The No. 24 Bearcats (9-2, 6-1 AAC) welcomed in No. 19 ranked Tulane (9-2, 6-1 AAC) to Nippert Stadium with a chance to host its third straight AAC Championship. The Bearcats knew what was at stake coming into this one, a third straight AAC Championship, a 32-game home winning streak, and more. The Bearcats would honor their 28 seniors ahead of today’s contest for their contributions on and off the field.
However, the Bearcats would be without senior quarterback Ben Bryant who left the Temple game with a foot injury. Sources told the Front Office News that Bryant will miss the rest of the 2022 season and Evan Prater would make his first career start. Prater filled in for Bryant and went 12-of-17 for 128 yards in the second half last week. Prater now gets the opportunity to start and show Bearcats fans what he is made of as he makes his first career start in a must win situation for the Luke Fickell and the Bearcats.
The Bearcats would eventually fall to Tulane 27-24 in heartbreaking fashion as their AAC Championship hopes got smaller, but were still in reach with the help of USF. Evan Prater saw a lot of flashes in his first career start in the red and black but give credit to Willie Fritz and Tulane. The Green Wave executed a very good game plan and stuck to the script as they were able to come into one of the hardest stadiums in the country and knock off the Bearcats to advance to the AAC Championship for the first time in program history.
“This one is a tough one to swallow,” said Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell. “We didn’t get it done today. We knew it was going to be a battle that would come down to the fourth quarter. Everyone is hurt but nobody more than those seniors, they mean more than anything to me and this program.”
Prater filled in for the injured Bryant and finished the day 10-of-26 for 102 yards and an interception. Prater also dominated the game with his legs where he rushed for 88 yards which allowed the Bearcats to open the run game due to Prater’s ability to be a dual threat quarterback. Prater has been in the shadow of Bryant all season after Bryant won the quarterback battle of camp. However, those two remain close and great teammates and Prater elaborates on how Bryant was able to help him prepare for this match up with Tulane.
“Ben was just saying be you, you have been waiting for this opportunity and it is here now go make the most of it. He was supportive all week. It is really sad to see him injured like that, not being able to play in moments like this,” said Prater. “He was so supportive all week, he sent me texts throughout the week, just be yourself I’m here for you if you need anything. It was really big motivation, it really helped me out a lot and I really appreciate him.”
The Green Wave dominated the point of attack behind junior running back Tyjae Spears, who finished the day with 35 carries, for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Spears averaged 5.2 yards per carry and was a huge factor in this one, especially as the Bearcats would be without redshirt freshman nose tackle Dontay Corleone and redshirt sophomore Dominque Perry due to undisclosed injuries.
