Victory Bell Recap: Cincinnati Beats Miami

The Cincinnati Bearcats head into an off week exactly where they were expected to be at 2-1. Wins over UCLA and Miami were expected and the loss to Ohio State was expected. What’s been unexpected have been the enormous amounts of mistakes and the way the team performed in Columbus.

RING THE BELL

For 14 straight years, dating back to 2006, the Victory Bell remains at the University of Cincinnati.

It’s been so long, that the world was a very different place back in 2005, when Miami last won.

Recap

The game started extremely rough for Cincinnati, who produced -9 (NEGATIVE 9) yards on their first two possessions and trailed 10-0 after one quarter. But once QB Desmond Ridder settled down and the defense locked in, the Bearcats took control.

Instant reaction for the game

Key plays

Michael Warren ran for an incredible 73 yard touchdown. In honor of the 14 straight wins, check out the 14 key plays for the Bearcats that helped secure the win.

Future of the series

Cincinnati has won 14 in a row, but still trail the all-time series 59-58 (4 ties). There has been a lot of discussion among fans about what to do with this game annually. Should it continue? Some thoughts on what the future should hold for Cincinnati vs Miami

Throwbacks

The red throwback uniforms looked great! The crowd wearing all red looked amazing!

I was skeptical about the school doing this look against Miami, another school who is primarily red (I mean, it’s in their nickname) but it made sense given the history of the rivalry. Cincinnati wore this look in the 1950s, and Miami is the only team on the 2019 schedule that they faced during those years.

I also wasn’t crazy about the field at first. I assumed it was a cover up for an upcoming FC Cincinnati game, and a convenient excuse to not paint it. But, I must admit it looked great without any of the logos or paint - the slash marks in the endzone were a great touch and gave the game an added throwback element.

About Miami

RedHawks are now 1-2 and go to Ohio State next week before opening MAC play. I really hope they are getting a nine figure payday for next week’s beat-down.

Coach Chuck Martin is now 23-41 in 6 years at Miami. He is 3-21 in non-conference games, but 0-18 against FBS schools. He has produced zero winning seasons and led Miami to one bowl appearance (0-1). He has certainly done better than some other recent coaches, but I’m not sure the trajectory is pointing upwards for Martin, whose days could and probably should be numbered soon.

What’s next for Bearcats

Cincinnati has now won 9 in a row at Nippert Stadium, dating back to 2017. They are off during week 4, which is good because there are a lot of things this team needs to work on. Following the bye, they play at Marshall on 9/28, a tough place to play and then conference play begins Friday October 4th when UCF comes to Nippert Stadium.

AAC Round-Up

Speaking of UCF, they put quite the beating on Stanford, winning 45-27 on Saturday. Freshman Dillon Gabriel threw 4 TDs (no INTs) and was extremely impressive. I think very highly of QB McKenzie Milton, who is out for the 2019 season due to injury, but Gabriel may just have a higher ceiling. UCF really deserves more respect. I know this 2019 Stanford team isn’t the same old smash mouth, tough, 9-10 win team. But UCF really is an outstanding football team and they will give Cincinnati all they can handle on 10/4.

Temple (2-0) knocked off 21st ranked Maryland, holding them to just 17 points, after scoring 143 points through the first two weeks.

Houston (1-2) lost to Washington State Friday night, giving up 489 yards to the Cougars offense.

Tulsa (1-2) was not expected to beat Oklahoma State, and lost 40-21. But it’s worth noting they did hold a 21-20 halftime lead.

Navy (2-0) beat East Carolina (1-2) in the first AAC game of the year.

SMU is 3-0 for the first time since 1984 and play at 25th ranked TCU on Saturday in their biggest test of the season.

Bowl Projections

Yes, it’s way too early to be looking at bowl projections. But that still won’t stop me from peaking at where the “experts” think Cincinnati will play.

ESPN’s Bonaguara has Cincinnati in the Gasparilla Bowl vs UAB. Mark Schlabach has Birmingham Bowl vs Army.

247Sports has CIncinnati in the Gasparilla Bowl vs FIU

CBS’s Jerry Palm has Cincinnati in the Birmingham Bowl vs Wyoming.

Maybe Cincinnati should just beat UCF and try for that Cotton Bowl bid...