Sabel's Haus

If there is such a thing as a statement win in the first game of the season, the Bearcats made it Monday afternoon. They dominated Rutgers from start to finish. Dominating 47-15 on the road against a conference opponent picked by many to win the Big East Conference is a statement in my book.

Things I liked:

Tony Pike was very efficient throwing for a career high 362 yards on 27-of-34 passing with three touchdowns and an interception. The one pick he threw was into a group of people but I think Pike thought no one else could get it but his own man. It just so happens that Rutgers' defensive lineman Alex Silvestro made a great one-handed catch to pick it.

-Isaiah Pead is a stud for Cincy. A Reggie Bush-type player, Pead ran for 47 yards on eight carries with a touchdown and caught two balls for 52 yards and a score.

-No. 98 Curtis Young played very well for the Cats. He did play last year but he's now in a starting role and had 11 tackles, three tackles for a loss and one sack.

-For the most part a mistake-free game for UC. Two penalties for 20 yards and the defense held Rutgers to less than 300 total yards. Jake Rogers in the kicking game was solid too.

Things I disliked:

-Not much to not like against Rutgers. Lou Holtz did say after the game that Pike was one of the elite quarterbacks in the country. Coming from Holtz, that's probably a kiss of death.



Looking forward, there is not a game on the schedule that UC cannot win. Granted there are tough games ahead (@Pitt, @South Florida, @Oregon State) but no team like Oklahoma last year when UC really didn't have a chance. The polls came out today and UC is ranked 23. Southeast Missouri State is next for the Cats at UC's Nippert Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday

-Here is The News Record's game story written by Pat Strang.