The No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats are just a day away from one of the most anticipated and biggest game in program history. The Bearcats will step on the field on Friday night looking to defeat the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and get a chance to battle for a National Championship. The Bearcats are set to take on a very talented offense that has put up a bunch of points this season. The Crimson Tide has been led by their quarterback and Heisman winner Bryce Young and superstar wide receivers Jameson Williams and John Metchie III. Alabama’s offense will be on high notice on Friday and will be looking to get off to a quick start against a tough Bearcat defense. Alabama has averaged 42.5 points a game and has thrown for 4,523 yards this season. This is why the Bearcats will need this man to step up big time on Friday in hopes of shutting down their number one playmaker, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
Gardner has been an X-Factor for the Bearcats defense this season and has stepped up to lock up a ton of talent including Michael Mayer, Ty Fryfogle and others. This opportunity though will be the best talent Gardner has faced this year. Williams is a Top 15 pick in the latest NFL mock drafts and has destroyed opposing defenses for 68 catches, 1,445 yards (21.2 yards a catch) and 15 touchdowns this season. Williams has been seen some tough talent this year and plays in a grueling conference in the SEC. The Bearcats will need Gardner to step up and limit Williams to give themselves a chance against Alabama. Gardner has produced some solid numbers himself though as he still has not allowed a single touchdown in his college career and produced three interceptions, four pass breakups, (35 total) 26 solo tackles and three sacks. Overall these numbers don’t show how talented the junior is and how much of a presence he’s had on the field. Teams would look the opposite way of Gardner and were forced to throw at the Bearcats’ other corners because of how tight he was to his assignment.
If, Williams gets shut down and the Bearcats can control the pace we could definitely see an upset in the making. Gardner is the right man for the job and everyone will be excited to watch arguably two of the most talented players in their respected positions go against each other.
