AutoZone Liberty Bowl overreactions \ Cincinnati Bearcats lose to Navy
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The Cincinnati Bearcats football team, in addition to ending the last two seasons with five consecutive losses, has dropped four straight bowl games.
Were there extenuating circumstances?
Definitely in the past two. As coaches might say, “There’s no ‘I’ in team,” there’s also no ‘I’ in December. But there is a “me” and gifted players have leaned toward a “me-first” attitude in non-College Football Playoff bowls.
Six-plus wins now means your team is guaranteed a watered-down bowl appearance, where, if you’re lucky, your backups are talented enough to pull out a win. They are the equivalent of NFL exhibition games.
But people watch in droves, so they exist.
That is essentially what UC has been up against in lackluster losses at the Wasabi Fenway Bowl in 2022 and the recent AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Cincinnati Bearcats overall bowl record
The loss in Memphis to Navy, whose Midshipmen sailed to a 35-13 win, puts UC 8-11 all-time in bowls. In order, they have recently dropped the Peach, Cotton, Fenway and Liberty Bowls dating back to Jan. 1, 2021. The last bowl win remains the Birmingham Bowl Jan. 2, 2020, where they plowed Boston College 38-6.
It was played in similar weather to this year’s Liberty Bowl. The difference was that there were no lightning delays to extend the misery.
Scott Satterfield’s bowl record drops to 4-2 as he has not hoisted a postseason trophy since Louisville beat Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl in Nashville in 2019. His former Louisville squad beat UC in 2022, but Satterfield didn’t coach either team. Much of his current staff were Cardinals then and UC tight ends coach Josh Stepp called the offense that beat the Bearcats 24-7.
So, from 7-1 before Utah to 7-6 post-Navy, there’s bound to be some overreactions.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl overreactions?
1. Opt-outs take away from game
The Navy spin is that they don’t get Power Four recruits and they beat you with overachievers. That is accurate. Service academy kids are usually experienced with high IQs, football-wise and life-wise. It’s part of the regimented lifestyle.
While UC might have had superior players in potential individually, a Navy team that does not have opt-outs, that is No. 22 in the nation and runs a specific offense not usually seen, is a problem.
When you factor in that several key players who got you to the 7-1 start weren’t on the field, the problem is magnified.
“You’d love to have all the guys that we had, our team throughout the whole season,” Satterfield said. “I’m so proud of the ones that were here. We have to change when the portal is. These bowls, man, these are special. What’s happening here lately has thrown it off kilter. To be able to finish off with a bowl game is special and you’d like to have your whole team.”
UC’s 16 who passed on Liberty Bowl
Brendan Sorsby – 2,800 yards passing for 27 touchdowns, 580 yards rushing for nine scores. From Indiana to UC, he’s now being showered with rose petals and glad bags from deep-pocketed progarms. He’s a worthy individual, but mathematically speaking, like Satterfield, he hasn’t won in November here.
Jake Golday – (Note: Golday has a shoulder issue and elected to prepare for the upcoming Shrine Bowl. He was in Memphis and took part in bowl activities, but didn’t play). 105 tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble.
Christian Harrison – The safety had 65 tackles, two TFL, one interception.
Tawee Walker – Starting running back had 709 yards rushing for four touchdowns and 18 catches for 78 yards and a score.
Evan Pryor – Announced for the portal after participating in bowl practices. 522 yards rushing for three touchdowns, plus 10 catches for 107 yards and a score.
Chance Williams – Running back lost on depth chart with 35 yards rushing and one touchdown.
Dontay Corleone – (Note: Corleone participated in some bowl preparation but announced for the NFL Draft shortly after the season and began working toward playing in Shrine Bowl). 13 tackles.
Mikah Coleman – Another starting defensive lineman who announced for the portal late. 33 tackles, four TFL, two sacks.
Trevon Gola-Callard – Third-leading tackler behind Golday and linebacker Jonathan Thompson. 71 tackles, 3.5 TFL.
Xavier Williams – Another defensive back loss. 39 tackles and a forced fumble.
Kye Stokes – Defensive back who didn’t materialize. Two tackles.
Ormanie Arnold – Defensive back with 16 tackles.
Logan Wilson – Cornerback with 35 tackles, two TFL, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries.
Tayden Barnes – Defensive back with 26 tackles, a TFL and a forced fumble.
Dakari Anderson –Receiver lost in shuffle. One carry for minus-2 yards.
Kamari Burns – Defensive lineman in rotation with 11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks.
Jiquan Sanks – “Star” hybrid linebacker/defensive back with 50 tackles, 2.5 TFL, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Two that played, but in the portal: Offensive lineman Ethan Green announced early. Receiver Caleb Goodie started and was not targeted.
Tight end Joe Royer, an NFL prospect, played and was mysteriously not targeted.
2. Brendan Sorsby sorely missed
Given the hand they were dealt, quarterbacks Brady Lichtenberg and Samaj Jones had highlights against Navy. Lichtenberg was fairly accurate, going 10-for-15 and had a touchdown toss to Cyrus Allen, giving Allen the ability to tie the UC single-season touchdown reception mark.
Jones ran for 57 yards and his first career rushing touchdown, but was just 2-for-5 throwing for 18 yards.
Granted, conditions were slippery and miserable, but game MVP Blake Horvath threw for two touchdowns and ran for 53 yards and another score.
Instead of a dual-threat Sorsby, you had a throwing quarterback and a running quarterback. That made the job easier for Elder grad PJ Volker, Navy’s defensive coordinator.
3. Being down top 2 running backs is not ideal
Navy’s Alex Tecza and Eli Heidenrich combined for 142 yards. Manny Covey and Zion Johnson combined for 101 for UC.
Covey was UC”s Offensive Player of the Game and received a trophy as he also caught five passes for 28 yards. Johnson turned heads before the season and maybe should have had more looks.
However, Tawee Walker’s bulldozing of defenders was missed, as was the “home run” capability of Pryor. Another puzzling part of the experience was Pryor in pads at bowl practice, then exiting before the charter took off toward Graceland.
4. News breaking of your defensive coordinator’s departure during AutoZone Liberty Bowl?
Tyson Veidt’s departure was confirmed by Cincinnati and eventually by Veidt himself. It’s understandable, as Veidt has a long track record with Matt Campbell, who just went from Iowa State to Penn State.
It’s also understandable that playing a Wing-T offense minus All-Big 12 players Corleone and Gorday, plus starters Mikah Coleman, Harrison, Wilson and Gola-Callard and other key defensive backs is far from easy.
This perhaps shows why Navy was so open on their rare pass plays. It also brings up the obvious question of “How motivated are you to succeed, when you’re turning in your staff-issued material after the game?” If people know a coach is on the way out, how is everyone on the same page?
At any rate, with a 12-13 sample size record in two seasons, it’s hard to call the 3-3-5 defense an overall success. And, truth be told, any potential pro might want to avoid a service academy offense due to their blocking schemes and the injury potential. Though Luke Fickell had success vs. Navy in his time at UC, he also made it clear he did not want to face them in a bowl game.
5. Transfer portal is a curse
You can say that based on the number of players who jump in to maximize revenue and the number that conveniently leave before a season has officially ended. You can also say it’s ruined the non-CFP bowls.
Neither statement is far-fetched.
But an exodus of players doesn’t mean a team can’t reboot. If you’re talking about AutoZone Liberty Bowl history, Arkansas beat Texas Tech 39-26 last year. Since then, Arkansas fired coach Sam Pittman, while the Red Raiders benefited from former player Cody Campbell’s oil success and loyalty to build a Big 12 champion.
Zach Grant’s personnel department has brought the likes of Sorsby, Golday, Harrison, Walker, Pryor, Royer, Allen, Coleman, Taran Tyo, Joe Cotton, Stephen Rusnak, Max Fletcher, Jeff Caldwell, etc. to town. Some of those players came from programs many fans didn’t know existed.
Post-Liberty Bowl and after UC basketball’s tough defeat vs. No. 8 Houston, UC had several potential portal players for next season in the building. On a cold Saturday night, one day after 2025’s work closed, the 2026 work was evident as several offices had lights on and staffers in them trying to dig up the next crop of Bearcats.
The search for hidden gems continues, as does the quest to stay afloat.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: AutoZone Liberty Bowl overreactions from UC Bearcats loss to Navy
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