CINCINNATI — Cincinnati has shown plenty of promise this season, including an impressive victory over No. 8 Texas Tech. However, the Bearcats have yet to win a true road game, and with three of their final four contests away from Nippert Stadium, that will have to change if they hope to finish the season strong.
The Bearcats are 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12, but their record away from home tells a different story. Cincinnati is 3-1 at Nippert Stadium, 1-0 at a neutral site, and 0-2 on the road, with two lopsided losses to Arizona and West Virginia. The two defeats came in very different fashions, although both exposed problems that must be corrected.
Against Arizona on October 3, Cincinnati struggled offensively throughout a 34-7 defeat. The Bearcats couldn't establish any consistency, managing just seven points in a game where they struggled to move the football. That is to say nothing of the fact they gave up 34 points.
Two weeks later at West Virginia, the offense responded with a much better performance, scoring 42 points. Unfortunately, Cincinnati's defense couldn't contain the Mountaineers, who escaped with a 45-42 victory. The Bearcats produced enough offense to win but couldn't make the defensive stops necessary to finish the job. Or any stops for that matter.
Those performances illustrate the inconsistency that has troubled Cincinnati at times this season. The Bearcats have shown an ability to move the football and put points on the board, but they haven't consistently put together complete performances away from home.
Saturday's 49-25 home loss to Utah showed that those problems aren't limited to road games. Cincinnati fell behind 42-6 by halftime after committing bad turnovers, and its second-half improvement came far too late to threaten the Utes in mostly garbage time.
Now Scott Satterfield's team faces a difficult November schedule, beginning Saturday at No. 17 Houston. The Bearcats will then travel to Iowa State on November 14, return home to face Colorado on November 21, and close the regular season at BYU on November 28.
With only one home game remaining, Cincinnati has little choice but to find a way to win outside Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats are one victory away from bowl eligibility, but after starting the season 4-0, merely reaching six wins would be a disappointing finish.
The offense has shown it can compete with anyone, particularly when Cincinnati establishes its running game. Cole Tabb has emerged as one of the team's most productive weapons, rushing for more than 100 yards in each of his last three games, including 131 yards against Utah.
However, Cincinnati cannot rely on offensive production alone. The Bearcats have allowed 45 points at West Virginia and 49 against Utah in two of their last three games, and defense like that will not win you any football games, no matter how well your offense moves the ball.
The remaining schedule presents an chance to change the direction of the season. Cincinnati has already shown what it can accomplish by beating Texas Tech, but repeating that level of performance away from home will be necessary if the Bearcats hope to finish November with something more than a bowl invitation.
