Ohio State Season Preview: Week 2 vs. Cincinnati

The Ohio State football team should enter the second game of the season 1-0 but Luke Fickell’s Cincinnati Bearcats could give the Buckeyes problems.

In the second week of Ryan Day’s first season as head coach of our Ohio State Buckeyes, he’ll be challenged by another Group of Five opponent with a head coach that looks a little familiar. After taking on the Florida Atlantic Owls in week one, the Bucks will face in-state foe Cincinnati Bearcats.

They are coached by Luke Fickell, a former Ohio State nose guard who went on to be a co-defensive coordinator with Ohio State, and even served as an interim head coach in 2011. This is an extremely intriguing matchup for a few reasons.

Coach Fickell will no doubt have his guys motivated to take on his alma mater, and he also happens to be coming off an 11-2 season and was named AAC Coach of the Year. The Bucks will be on upset alert in week two.

The Rundown

Cincinnati is coming off a massive turnaround season in 2018, going 11-2 with one of those losses being to the 8th ranked team in the country at the time, the UCF Golden Knights. Cincinnati’s quarterback Desmond Ridder returns for his sophomore season after having thrown for 2,445 yards, rushing for 583 and accounting for 25 total touchdowns.

Last season Cincinnati finished the season ranked 11th in total defense, which is a stark contrast to Florida Atlantic.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the rest of Cincinnati’s backfield. The Bearcats are spoiled with their returning starter at running back coming off a 1,329 yard, 19 touchdown season. Michael Warren II is a name to look out for.

Now for questions about Game 2 and a prediction on the outcome.

Three Burning Questions

1. With the Buckeyes having major flaws on defense last season, can they do enough to keep the Bearcats backfield in check? If they can’t keep it under control, the final score could look more like a basketball score.
2. Cincinnati’s defense was elite last season and this will be Justin Fields’ first look at one of this caliber. Will the Cincinnati defense overwhelm Fields? Seeing how he responds to a shift in the opponents’ talent on that side of the ball from week one to week two should be interesting.
3. Will Ryan Day have the Buckeyes ready for what will certainly be a highly motivated Cincinnati squad? With Fickell being so involved with Ohio State in the past and coaching a school so close in proximity, this will be a passionate game for the Bearcats. Count on the Buckeyes getting Cincinnati’s best shot.

Prediction

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Week two looks to be a bit more of a challenge than week one for the Buckeyes. Cincinnati has some very talented skill players and a solid defensive unit returning.

This is a very tricky non-conference game, one that should not be overlooked. Luke Fickell and the Bearcats will certainly bring their A-game because of the history surrounding Fickell and the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is 14-2 all-time against Cincinnati though and the last loss was in 1897.

Much like in week one, expect a rocky start with a late surge to defeat the Bearcats. The Buckeyes will need a few weeks to get all of the new pieces working properly but they will take care of business in this game.

I expect Ohio State to win comfortably, but not without a bit of a struggle early. The Buckeyes win this one 41-20, and are now 2-0 in our preview world.