Cincinnati Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Houston

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Nov 7, 2020; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats running back Gerrid Doaks (23) runs the ball for a first down in the game against the Houston Cougars Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Owens-USA TODAY Sport /

2. Gerrid Doaks and the defense were the difference

The MO of the Cincinnati Bearcats has been ground and pound all season. Saturday was no different. The Bearcats ran for 342 yards and four touchdowns. The run game was led by Gerrid Doaks who ran for 184 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Desmond Ridder chipped in 103 yards. The offensive line was dominant and controlled the line of scrimmage all game.

Any running back who touched the ball had lanes to run through all game long. Their 8.8 yards per carry was proof of the offensive line’s dominance this afternoon. The ground game was going, and so was the defense.

Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen stated that throwing deep against the Bearcats’ secondary was a wasted play, and he would not call any deep pass plays. Holgorsen was true to his word. Houston was bottled most of the game. Cougars quarterback Clayton Tune could not get comfortable in this game.

Cincinnati does not do anything spectacular defensively. The Bearcats just beat their man. Cincinnati dares their opponents to sustain drives for four quarters. Houston could not do that. Houston’s first four drives were all punts. The Cougars had ten drives in this game and punted seven times. Their defense squeezes you and understands how to get their opponents off of the field on third down.

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