TicketsDALLAS – The No. 4-ranked Cincinnati football team touched down in Dallas at approximately 5 p.m. CT on Sunday night following a morning practice at the Sheakley Athletic Center in Cincinnati.
The Bearcats will practice the rest of the week at AT&T Stadium before facing No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell, The Home Depot National Coach of the Year, said the team is prepared and excited heading into the matchup with the defending national champions.
"It's been an incredibly exciting ride this whole season, coming into it with really high expectations," said Fickell. "A little bit different than the platform we've been in before. Obviously, our opponents are used to it."
While Fickell acknowledges the Crimson Tide have more experience in the College Football Playoff, he knows his Bearcats have risen to the challenge in each contest this season. He's also beaten Alabama at this stage. Fickell defeated the Crimson Tide as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State in the CFP Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in 2014 before helping the Buckeyes win the national championship at AT&T Stadium that season.
In short, Cincinnati's fifth-year head coach is not worried about being labeled the "underdog."
"It doesn't matter," he said. "If you want to have a shot at the title, you got to beat the champs, and this is what we have. We have a shot to beat the champs. And regardless of what the line is of any sorts, you know, we've said it all year long, that the best team doesn't always win the game. It's just a reality. The teams that play the best wins the football game."
Marquee Matchup
Cincinnati has the best cornerback duo in the nation in senior Coby Bryant and junior Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner. Bryant won the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the nation's best defensive back. Gardner collected consensus All-America honors, becoming the first Bearcat non-kicker/punter to claim the prestigious honor.
The duo will face a stiff test from an Alabama offense that features Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young (43 TDs) as well as wide receiver Jameson Williams (15 TD receptions). Alabama averages 495.5 yards per game and 42.5 points per game.
Led by Bryant and Gardner, Cincinnati had one of the nation's best pass defenses. UC ranked second in the nation in passing yards allowed per game (168.5) and finished third nationally in interceptions (18).
Gardner hasn't been tested much this season, and didn't allow a single red zone reception as Cincinnati went 13-0. He is expected to be matched up with Williams for at least some of the game.
"I think the challenge is that they (Alabama) are not going to go away from him and there's going to be opportunities," Fickell said about Gardner, who has also never allowed a touchdown pass. "He's going to have one of the best receivers in college football (Jameson Williams, Alabama wide receiver) matched up one-on-one. Even though he (Gardner) wants the challenge, we've got to be smart as a whole to make sure we've got ways to change things up and not always stick him on an island even though we believe he is as good as he really is."
RESERVE YOUR 2022 SEASON TICKETS NOW
The Cincinnati Athletics Ticket Office is now accepting deposits for 2022 football season tickets here.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Bearcats will practice the rest of the week at AT&T Stadium before facing No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell, The Home Depot National Coach of the Year, said the team is prepared and excited heading into the matchup with the defending national champions.
"It's been an incredibly exciting ride this whole season, coming into it with really high expectations," said Fickell. "A little bit different than the platform we've been in before. Obviously, our opponents are used to it."
While Fickell acknowledges the Crimson Tide have more experience in the College Football Playoff, he knows his Bearcats have risen to the challenge in each contest this season. He's also beaten Alabama at this stage. Fickell defeated the Crimson Tide as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State in the CFP Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in 2014 before helping the Buckeyes win the national championship at AT&T Stadium that season.
In short, Cincinnati's fifth-year head coach is not worried about being labeled the "underdog."
"It doesn't matter," he said. "If you want to have a shot at the title, you got to beat the champs, and this is what we have. We have a shot to beat the champs. And regardless of what the line is of any sorts, you know, we've said it all year long, that the best team doesn't always win the game. It's just a reality. The teams that play the best wins the football game."
Marquee Matchup
Cincinnati has the best cornerback duo in the nation in senior Coby Bryant and junior Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner. Bryant won the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the nation's best defensive back. Gardner collected consensus All-America honors, becoming the first Bearcat non-kicker/punter to claim the prestigious honor.
The duo will face a stiff test from an Alabama offense that features Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young (43 TDs) as well as wide receiver Jameson Williams (15 TD receptions). Alabama averages 495.5 yards per game and 42.5 points per game.
Led by Bryant and Gardner, Cincinnati had one of the nation's best pass defenses. UC ranked second in the nation in passing yards allowed per game (168.5) and finished third nationally in interceptions (18).
Gardner hasn't been tested much this season, and didn't allow a single red zone reception as Cincinnati went 13-0. He is expected to be matched up with Williams for at least some of the game.
"I think the challenge is that they (Alabama) are not going to go away from him and there's going to be opportunities," Fickell said about Gardner, who has also never allowed a touchdown pass. "He's going to have one of the best receivers in college football (Jameson Williams, Alabama wide receiver) matched up one-on-one. Even though he (Gardner) wants the challenge, we've got to be smart as a whole to make sure we've got ways to change things up and not always stick him on an island even though we believe he is as good as he really is."
RESERVE YOUR 2022 SEASON TICKETS NOW
The Cincinnati Athletics Ticket Office is now accepting deposits for 2022 football season tickets here.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.