Establish the run game
The Bearcats know with a 3-3-5 defense they should be able to get the run game going with guys like Corey Kiner and Myles Montgomery. We have seen teams in the recent years dominate the run game on the Bearcats 3-3-5 defense when Luke Fickell was at Cincinnati and two of the games that come to mind was Tulane last Season, where Tyjae Spears ran for over 200 yards, and the Bearcats 27-6 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff where Brian Robinson ran for over 200 yards to help send the Crimson Tide to the National Championship.
I expect Corey Kiner and Myles Montgomery to take advantage of that opportunity. Kiner has rushed for 405 yards and two touchdowns on the season, had a huge bounce back vs BYU where he finished with 77 yards on 19 carries. Despite the running back tandem doing a lot of great things for the Bearcats offense this season to date, Satterfield mentioned on Tuesday that the team lacks an explosive running back.
“One thing is we don’t have that explosive running back. That’s a big stat, you go back to my offenses last 10-12 years we’ve had a guy that could go 80 yards. Our guys will get you the first down, but we have seen at times this season where they rip on off for 30-40 yards, we are getting tackled. I think that is one reason why we haven’t had those 60-70 yards runs this season.”
Satterfield did mention he is proud of the production he has received from the running back group of Corey Kiner and Myles Montgomery. However, for the Bearcats offense to get clicking here in the back half of the season, the running back tandem will have to be a big part of the offense over the last seven games of the season. Expect the Bearcats to come out and establish that run game early and find ways to get Corey Kiner and Montgomery going early on Saturday, especially with that 3-3-5 defense. If the Bearcats can do that especially with an Iowa State defense that consists of very young linebackers, expect the Bearcats to get downhill and try attack early.
Predictions- I think the Bearcats will get their first Big 12 conference win, but it will be a low scoring game that will come down to the very end. I will go with 28-24 in favor of the Bearcats, but the Bearcats will have to be conservative and smart on both side of the ball to make that happen. They dominated the time of possession vs BYU, but just couldn’t get the offense going until late in the second half. However, the Bearcats will have to take advantage of every opportunity they get in the red zone especially vs an Iowa State defense that loves to create turnovers.
