Secondary (cornerback and safety) = A+
I decided to lump all the secondary into one grouping and I decided on this grade not just because of their performance, eight interceptions and three fumble recoveries, but because of what they also had to overcome before the season even began.
Before they ever played a down this group knew that standout safety James Wiggins would be out for the year with an injury. The collective thought from fans was, well a guy like that can’t be replaced and this defense is certainly not going to be up to the standard that would have them playing for an 11-1 season. Enter sophomore Ja’von Hicks and the rest of the Bearcats secondary. We have to talk about what a season Hicks has been having. To know that you have to fill in for Wiggins and that people instantly looked at you as a downgrade is a tough thing to enter a week 1 prime-time game against a Power 5 UCLA with. How would Hicks respond? By putting up 23 tackles, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, and four interceptions…and that’s just to this point in the season. Hicks has absolutely kept this Bearcats defense on track and made sure they would not fold in the face of losing the best player from 2018. Hicks has been the breakout star, but he’s hardly the only one making a name for themselves.
Darrick Forrest leads the team in tackles with 61 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception. Forrest has been steady in the back end while, Hicks is holding his own being a playmaker, the junior is been flying around the line of scrimmage making plays. He might be the unsung hero on this unit, if you don’t watch the games.
The trio of Coby Bryant, Cam Jefferies and Arquon Bush have been very good all year at cornerback.
Ask anybody who was in Nippert Stadium for the UCF game and they’ll be able to tell you, the roar of the crowd when freshman cornerback Ahmad Gardner picked off UCF and ran it in for a touchdown to give UC the lead in the 3rd quarter was unlike anything I have ever heard before. It was the perfect example of what makes this team and this defense so great, they are going to force you into mistakes and when you make that mistake they will punish you for it.
Bonus: Special Teams = A
I won’t spend too much on the topic of special teams other than saying the field goal Cole Smith made against Tulsa was huge and when they even brought him out to attempt the 50 yarder I thought no chance this will even be close and he drilled it. The other thing worth mentioning is James Smith is just incredible, he has truly become a weapon for this team with his ability to consistently pin teams back deep in their own territory while only recording one single touchback. The above mentioned UCF pick six doesn’t happen without Smith first putting UCF on their own 10 yard line.
