The Three Stars of Cincinnati’s Comeback Win Over Ohio

Was the win that pushed the Cincinnati Bearcats to 4-0 easy to attain? Absolutely not. The Ohio Bobcats gave the Bearcats as much as UC could possibly handle on Saturday. At times, it seemed like more than it could handle actually. Yet somehow and some way the Bearcats kept fighting and ended up on the right side of a 34-30 decision.

The win belongs to each and every member of the team, of course. A handful of players don’t push a team from down 21 to winning by four. That makes giving out this week’s three stars all that more difficult. After a terrible first half, the Bearcats got impact plays from all over the roster. There is an argument to be made for far more than three players. With that in mind, we’ll be handing out a few honorable mentions before getting to the three stars this week.

Honorable Mention - Josiah Deguara, TE

Desmond Ridder has found his safety valve and its Deguara. The junior tight end caught a team-high six passes for 69 yards and kept more than a few drives alive.

Honorable Mention - Rashad Medaris, WR

Medaris sparked the comeback with his 77-yard touchdown reception on the third play of the third quarter. If not for such a quick strike, the Bearcats may not have been able to turn the tables.

Honorable Mention - Cortez Broughton, DT

If there was one defender who was still making plays while Ohio built a 21-0 lead, it was Broughton. He had the team’s lone sack of the game, which was critical since Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke was nearly impossible to bring down.

Honorable Mention - Jayshon Jackson, WR

Jackson’s over-the-shoulder touchdown catch was incredible, even if it was only one of two receptions he had in the game.

Honorable Mention - Desmond Ridder, QB

Early on, it looked like Ridder was in over his head. Boy did he turn that narrative around. Throwing for 274 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing, while adding a score on the ground, Ridder helped navigate the team to the comeback. The quarterback of the future is officially here.

One Star - Jarell White, LB

You might think that White’s final stat line, while completely fine, was not worthy of a star. He had nine tackles, including one for loss. That is some solid work, but is it star worthy? Well the fact is, that one tackle for loss was the second-biggest play of the game. Trailing 34-30, the Bobcats had a second-and-goal from the one in the closing minute. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that they would punch the ball in and ruin UC’s comeback. Then White stormed through the middle of the offensive line and stopped Ohio running back A.J. Ouellette for a three-yard loss.

That changed how Ohio approached its third down try and if not for White’s play, the Bearcats would be second guessing instead of celebrating.

Two Stars - Michael Warren, RB

Warren cannot be stopped. No matter what an opposing defense does, he will find a way to churn out yards and cross the goal line. He added two more rushing touchdowns to his total this week, including what turned out to be the game winner. On top of that, he rushed for 124 yards on 23 carries. Warren is now tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns in the country, and no two were bigger than the ones he scored on Saturday.

Three Stars - James Wiggins, S

Wiggins made one play and that one play was more important than any other the rest of the day. After White stuffed Ouellette for a three-yard loss, the Bobcats decided to run a passing play on third and goal during that final drive. Wiggins anticipated the pass and was able to capture a game-winning interception.

Even if his stat line (three tackles, one pass defended) wasn’t three-star worthy, that play was.

Obviously with so many candidates, you will all have your own heroes of this game. So let us know who you thought were the MVPs of this one below.