Cincinnati Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Memphis
By Dante Pryor
Behind a masterful performance by Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati football dominated the Memphis Tigers 49-10 at Nipper Stadium this afternoon.
The Cincinnati Bearcats had the daunting task of playing two high-powered offenses in back to back weeks. After completely defeating the SMU Mustangs last week 42-13, surely the Bearcats would have some hangover this week playing another tough offense, right?
The Bearcats proved today they are the best team in the AAC and the most complete team in the Group of Five with another outstanding performance against the Memphis Tigers 49-10. Cincinnati dominated the Tigers on both sides of the ball. Today’s game was complete and utter domination of the Tigers.
Cincinnati fooled everyone by coming out and throwing the football, but it was not a surprising tactic looking at the numbers. Memphis has one of the worst pass defenses in the country, giving up nearly 450 passing yards per game. Cincinnati then employed their ground and pound power running game after torching the Memphis secondary and building their lead.
Desmond Ridder was masterful, completing 80 percent of his passes and throwing three touchdowns, adding 41 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Ridder proved he’s no liability but an asset to the offense.
Here are three takeaways from today’s game.
3. Desmond the Great
Last season, Cincinnati lost to Memphis twice last year. Bearcats running back Desmond Ridder completed just 52 percent of his passes in those games and threw one touchdown to three interceptions in those losses.
Coming into this season, Ridder was the lynchpin of Cincinnati’s success. Coming into this game, Ridder’s numbers were pedestrian, with just seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
Everyone knew the game plan, ground and pound against Memphis. Sure, the Tigers run defense was solid, but the Tigers had not played a team with a power running game. What did the Bearcats do? Throw the football 10 times in a row before running the football.
Ridder was more than up to the task going 21-for-26 with 271 yards and three touchdowns. He was aggressive throwing downfield and was on time with most of his throws.