Bearcats junior quarterback is drawing attention from media before the Peach Bowl. During Monday’s media segment for this weeks big bowl game Desmond Ridder received a lot of praise. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart gave a lot of props to not only Desmond Ridder, but the Cincinnati program as a whole. Smart said, “Ridder is a very smart player, he can beat you in the air as well as running the ball. When you see a quarterback outrunning defensive backs and safeties then you know he’s quick. Ridder plays a huge part in Cincinnati’s success he makes sure his team calls the right plays for them to succeed, he checks a lot to put his team in the best position as possible, You see him on film talking to players he’s a very smart player and he can beat you in many ways he’s a complete athlete.” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart also said, “outside of Alabama, Cincinnati has the best skill players on the offensive side of the ball that they have seen all year.” This is huge for not only Cincinnati as a program currently, but for the future as well. The statements show a lot of what teams think of the program Luke Fickell has built here. Georgia defensive Coordinator Daniel Lanning also gave high praise to Ridder saying, “he’s in the Top 3 quarterbacks they have faced all year.” That is crazy to think about for Ridder because that is saying he’s up there with two Heisman finalists that Lanning is referencing to in the looks of Mac Jones from Alabama and Kyle Trask from Florida.
Ridder is having not just his best season as a player, but a very impressive season that is starting to gain major attention in college football. Ridder’s stats this year include completing 162-of-244 passing attempts for 2,090 yards. completing 66.4% of his passes throwing for 17 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions. Ridder has also rushed for 12 touchdowns including a long 91-yard touchdown run versus SMU. He has rushed for 609 yards, so he can beat you throwing the ball as well as running the ball. The Louisville, Kentucky native has always been known as a duel threat quarterback, but the praise he got ahead of the Peach Bowl matchup versus SEC powerhouse in Georgia was big news.
While speaking to the media on about this Friday’s matchup Ridder was asked what stood out about Georgia’s defense and he said, “Like Coach Fickell addressed, they’re big, fast, physical, strong, They’re smart. They are lengthy on the outside. They’re a smart team if they make some mistakes they will be able to recover like anyone else and make up some ground. That defensive line is Big up front, Their linebackers are very physical and fill the gaps well. We just have to go out there and play football.” The Bearcats seem very excited for this opportunity to take on one of the “Blue Bloods” of college football as to what Georgia was referred to today by the media.
The Bearcats look to take on Georgia this Friday at 12pm in the Chick-Fil-a Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
