Cincinnati Bearcats Football: 2015 Season Preview

Nov 22, 2014; East Hartford, CT, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats cornerback Leviticus Payne (9) is congratulated by defensive lineman Silverberry Mouhon (92) after intercepting a pass by Connecticut Huskies quarterback Chandler Whitmer (10) (not pictured) in the second quarter at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Breakdown

Unlike Memphis, Cincinnati’s defense was not that good to begin with. That means losing lots of starters may not be as bad given they won a share of the AAC with a mediocre defense last year. The bad news is that it could mean the defense will be that much worse, going from below average to atrocious.

Starting on the defensive line, every starter but Silverberry Mouhon is gone. But Mouhon is an All-AAC First-Teamer and had four sacks last year. More good news on this front (literally) is that Brandon Mitchell is technically not a returning starter but will start this year and played lots last year, registering 17.5 tackles and half a sack. Alex Pace, Chris Burton, and Mark Wilson all saw action on the line last year as well, and with eight new guys in the rotation, there is enough depth for there not to be much of a drop-off here.

At linebacker, senior Kevin Brown is the only returning starter, but seniors Clemente Casseus and both have experience at the position as well, and Kevin Mouhon is a highly rated four-star recruit who should make an immediate impact after redshirting last year. With four other newcomers, there should be enough for the Bearcats to be fine here as well.

In the secondary, here is where we see the good news. Zach Edwards, Leviticus Payne, Grant Coleman, and Andre Jones all saw action in every game last year, and Adrian Witty should be back. Four other players had significant playing time for serious depth here, and there are five newcomers.

Sam Geraci is back, and while he is not a great punter, he is exactly what the Bearcats need.

Despite losing lots of starters, mainly in the front seven, Cincinnati had enough guys play and gain experience last year that the defense should be fine by the midway point of the season. Do not expect much, if any, of a drop-off on this side of the ball.

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