The Sooners travel to the state of Ohio on September 25 to face a Bearcat team that will have an entirely new coaching staff for 2010.
Cincinnati has talent with QB Zach Collaros and RB Isaiah Peade, but the team over-all is considered by Big East pundits to be a notch behind Connecticut.
Collaros was the back-up the last two seasons, but played nine games last year due to the starter’s injuries, including orchestrating wins over Syracuse and Connecticut (29 of 37 for 480 yards against the Huskies).
Collaros is a dual threat, meaning he can hurt you with his arm but also scramble out of the pocket and be elusive. He is on the Manning Award Watch List.
Peade averaged 6.7 yards per carry last season. He runs behind a veteran O-line, which is returning intact from last year. The Bearcats had a balanced attack in 2009 and are expected to run the ball a little more this year under new coach Butch Jones.
The weakness of the Bearcats has been their defense. And that may not get any better in 2010, after they lost three of their top four leading tacklers to graduation. The defense is expected to be helped by a home crowd against the Sooners. The game will be played not on campus but in the NFL Bengals stadium to accommodate the expected large turnout of fans for this game.
This is a team that was rated Number 3 in the BCS going into its Sugar Bowl game last year with Florida (Cincinnati lost 51-24). Most of the team returns. So, this will be the greatest road challenge the Sooners will face this year. Key for the Sooners will be stopping Peade and keeping Collaros in the pocket.
GAME: Oklahoma at Cincinnati (Bengals Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio) — September 25. Time TBA.
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