These season openers against non-D1 schools are more taxing than I remember them being. A year after putting forth a pretty uninspiring performance in a 28-7 win over Tennesee-Martin, the Cincinnati Bearcats struggled out of the gate yet again, managing to escape with a 26-14 win over the Austin Peay Governors at Nippert Stadium.
Of course, last year’s team was under the eye of Tommy Tuberville, who was replaced by Luke Fickell. For all the excitement surrounding the program this offseason, things didn’t really look much different in terms of performance when actual football got going, as the Bearcats punted on their first three possessions before scoring on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Moore to Thomas Geddis in the second quarter.