Willie Fritz just said on the AAC teleconference that Cincinnati was very talented, echoing a comment he made after Tulane's disappointing loss to the Bearcats last year at Yulman Stadium when Cincinnati was on its way to a 4-8 year with a combined margin of victory of 18 points in the four wins.
He caught some flak for that statement a year ago, but the recruiting ranking validate his point. Recruiting rankings are not the be-all, end-all, but Cincinnati pulled in the No. 1-rated recruiting class in 2015 under former coach Tommy Tuberville and the No.-3 rated class in 2014. The only year the Bearcats dropped off was 2016, when Tuberville was on shaky ground and they ranked 7th. Coach Luke Fickell hauled in the No 2 class in his first year, which is very unusual for a new staff, and Cincy ranked No. 1 again for 2018.
The upshot: Cincinnati's struggles in recent years were not due to a lack of talent. It was dysfunction at the end of Tuberville's tenure and some quarterback issues as well.
This will be a very interesting game Saturday. For what is worth, Tulane's recruiting rankings in the same years were 8, 10, 9, 11 and 4, contrasting with Cincinnati's 3, 1, 7, 2 and 1.
Here is Fritz's quote from today:
"I thought they were very talented last with a really big offensive line. They've got some dominating players on the defensive line. They are just a really good, complete football team, very very physical. They are big into the RPO game and the quarterback can really throw it effectively and you have to keep your leverage in the pass rush or the quarterback will really make you pay for it.
"This is a really talented team. I was very impressed with them last year and sometimes that second year really helps a team out with the understanding of what the philosophy really is with the offense, defense and kicking game."
I see the key factor being Tulane's offensive line versus Cincinnati's defense. Of all the things that went well against Memphis, the hardest thing to sustain will be the dominance of the offensive line, which had its way with the Tigers. Until proven otherwise, blocking is still the shakiest part of Tulane's operation.
He caught some flak for that statement a year ago, but the recruiting ranking validate his point. Recruiting rankings are not the be-all, end-all, but Cincinnati pulled in the No. 1-rated recruiting class in 2015 under former coach Tommy Tuberville and the No.-3 rated class in 2014. The only year the Bearcats dropped off was 2016, when Tuberville was on shaky ground and they ranked 7th. Coach Luke Fickell hauled in the No 2 class in his first year, which is very unusual for a new staff, and Cincy ranked No. 1 again for 2018.
The upshot: Cincinnati's struggles in recent years were not due to a lack of talent. It was dysfunction at the end of Tuberville's tenure and some quarterback issues as well.
This will be a very interesting game Saturday. For what is worth, Tulane's recruiting rankings in the same years were 8, 10, 9, 11 and 4, contrasting with Cincinnati's 3, 1, 7, 2 and 1.
Here is Fritz's quote from today:
"I thought they were very talented last with a really big offensive line. They've got some dominating players on the defensive line. They are just a really good, complete football team, very very physical. They are big into the RPO game and the quarterback can really throw it effectively and you have to keep your leverage in the pass rush or the quarterback will really make you pay for it.
"This is a really talented team. I was very impressed with them last year and sometimes that second year really helps a team out with the understanding of what the philosophy really is with the offense, defense and kicking game."
I see the key factor being Tulane's offensive line versus Cincinnati's defense. Of all the things that went well against Memphis, the hardest thing to sustain will be the dominance of the offensive line, which had its way with the Tigers. Until proven otherwise, blocking is still the shakiest part of Tulane's operation.
