The Three Stars of Cincinnati’s Overtime Loss to Temple

For the first time this season, the Cincinnati Bearcats are recovering from a loss. On this Sunday morning, the wounds of a 24-17 overtime setback to Temple, which is suddenly in the driver's seat of the American athletic Conference East Division, are very fresh. A game that was promised to be an epic affair lived up to its name but the Bearcats did not come out on top.

Despite the sour result, the Bearcats were some late-game heroics from the Owls away from winning this contest and they got in that position thanks to some standout efforts from a few players. With that written, here are this week’s three stars.

One Star - James Smith, P

Since the offense wasn’t at its best, the Bearcats really had to win the battle for field position and their sophomore punter really helped make that a priority. Smith averaged 52.3 yards per punt and even launched a 72-yard kick at one point. He dropped three of his six punts inside the 20-yard line and made it difficult for the Owls to get drives going since they were backed up so frequently.

Two Stars - Coby Bryant, CB

One interception is great. Two are even better. UC’s sophomore cornerback made life very difficult for Temple quarterback Anthony Russo, intercepting him twice and breaking up three passes. Like Smith, Bryant helped make up for a largely forgettable offensive performance from the Bearcats, even if it ultimately made no difference.

Three Stars - Michael Warren, RB

UC’s offense was pretty bad on Sunday, but that didn’t slow Warren down, as he rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. If it weren’t for him (and a big-time touchdown run from Charles McClelland), UC wouldn’t even have been in a position to win. Warren has now rushed for at least 100 yards in four-straight games and five overall this season. He is up to 796 yards and 12 touchdowns on the campaign and well on his way to the first 1,000 yard rushing season for a Bearcat since George Winn had 1,334 in 2012.