Football coaches tend to look for positives, even after the worst defeats. Good luck to University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell with this one.
A horrendous first half buried the Bearcats in a 38-21 loss to Marshall on Saturday night before 35,736 fans on a crisp night at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats entered the non-league game as 3-point favorites over the Thundering Herd, who are now 3-1.
UC (2-3) fell behind 24-0 by halftime, with mistakes and poor play abounding. Three turnovers led to 21 Marshall points. The running game took forever to get going. The passing game was erratic and unproductive early, but better later.