The Three Stars of Cincinnati’s Win Against UCLA

Now that the college football season has started for the Cincinnati Bearcats, this is the perfect time to talk about hockey. Stay with me for a second. In hockey, there is a system in place called the three stars, wherein the three best players from each game are chosen. This year, win or lose, we will pick the top three players from each Bearcats game and then vote to determine the MVP of the game.

This week, it will be easier than expected to pick UC stars from the game, as the Bearcats went into the Rose Bowl and knocked off Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins. Here are your three stars of the game.

One Star - James Smith, P

It might seem odd to put a punter here, but Smith really helped win the battle for field position yesterday. Fresh off his All-American Athletic Conference freshman campaign, Smith averaged 43.4 yards per punt, including a long of 52 yards, and he also put five of his eight punts inside of the opposing 20-yard line. UC’s defense was all over the UCLA offense, but it certainly helped that they often started defending from so far down field.

Two Stars - Cortez Broughton, DL

Broughton reminded us why he was an all-league caliber player a few years back. Powering a resurgent UC pass rush, Broughton contributed 3.5 sacks, including one that led to a safety for the Bearcats, putting them ahead 19-17 in the fourth quarter. There were plenty of defenders that helped the Bearcats put forth perhaps the best defensive game of the Luke Fickell era, but Broughton’s absolute thrashing of the UCLA offensive line stood out the most.

Three Stars - Michael Warren II

In a game when UC’s starting quarterback was replaced by a redshirt freshman, Warren provided the steady hand on offense to allow Desmond Ridder to get comfortable. A sophomore himself, Warren played like a seasoned veteran, rushing for 141 yards and three touchdowns, including this beauty that put the Bearcats’ lead out of reach.

Warren wasn’t just effective in short bursts. He was very literally the only running back to get any work yesterday. With Gerrid Doaks still sidelined, Warren ran the ball 35 times. Ridder had 14 attempts and, before he was benched, Hayden Moore had two attempts, although both were just sacks. Nobody else ran the ball once. That’s what I call a three-star performance.

Now what do you say? Vote for the MVP of the game below, let us know in the comments or in a FanPost.