Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1414190
38 OCT. 2, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI After allowing 15 sacks in its first three games against lesser defenses, improving pass protection remains a top priority for Notre Dame. Advantage: Cincinnati SPECIAL TEAMS Not much of note for either team in this category so far this season, though Cincinnati's specialty units under head coach Luke Fickell have con- sistently been among the nation's best in recent years. With a solid 43.0-yard average on 11 punts this season, Cincinnati true freshman Mason Fletcher has been adequate in replacing graduated punter James Smith, a four-year Bearcats starter and a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2018. Cincinnati senior placekicker Cole Smith, how- ever, has missed two of his three field goal at- tempts this season. Heading into the Wisconsin game, the special teams highlight for Notre Dame remained gradu- ate student placekicker Jonathan Doerer convert- ing a 41-yard game-winning kick against Florida State to secure a 41-38 overtime win. The Irish have had few opportunities to return punts or kickoffs, though Kyren Williams brought back a punt 23 yards against Purdue that set up his own 51-yard touchdown run on the next play. Advantage: Even COACHING In his fifth year at Cincinnati, Fickell has guided the Bearcats to a 34-6 record over the last three- plus seasons to become one of the hottest coaches in the country. Fickell is the reigning AAC Coach of the Year on a Cincinnati team that returned 13 starters (six on offense, six on defense and one specialist) from a 2020 group that put eight first-teamers and seven second-teamers on the 2020 All-AAC postseason teams. Kelly counters with a 26-game home winning streak and a history of success at Notre Dame Stadium against highly ranked teams, albeit with a small sample. Assuming no dramatic shake-up in the latest As- sociated Press Top 25 following a bye week for No. 8 Cincinnati, this will be only the fourth time Kelly has played a top-10 team at Notre Dame Stadium during his 12 years as its coach. Kelly's Irish beat No. 5 BYU in 2013, defeated No. 7 Stanford in 2018 and most recently, beat No. 1 Clemson last season. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES Cincinnati ended the 2020 season as the top Group of Five team and that's exactly where Fickell has his program again in 2021. Notre Dame presents Cincinnati its biggest test so far this season, though the Bearcats did secure an important 38-24 comeback win their last time out on Sept. 18 at Indiana before a bye week. Starting with Wisconsin last weekend, Notre Dame is in the midst of playing five straight opponents who are coming off a bye. The Irish have won 26 straight games at home, but Cincinnati presents arguably the toughest test during the streak outside of No. 1 Clemson last season. Cincinnati may be a Group of Five team, but many consider it the most dangerous opponent on the 2021 Irish schedule, and a good candidate to earn the first-ever College Football Playoff berth for a non-Power Five Conference school. And given that this game was by far the quick- est to sell out at Notre Dame Stadium before this season, expect a hearty red-and-black contingent to make the four-hour drive from Cincinnati to South Bend. Advantage: Even Staff Predictions Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 24, Cincinnati 20 Notre Dame presents top-10 Cincinnati its biggest test so far this season, though the Bearcats did secure an important 38-24 comeback win at Indiana their last time out Sept. 18 before a bye week. Conversely, the Irish have won 26 straight games at home, but with NFL-caliber talent within almost every position group, Cincinnati presents arguably the toughest test during the streak, sans No. 1 Clemson last season. This was the quickest game on the Irish home schedule to sell out, so expect at least 10,000 Cincinnati faithful to be in attendance with massive interest and a relatively short four-hour drive. Steve Downey: Cincinnati 23, Notre Dame 17 The Bearcats possess NFL-caliber talent on both sides of the ball, which was evident when they went toe-to-toe with Georgia in last year's Peach Bowl before falling 24-21 on a last-second field goal. Many of those players are back and so is head coach Luke Fickell, who has guided Cincinnati to a 34-6 record (.850 winning percentage) since the start of 2018. The Irish played better against Purdue, but the offensive line remains a concern with 15 sacks allowed through three contests (126th out of 130 FBS teams). Cincinnati has the pass rushers and defensive backs to slow Notre Dame's aerial attack, while quarterback Desmond Ridder is a dynamic player — as both a passer and a runner — capable of making enough plays to pull out the victory. Patrick Engel: Notre Dame 22, Cincinnati 19 No one seemed to believe Cincinnati was the best team on Notre Dame's schedule when the Bearcats were ranked ahead of the Irish in the preseason AP poll. A month in, though, it just might be true. The Bearcats are 3-0 and allowing 4.15 yards per play (17th nationally) and a 44.3-percent opponent completion rate (first). Meanwhile, USC has already fired its head coach, North Carolina's defense and offensive line remain hard to trust, and Virginia Tech appears enigmatic as expected. Cincinnati's skilled secondary poses a challenge for Notre Dame's vertical passing game. The Irish's defense and a Tyler Buchner-led touchdown drive are the difference. Tyler Horka: Cincinnati 31, Notre Dame 24 This version of Notre Dame just isn't well rounded enough to run the table. The 26-game home win- ning streak comes to an end against a top-10 Cincinnati team with eyes on winning every game on its own schedule. Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder will exploit a Notre Dame secondary that played well through its first three contests but is due for a bit of a letdown. Ridder doesn't rely on running backs and tight ends in the passing game like Irish graduate student Jack Coan has been forced to. He's got an array of receiving weapons, and he's going to use them in a substantial road victory at Notre Dame Stadium. Mike Singer: Notre Dame 28, Cincinnati 21 Cincinnati comes into Notre Dame Stadium with an unbeaten record and faces its marquee opponent of the season. The storyline of the week will be the Bearcats facing its former defensive coordinator in Marcus Freeman. In addition, Brian Kelly and assistant Mike Mickens coached at Cincinnati. Emotions will be high on the Notre Dame side, too, and the atmosphere will be wild. Give me the Irish by a touchdown. Junior Ahmad Gardner — a two-time All-AAC first- team selection — is a legitimate All-America candi- date and was ranked by Pro Football Focus as one of the two best cover corners in the nation. PHOTO COURTESY CINCINNATI ATHLETICS