2015 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Preview - Week 5 (at Cincinnati 10/1)

Miami Hurricanes 2015 Opponent Preview

Week 5 (Week 4 was a BYE)

At Cincinnati (October 1^st {Thursday Night})

The 2015 Miami Hurricanes Opponent Preview continues with the preview of the Cincinnati Bearcats whom The U visits up at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on October 1^st (Thursday Night) at 7:30 pm on ESPN.

About Cincinnati. They went 9-4 (in the AAC),  and Tommy Tuberville comes into season 3 in the Queen City as the odds-on favorite to win their conference title (AAC). Their Offense is loaded with talented playmakers, which is led by Gunner Kiel. The big question will be how their Defense does.

First, let’s talk about the known, which is their offense.  

As mentioned, they get Kiel back. In last year’s opener, he threw six touchdown passes in his collegiate debut. He was at one time, a No. 1 quarterback recruit, who started his career at Notre Dame, before coming to Cincinnati. finished 2014 with 31 TD passes to tie their record for one season and he has back his top seven receivers. If there’s a question with the O, it has to be on the durability end. Kiel, now a junior, made all 13 starts last season, however, he did leave some games due to the fact that he was banged up with rib and/or back injuries.. Their training staff up there has worked with Kiel to improve his core strength.

There could be a record breaking season for  WR Shaq Washington (66 catches, four TDs). He’s on pace to become the UC career leader in receptions, and for a possession receiver like he is, that’s impressive. Also back are Mekale McKay and Chris Moore (both of whom had eight TD catches apiece). Those two are the big play threats downfield in their four-wide offense.

While their passing game was Top 15 nationally (13^th), the running game left a little to be desired here. In 2014, their running game was 72^nd nationally. You can guess what the focus was on this spring up there offensively. The reason for the low ranking in the running game, was the fact that their top backs Hosey Williams and Tion Green missed most of 2014 with injuries. Their leading rusher was Mike Boone, who had 650 yards rushing and nine TDs as a true freshman. Come fall camp, this will be one battle worth watching between Boone and Williams to see who wins that job as No 1 back.

As for the Offensive Line, they lost to graduation 3x all-league left tackle Eric Lefeld, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an Undrafted Free Agent. However, they do have three starters back in Parker Ehinger (who will move over to Lefeld’s old spot at LT from RG), RT Justin Murray and C Deyshawn Bond.

Onto the Defensive side

Keep in mind that when The U thrashed the Bearcats 55–34 last year at Sun Life, their D was the worst in the country. This led Tubs to say the following:  “We can’t tackle anybody on defense. We look like the Bad News Bears.” The kicker was that just two weeks earlier, they had allowed 710 yards in a 50–28 loss to Ohio State. Suffice to say, the schedule was brutal early, but got easier once AAC play started and their D was better as the season went on and they would rank 96^th  in total defense when the season ended. You could tell that UC’s relative lack of defensive speed got exposed by the big boys.

They lose key personnel to graduation. That includes  LBs Jeff Luc (134 tackles, who was picked up as a UFA by the Miami Dolphins) and Nick Temple (113, who was picked up as a UFA by the Cincinnati Bengals) and defensive end Terrell Hartsfield (AAC-best 9.0 sacks, who was picked up by the Colts as an UFA). They do get back DE Silverberry Mouhon on the D-Line.

Also back is a ball-hawk in Safety Zach Edwards (121 tackles), and their back 4 will get a boost with the return of veteran cornerback Adrian Witty. A vocal team leader, Witty missed most of 2014 with a leg injury, so getting him back will be boost for the Bearcat secondary.

The consistency on D is shaky here, when you consider the fact that the Bearcats will have its third DC, in Tubs’ three years in the Queen City. Steve Clinkscale, is the new DC, promoted from secondary/cornerbacks coach. The man that led the D last year, Hank Hughes, left for Lincoln, to become defensive line coach at Nebraska.

As for their special teams

Like the Defense, they will have their third ST coordinator. Ty Linder comes in from TCU. They have back Placekicker Andrew Gantz, who had a solid Freshman season, which saw him earn second-team All-AAC honors after making 16-of-20 field goal attempts. Also back is Punter Sam Geraci, and as the season went on, he got better. He finished his Freshman year with a 39.4-yard average. While the kicking game was solid, the same could not be said for their coverage teams, at least early, As the season went on, they got better. In 2013, their coverage was terrible. When it came to the return game, nothing of note could be said here.

What to expect from Cincinnati

Looking at them on tape, they are explosive Offensively, and ball-hawks on the defensive end.  They will hit big plays, and Kiel, if he stays healthy, is the real deal, and their WRs are very good and they do stretch the field effectively. They run a lot of 4 wide sets. If their D steps up early to replace the losses they suffered there, and adjust to another new DC, look out.

Coming off a BYE week, on a Thursday Night on the road and with FSU 9 days later in the ACC opener on the road, this is a potential trap game for The U.  It won’t be like last year at Sun Life, where they just dismantled the Bearcats. It’ll be closer, but in the end, I believe that the CANES will make just enough plays and make some key stops late to win this one. I predict CANES win by 10-14 points on the road in Cincinnati. 

Up Next: at FSU (10/10)