Cincinnati Football: 3 keys to victory vs. Ohio State in Week 2

Cincinnati football comes into this game as a 16-point underdog. Can it take the trip up I-71 and pull of the upset? Here’s what the Bearcats must do.

It’s crazy to think that the Buckeyes and the Bearcats have only played one another 17 times in their history because of their proximity to each other. Their campuses are about a two-hour drive on Interstate 71 from one another, yet they haven’t played since 2014.

The last time the Bearcats beat the Buckeyes was 1897 (wonder what those jerseys looked like), and if they are going to pull the upset this year it will take a superhero effort. Here are three keys to a Bearcats upset.

3. Quiet the crowd early

Ohio Stadium is one of the few stadiums in college football with no issues being full for a noon kickoff for a non-conference game. It will be loud and full when the Bearcats come calling Saturday at noon. Cincinnati has two things that travel well; they have a defense and a running game.

They need to take the crowd out of the game early. In order to do this the Bearcats need to force some early punts from the Buckeye offense, and score first. One thing they don’t want is any big plays from the offense, or defense to get the crowd going. The faster they can settle into the game the better.

If Cincinnati can get that two-headed running monster of Michael Warren II and Gerrid Doaks going early and get an early lead, that would be ideal. Most important if they get an opportunity to score touchdowns, the cannot settle for field goals.