The Bearcats are off to a hot start on the year sitting at 3-0 and now No. 8 in the AP Top 25 and No. 10 in the Coaches Top 25. The hot start can be easily turned to the defense as they have been off to a great start. They have held opponents to an average of 8.5 points per game and have key wins at home versus USF and Navy. This unit held two opponents under 10 points and dominated in turnovers.
One of the teams big stars on defense has been senior linebacker Jarell White. White is a Cincinnati product from LaSalle high school has stepped up big to start off the year. He is coming off a year where he was fourth on the team with 66 tackles, including 43 solo tackle and also added 7.5 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles, a sack, and an interception. He also was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week last year after a big upset win at Nippert. White has opened the season not missing a beat. He had a big game against Army where he had 15 tackles on top of seven of them being solo and then continued the following week against USF as he picked up 11 tackles (five being solo) in the win. He has also been great in the passing game and not allowing quarterbacks to get comfortable. The senior has been able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and force some bad throws that the defensive secondary have been able to take advantage of.
The hometown hero hopes to continue his momentum this week going into the Tulsa game and the rest of the season. The Bearcats will hope that their defense continues to dominate in hopes of a magical season that has already moved the Bearcats into the Top 10.
The Bearcats start a huge stretch on Saturday with Tulsa that will take them into November. The Bearcats hope to keep moving up and prove to everybody that they are a real contender for the College Football Playoffs.
