of his first three years as a starter and has 22 career rushing touchdowns. 3. Another Familiar Face For the third time in the first five games, Notre Dame will face a former player. Ex-Irish wide receiver Michael Young Jr. is a starter for the Bearcats and has eight catches for 110 yards this year. He was a second- team All-American Athletic Conference selection last year, posting a team-high 29 catches for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Young caught 17 passes for 177 yards in 29 career games for Notre Dame. He departed midway through the 2019 season and took a graduate transfer to Cincinnati. Notre Dame faced a former player in its first two games of the season. Dillan Gibbons, an Irish offensive lineman from 2017-20, was Florida State's starting left guard in the season opener versus Notre Dame. Ex- Notre Dame linebacker Jonathan Jones (2016-19) started for Toledo in the Irish's victory over the Rockets Sept. 11. One more former player is on the schedule this year: 2018 Notre Dame safety Derrik Allen, who now plays for Georgia Tech. — Patrick Engel Wide receiver Michael Young Jr., who caught 17 passes for 177 yards in 29 career games for Notre Dame, has enjoyed some success after transferring to Cincinnati. He was a second-team All-AAC pick last year, and had eight catches for 110 yards and one score through three games this season. PHOTO COURTESY CINCINNATI ATHLETICS