Cincinnati Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Houston

Cincinnati football dominated for the third week in a row decimating the Houston Cougars 38-10 at Nippert Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

When Michigan State was looking for a new head coach, Luke Fickell was on their wish list. He said thanks, but no thanks. One of the reasons was how late in the cycle it was, but Fickell felt strongly this was the best team he had at Cincinnati since he’d been the head coach. It turns out the former Ohio State linebacker was correct.

After silencing the doubters with a 42-point performance against SMU and a 49-point follow-up against Memphis, the Bearcats dominate once again. This time it was the Houston Cougars who were the latest victims of the Bearcats. The Cougars were dominated from start to finish losing 38-10 at Nippert Stadium this afternoon.

Offensively, Desmond Ridder was fantastic again this week with 265 total yards and four total touchdowns. On Saturday, however, it was the Gerrid Doaks show. He ran for a career-high 184 yards, including a 72-yard run and a touchdown.

The defense used their boa constrictor tactics once again, shutting out the Cougars three of the game’s four quarters. Houston was just 5-for-15 on third downs and gained a mere 282 yards of total offense. Cincinnati forced two turnovers and did not allow the Cougars to sustain any drives most of the game.

The Bearcats left no doubt once again, proving they are the American Athletic Conference’s elite and one of the country’s best teams. Here are three more takeaways from today’s contest.

3. Desmond Ridder dazzles again

At the beginning of the season, many prognosticators felt the one thing that could hold back Cincinnati from the New Year’s Six was quarterback Desmond Ridder. The junior quarterback has proven he is not a liability, but he is an asset to the offense.

Saturday’s performance is indicative of what they are asking of Ridder at quarterback.

They are not asking Ridder to throw the football 35 times per game. He threw 27 times on Saturday. The part of Ridder’s game the offensive coaching staff is exploiting is his ability as a runner. He has 100 rushing yards in two of his last three games. He has improved his accuracy and decision making as a passer.

Ridder’s ability as a runner has opened things for the other running backs.