The Cincinnati Bearcats are coming off their most successful season in the last couple of years and they are lined up to start this season off in the Top 10 or at least close to it. The Bearcats had multiple key players who played a role in last season’s magical season. From the breakout year of Desmond Ridder to the play of the lethal Bearcats defense to a great all-around run game. All of these played a huge role in the season, but there is one position that is never talked about that led to the success of the offense, the offensive line. The Bearcats got exceptional offensive line play all season led by huge tackle James Hudson. Hudson now gone for the NFL draft, stepped in and played a huge part in keeping Desmond Ridder safe, but there was more to the great offensive line play than Hudson. They got great play out of Darius Harper, Dylan O’Quinn, Jakari Robinson, Jake Renfro and Jeremey Cooper. The Bearcats did lose a couple of pieces in James Hudson and Darius Harper leaving for the draft on top of Jakari Robinson leaving for Memphis. The Bearcats look at a different line this year to protect Desmond Ridder and open up the holes for running backs Jerome Ford and Charles McClelland. The first look at the new offensive line came at Cincinnati’s Spring Game.
The Bearcats ran a first-team offensive line of John Williams, Colin Woodside, Jake Renfro, Vincent McConnell and Dylan O’Quinn. The early look of the line was you could tell they haven’t been with each other a lot as they allowed a lot of pressure and could not get anything going in the run game. The scary defensive line of the Bearcats might have played a role in that too, but they did get better as the game went on, Ridder played very well, knew when to throw the ball away and not to force anything. Ridder will play a key role in the success of this offense and will need to take another step forward to keep Cincinnati where they are. There will be tough contests that includes Notre Dame and Indiana on top of tough AAC games against Memphis and UCF. The Bearcats second team was lined up with James Tunstall, Cody Lamb, Gavin Gerhardt, Lorenz Metz and Cam Jones. All of these offensive linemen will have a huge role in making sure the offense stays sharp and that they give enough time for Ridder to show off his skills once again. This will be a challenge for the Cincinnati offense, but this team has shown versatility and they have shown that they are willing to step up to the challenge no matter what.
The Bearcats have the playmakers, talent to be scary this year and hopefully make a run at the College Football Playoff. The moment is there and hopefully, they will take it and show the committee that they aren’t the little dogs anymore!
