UC loss to OSU in 2019 ‘lit flame’ for team
Before becoming the first Group of Five team to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff and before back-toback undefeated regular seasons, the Cincinnati Bearcats had a chance to prove themselves against a top-five program in the country.
The Bearcats traveled to Ohio State for the second game of their 2019 season, one week after beating UCLA at Nippert Stadium. They were coming
off an 11-win season, plus a Military Bowl victory against Virginia Tech, so they weren't sneaking up on anybody.
No, this was a chance to show they were ready for the big stage.
The final score: Ohio State 42, Cincinnati 0.
“I think that was a necessary learning point,” receiver Alec Pierce said. “We needed that for our team. We were super young back then. A lot of the same guys we have playing played in that game, and that was two years ago. It was just necessary for us.”
Ohio State, which featured four future first-round picks (quarterback Justin Fields, defensive end Chase Young, cornerback Jeff Okudah and cornerback Damon Arnette) and which advanced to the College Football Playoff that year, scored on its second possession and had a 28-0 lead by halftime.
Head Coach Luke Fickell said in his postgame press conference, “It was a humbling experience for a lot of us.”
Indeed, it was the first time Cincinnati had been shut out since 2005, and it was a gut punch for a young Bearcats squad looking to prove themselves.
“I think it probably lit a flame under us,” Pierce said.
The Bearcats found a way to channel it. They won the next nine consecutive games, beating a ranked UCF team, before losing in back-to-back matchups with AAC champion Memphis.
Since being humbled by Ohio State, Cincinnati has lost on a last-second field goal to Georgia in the Peach Bowl, and beat Notre Dame on the road earlier this season. Preparing to play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl next week, the Bearcats are confident in themselves.
“I think that was a good opportunity for us,” safety Ja'von Hicks said of the Ohio State loss. “I think it's just really not looking at the opponent like they are somebody we've never seen before. Just go out there and just play football because everybody plays football like the way we do. They're just at a bigger program. There is no real difference.”
Fickell has often mentioned his goal of creating a top program at UC — not just a top team. Now the Bearcats are past the previous Group of Five glass ceiling and looking forward to seeing how they stack up against Alabama.
“It's not just a top-five, this is the top program,” Fickell said. “I don't care how long you go back. It's an incredible measuring stick on an incredible stage with an incredible opportunity.”
And it's the 2019 loss to Ohio State that shows how quickly the Bearcats have ascended the college football ladder.