Tomorrow the University of Cincinnati will travel to West Virginia to battle Marshall University. UC is coming off its bye week and a solid victory over rival Miami (OH) by the score of 35-13. Both teams are entering the game with a record of 2-1 with Marshall’s lone loss coming from 16th ranked Boise State in a nail biting 14-7 game. Cincinnati is favored by -3.5 points in what should prove to be a close game.
The key for Cincinnati will be another impactful game from running back Michael Warren. Warren has 220 yards of rushing on the season and another 72 yards in receiving. Against Miami (OH) Warren picked up two touchdowns in the victory. Another sound week on the ground could be the key for a victory in West Virginia.
Let’s also not forget the previous performance by quarterback Desmond Ridder. Ridder posted 100 yards rushing against the RedHawks two weeks ago in Nippert, as well as another 45 through the air. The passing game has been a weakness for the Bearcats this season. They will need to try and find it this weekend, because UCF will be coming into Cincinnati one week from today. UCF will be on a revenge tour after falling to Pitt last Saturday.
Marshall has also found much success on the ground, much like the Bearcats. Brenden Knox (running back) has led things through the first three games posting 247 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Isiah Green has thrown for 500 yards and six touchdowns. Green has also managed to throw the ball to opposing players twice. Forcing him into bad throws and getting him out of the pocket would be a big factor for the Bearcats defense which has proven strong so far.
This week fans can watch the game at 5 p.m. on Facebook live via CBS Sports Network, or listen by clicking on the link to Bearcast Media’s broadcast of the game that will be on the front page of bearcastmedia.com at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Alex Frank and Tyler Berning will have the call starting at 4:30.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com, gobearcats.com, and game streaming information from newsrecord.org