Cincinnati football lost its first game of the 2022 college football season to Arkansas. Despite this, the Bearcats still had numerous bright spots on display in their 31-24 loss to the Razorbacks.
On several fronts, the No. 23 Cincinnati Bearcats were in uncharted territory Saturday against No. 19 Arkansas. This was the first-ever meeting between both programs, and Cincinnati was on the losing end when the game finished. This was Cincinnati football's first regular-season loss since Nov. 29, 2019. That's nearly three years ago. It was also the Bearcats' first loss in the season opener in six years under head coach Luke Fickell.
Keep in mind that Cincinnati traveled on the road against an AP Top 25 and SEC opponent. They objectively played well enough to win, but they were also hampered by too many costly errors and penalties.
Take note that the Bearcats were fresh off a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2021 and the greatest season in team history. As such, they carried big expectations into this game against Arkansas. Opening the season with a loss is obviously never ideal, but Cincinnati football can still take a number of positives from their setback to Arkansas.
3. Kicker issues
Kicking should have been the least of Cincinnati's worries, but transferee place kicker Ryan Coe also had a part in the defeat to Arkansas. After two seasons at Delaware, he joined the Bearcats and took over as the starter. His debut, however, did not go as planned. He missed two field goals that, by the final accounting, could have been momentum-swinging moments.
Coe missed a 25-yard field goal during a seven-play drive late in the first quarter that would have gotten Cincinnati on the board. A quarter later, on a 48-yard effort, the Pennsylvania product struck the right upright, giving the Razorbacks ideal field position to work with.
Arkansas converted that into their second touchdown of the day, putting them up 14-0 at the half. If the field goal were successful, the Razorbacks would most likely have led 7-3 at halftime instead. In the final tally, Coe converted 3-of-3 of his extra-point tries while making 1-of-3 of his field goal attempts.
2. Ivan Pace impressed
One of the positives from the defeat was Ivan Pace Jr.'s performance in his debut game with the Bearcats. Pace had a tremendous fall camp after transferring from Miami in the offseason. He continued his impressive performance on Saturday.
Pace was all over the field against Arkansas, bringing a lot of intensity and toughness to the game. He had a team-high 12 tackles, including six solos, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. He fully demonstrated his quickness and strength for Cincinnati football fans to see.
Ivan Pace Jr. earned his spot at Cincinnati by being more than meets the eye @Williams_Justin https://t.co/odpAnduz50
— Daniel Shirley (@DM_Shirley) August 21, 2022
Wil Huber shared his thoughts on Pace's performance against Arkansas via Bearcat Journal:
“You have to love playing next to a guy like Ivan Pace. He’s just everywhere at all times. Just flies around making plays. He brings a confidence to the defense. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t say much on the field but just the way he plays, brings guys along with him and I think he did a really good job with that today.”
Pace should have a terrific season and challenge for AAC Defensive Player of the Year. He possesses all of the abilities necessary to consistently dominate and lead the team in tackles. This season, the junior linebacker will have a significant effect on the Bearcats' defense.
1. Ben Bryant will be better
Reporters announced Saturday morning that Bryant would start versus Arkansas. He beat out Evan Prater for the assignment. Bryant, who had spent the previous year at Eastern Michigan, earned his second career start for the Bearcats. The other was the team's final regular-season loss against Memphis on November 29, 2019, when Desmond Ridder was out with an injury.
Bryant said that he was told of his starting position at the conclusion of the team's preseason camp.
“I think they felt I had the better camp,” Bryant said. “I felt the whole team had confidence in me, coaches, and we started to get that good chemistry together. I’m looking forward to getting better.”
Bryant gets respect for going into a difficult situation and fighting hard, but it was evident early on that he wasn't going to have a good day against the Razorbacks. To wit, he missed numerous receivers on the first series before throwing an interception. The senior quarterback fumbled a few potential scores or major plays in the first half alone.
Bryant did begin to establish a rhythm after halftime, scoring on two consecutive drives. However, the tide shifted on a costly turnover in the fourth quarter.
Bryant responded to the tight loss in the postgame news conference via Bearcat Journal.
“The biggest takeaway today is just missed opportunities. Obviously, I overthrew a couple that would have been touchdowns in the first half. We did a really good job in the second half of coming out and executing a lot better. It’s just a learning moment for everyone and I think we’ll get a lot better from here.”
By the game's end, Bryant finished with 325 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception on 26-of-42 attempts. He certainly cannot continue to play like this for Cincinnati football to achieve its goals, and he is well aware of this.
Bryant will be better moving forward.
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