Outcoached, outclassed, outmanned would be the three words I would use to describe Saturday’s massacre of the Miami Redhawks.

The 45-3 first half had to be the most lopsided 30 minutes in this 115 game rivalry, and the Bearcats easily proved that these two programs are headed in drastically different directions. Cincinnati had five straight wins from 1897 to 1900, but the average margin of victory was only nine points. The current UC five game winning streak has had an average score of 40-11.

Although some my believe I’ve been too supportive of the UC football program, it would be hard for any reporter to write a sarcastic and overly critical article about their last two performances. Enough said.

Now to this week’s awards.

Recruits:

Patrick Coyne and Shaq Washington were again on-hand, and junior Joe Bolden from Colerain also watched the blowout. Jake Lindsey from Elder had to leave early to attend a Panther function.

Offensive Play of the Game

I’ve got to go with the 48 yard TD pass from Zach Collaros to Armon Binns to open the scoring. Cincinnati obviously decided to try and strike quickly, and that strategy really set the tone for the entire night.

Defensive Play of the Game
For me, this has to be Dan Giordano’s tackle of the Redhawk that was acting like he was unsure if he wanted to punt or fake punt, but he got sacked giving UC the ball at the Miami 34 yard line. That blunder put the Bearcats on the short field and resulted in another UC score.

Special Teams MVP

I lost count after kickoff No. 7, but Rogers hit every kickoff into the end zone in the first half. Five of them were touchbacks.

Offensive MVP

Isaiah Pead gets the nod over Armon Binns because he didn’t get whistled for two holds, but both Bearcats played excellent games. Pead was again terrific with 199 yards on only 10 carries, and Binns scored twice catching five passes for 115 yards.

Defensive MVP

He’s been close in a couple of other games, but Maalik Bomar finally breaks through and wins the award. The true sophomore is tough as nails, and his play on a Redhawk screen late in the first quarter showed this kid’s grit.

Hit of the Game

This one goes to Wes Richardson for the hit he laid on Thomas Merriweather midway through the second quarter. The Redhawk running back didn’t want to let Richardson know he was hurting, but when he returned to the huddle, he was in obvious pain.

Sight of the Game

As the Cincinnati band walked the perimeter of the field prior to halftime, the UC students were slapping five with the musicians.

First Time Players
I saw true freshmen Arryn Chenault (No. 25), Munchie Legaux (No. 4) and Demitri Beal (No. 28) playing for the first time this season. The participation chart shows Deven Drane (No. 3) played but not Beal. If Beal did indeed play, that was a surprise.