Cincinnati football observations: Another comfortable but uneven win as Bearcats remain undefeated

Cincinnati defeated South Florida 45-28 on Friday night, a final score that accurately depicts a comfortable win and little else about a fascinating game in which the Bearcats improved to 10-0. It was a four-quarter mashup of style points and winning ugly, with the end result landing somewhere in between.

“We like to make things a little bit more interesting,” head coach Luke Fickell said. “That’s what keeps me laying awake at night, finding ways to finish games off. Usually when you have a mature group like we do, you can do that. But right now, for some reason, we’re not finding that way to finish things off. That’s where we need to go if we want to be great.”

Friday followed the narrative Cincinnati has established during the past month. After a wonky first quarter that featured three turnovers in five plays, UC went up 31-7 early in the third quarter and looked destined to blow out USF (2-8). Instead, the Bulls cut the Bearcats’ lead to 10 on two separate occasions before a late, 55-yard rushing touchdown by Ryan Montgomery provided a three-score cushion. The finer details won’t necessarily impress the always-looming College Football Playoff selection committee or national pundits, but more importantly, the win keeps Cincinnati in a Playoff race that has seen contenders slip up and lose with each passing week. In a season defined by chaos thus far, the Bearcats remain just above the fray.

“Any time you’re climbing the mountain, there are always going to be struggles. It’s never going to be easy.