Cincinnati Football: 2017 season preview, predictions
By Zach Bigalke
Offense
In Tommy Tuberville’s last year, he brought in a new offensive coordinator to try to right the ship. Zac Taylor, who had spent the previous four years with the Miami Dolphins, replaced Eddie Gran. But his one year proved a disaster, as the team ranked 117th nationally in team rushing. That prevented the development of the passing game to its fullest potential.
Luke Fickell and new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, formerly at Notre Dame, have plenty of talent to work with this season as they try to rebuild the Bearcats offense. Mike Boone will take on a starting role at running back after splitting time with Tion Green last year. The redshirt junior is recovering from a foot injury that caused him to miss the last three games of 2016. If he returns to the form he enjoyed in 2015, the Cincinnati offense could explode again.
The receiving corps lost Nate Cole from last season’s group, but the Bearcats get back Devin Gray and Kahlil Lewis. Redshirt senior Tyler Cogswell will take over at tight end after spending the past three years in a reserve and special-teams role. The offensive line also loses all of its first-team interior linemen from last season. Things are not entirely barren in Cincinnati, but there will definitely be a learning curve as a new staff integrates new talent.
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Hayden Moore must come back strong at quarterback
Hayden Moore has had a strange three years so far in Ohio. The Alabama native redshirted in 2014, then started a couple of games in 2015 as a redshirt freshman. That year he played in eight games total as Gunner Kiel fought nagging injuries. Entering 2016, Moore had supplanted Kiel atop the depth chart at quarterback.
He looked electric early last year, putting up 250 passing yards and 58 rushing yards with five total touchdowns against Purdue. Then he was injured the following week against Houston, and was never the same the rest of the year. Though he played in seven games throughout the year, Moore posted inconsistent results. He threw more touchdowns and fewer interceptions, but also completed fewer passes last year than he did as a freshman.
This year Fickell and Denbrock have said they are focusing on building up the rushing attack. Even so, Moore must improve into at least a 60 percent passer for the first time and stay healthy all year if Cincinnati hopes to rebound in the AAC.