This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Aside from the fact that they were frequently seen as two of the three leading candidates for Big 12 expansion — which didn't happen after a three-month beauty pageant — BYU and Cincinnati don't appear to have a lot in common.
The schools that are 1,666 miles apart will meet Saturday at historic, 40,000-seat Nippert Stadium in what Ohioans referred to as the Queen City long before Big 12 expansion was a thing that turned out to not to be a thing — at least for now.
Saturday's foes played each other for the first time last year even though Cincy's program has been around since 1885 and BYU's since 1922. The Cougars prevailed 38-24 at LaVell Edwards Stadium after Cincy took a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
Cincinnati has no Utahns on its roster and just three players from the West, while BYU has just one from Ohio — defensive tackle Logan Taele grew up in Columbus before his family moved to St. George. Hailing from Fort Thomas, Ky., which is just five miles from the UC campus, third-string quarterback Beau Hoge will be BYU's unofficial tour guide for its first ever football game in the Buckeye State.
But dig a little deeper and the programs have more in common than originally meets the eye. Both have rich traditions of success in football, both are 4-4, both are currently utilizing well-known senior quarterbacks, and both are struggling on offense.
Both teams figured they would have some ups and downs this year, BYU due to its difficult schedule and new coaching staff and Cincinnati because of its youth and inexperience.
"I knew this was going to be a tough year," Cincy coach Tommy Tuberville said this week. "I thought we would play a little bit better on offense at this point."
In last week's 34-13 loss at Temple, the Bearcats had just 186 yards — their lowest output in 11 years. The Cougars, playing without star running back Jamaal Williams (who is expected to play Saturday), had just 322 yards in their Oct. 20 loss at Boise State, and mustered just 13 points on offense despite their defense forcing five turnovers. BYU is 78th in the country in total offense; Cincinnati is 86th.
"There were a lot of opportunities we had to build on the lead and also to make some plays that we weren't able to capitalize on," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said of the failures on the blue turf. "So that was frustrating."
Tuberville has said that senior Gunner Kiel will get his third straight start for the Bearcats, who have also played sophomore Hayden Moore and redshirt freshman Ross Trail at quarterback. Moore played last year in Provo, throwing for 209 yards, but getting sacked eight times in his second career start.
"A lot of people look at that [Cincinnati] record and say, 'You know, that team's bad,' " said Kiel, who previously played at Notre Dame with BYU safety Chris Badger. "But that's not the fact. That's not the fact at all. We're a very good football team with a lot of good players, a lot of good playmakers. We just got to go out there and believe in ourselves and just have fun."
When the season started, this looked like it was going to be a showdown of teams vying for Big 12 membership, or perhaps newly crowned Big 12 members, or maybe an invitee against a non-invitee. It held plenty of intrigue. Now it is just a battle of teams hoping to become bowl-eligible.
Trying to make it to a bowl game for a school-record sixth straight year, Cincinnati has a more difficult path, with games at Central Florida and Tulsa and its home finale against Memphis still on the docket. This is BYU's last road trip, but its third to the Eastern Time Zone; the Cougars departed Provo on Thursday to get more acclimated to the two-hour time change.
Despite the offensive struggles at Boise State and sophomore quarterback Tanner Mangum having thrown for 252 yards last year against UC, BYU offensive coordinator Ty Detmer said senior Taysom Hill will start for the Cougars.
"I like going into hostile environments and playing on the road," Hill said. "But you can't beat playing at home. I am excited for a three-game stretch here in Provo" to end the season.
Apparently, BYU's environment, kindness and hospitality last year didn't sit well with at least one Cincinnati player.
"Honestly, we're looking for revenge. They try to kill you with kindness," junior safety Carter Jacobs told The News Record, a Cincinnati student newspaper. "When we went in there, they gave us these goodie bags when we walked in and [tried] to give us shaving cream and stuff like that to make us feel like we're at home, but I'm looking for revenge because I know it was just a big slap in the face to us."
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU at Cincinnati
P Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MDT
TV • CBSSN