Izaiah Ruffin and Rebuilding the UC Pass Rush

A repeating chorus in the song of the recent Cincinnati Bearcats has been the lack of an effective pass rush. In the last three seasons, the Bearcats have ranked 12th, 10th and tied for 10th in sacks among American Athletic Conference teams. This has occurred even with talented players like Kevin Mouhon, Cortez Broughton and Silverberry Mouhon plying their trade on the defensive line.

For Luke Fickell, this must be a frustrating trend to see. As a defensive coordinator with Ohio State, Fickell clearly made applying pressure a key part of his strategy, with the Buckeyes ranking among the top 10 teams in the country in sacks in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The Bearcats only had 12 sacks in Fickell’s…