The wait is over. College Football officially returns to Nippert Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 ET. In typical fashion for the Cincinnati Bearcats and many Power Five schools, they’ll kick it off against an FCS team in Eastern Kentucky. There’s a lot to be on the lookout for if you’re a Cincinnati Bearcats fan in this game and beyond. How will new quarterback Emory Jones look? Who’s going to begin to separate themselves in the wide receiver room? Can the defensive line continue to dominate? A lot of anticipation and excitement comes with this first game of the Scott Satterfield era. As for the match-up itself, here are some things to look for.
Eastern Kentucky Team Breakdown
Third-year Head Coach Walt Wells and the Colonels make the short hour-and-a-half ride up to Cincinnati for their first game of the 2023 campaign as well. They’re playing out of the UAC, United Athletic Conference, this year. The league’s first year in existence. It’s a joining of the ASUN conference and the WAC. EKU comes from the ASUN which Bearcats’ should be somewhat familiar with, as Cincinnati has played other teams from it over the past few years in Kennesaw State and Austin Peay. The Colonels finished last season with a 7-5 record good for third in the ASUN.
Great Quarterback Play
Arguably the most important position on the field in any football game is the quarterback. Eastern Kentucky has probably the best one in school history right now. Parker Mckinney is the school’s career record holder in completions, attempts, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. He was named the pre-season UAC Offensive Player of the Year. Coming off of the ASUN Co-Offenisve Player of the Year in 2022. He’s on many pre-season FCS All-American watch lists and the Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list too. The guy is decorated, to say the least.
The redshirt senior stands at six-foot-three and 208 pounds. He is an elite FCS player. This means Cincinnati Defensive Coordinator Bryan Brown and the Bearcat defense must take him very seriously or else he will put up some points. Week one games are typically tune-up games for Cincinnati, but it is a good test for the many new faces on this defense to go against someone like Mckinney to find out some things about themselves in week one.
The Offensive Weapons
Eastern Kentucky had three receivers that had over 50 catches and 750 yards last season. Most teams in the country let alone the FCS can’t say the same. The yardage leader was Cornelius Mccoy who has since graduated. The touchdown leader was Jayden Higgins who transferred to Iowa State after two years in Richmond, KY. Finally, the receptions leader from last year is junior Jaden Smith who is back and looks to lead the wide outs. He’s had two impressive years to start his career and finished with 62 receptions, 750 yards, and six touchdowns last year. Number three is a guy that the Bearcats’ secondary will have to keep tabs on Saturday in Cincinnati.
Out of the backfield, their guy is back and ready to take another step. Braedon Sloan is another junior who had a successful season last year. With over 600 yards on the ground and 500 yards receiving, Sloan is able to make an impact in several ways. A decent amount of the offense goes through him and he’s a guy to key on.
Colonels’ Defense
The defensive side of the ball is not nearly the same for EKU this year. There’s no returning school legend or star on this side of the ball. In fact, it looks like it’s more of the opposite. Of the leading tacklers from last season, the top three overall are gone and the top four linebackers have departed. There’s going to be some overhaul on this defense in a similar way the Bearcat offense is almost brand new. When Cincinnati has the ball, both team’s fans are going to be watching intently.
Nic Cheeley is back in the secondary. He led that group in tackles a season ago. Cheeley is a veteran guy at this point for them now as he made 10 starts last year and 14 for his career. He is joined by Mike Smith Jr. and Deonta Bembry as players with some experience in the defensive secondary.
A guy to note in this game for the Eastern Kentucky defense is linebacker Elijah Ford. He played in 10 games a season ago, making three starts. He put up 36 total tackles and might expect a larger role this year. But he is a Colerain High School graduate in the class of 2019. Graduating with current Cincinnati players Eric Phillips and Deshawn Pace, and playing with another Bearcat, Dontay Corleone who was the class of 2020.
What to Watch
There’s no question that Cincinnati should win this game on paper. They are heavily favored in the match-up. But all fans want to see a dominant performance. Here are a few quick things to keep an eye on while watching this Saturday.
Jones looking comfortable and confident. The veteran quarterback is under center to start the year and barring unforeseen injuries, looks to reach his potential. Keep watch for him to not only make plays in and out of the pocket with his arm but also break some good runs.
Who is Jones going to target the most? There are several players to watch for. From former teammate Xzavier Henderson to transfers Dee Wiggins and Braden Smith. Or, potentially Evan Prater will get some significant snap counts and exhibit what he can do from the receiver position. Another guy to watch here is tight end Chamon Metayer. A big-bodied, pass-catching threat has finally got his chance at the position. If he can develop nicely he can be a huge piece of this offense.
The defensive line is the heart of this Bearcat defense and really this team. Corleone was named first-team AP All-American a few weeks ago. He will lead this front all year. Accompanied by veterans Jowon Briggs, Phillips, and Malik Vann, this unit should dominant and be in McKinney’s lap all game. Adding Daniel Grzesiak and maybe Pace off the edge, things could get tough for the Colonel offense.
The long wait is over. The Satterfield era of Cincinnati football and the Big 12 era of Cincinnati football has arrived. Cincinnati fans have been waiting for this for a long time. It’s an exciting time and it all should start in a great way on Saturday.
Photo courtesy: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
