Ryan Montgomery Season 2022

2023: Finished with 329 rushing yards and one touchdown on 54 carries over eight games…Added 11 receptions for 91 yards and two scores and also returned two punts for 16 yards…Battled injuries midway through the season but returned to play in final four games…Had a 20-carry, 104-yard rushing performance against Miami (Ohio)…Returned from more than a month off to rush for a career-best 113 yards and one touchdown on just eight carries against UCF…Tallied 13 yards rushing and 13 yards receiving and caught a touchdown at Houston…Wrapped up his career with 49 yards rushing on eight carries and 22 receiving yards and a score on three receptions against Kansas…Also completed the first pass of his career – a seven-yard touchdown pass to Dee Wiggins – on a trick play in the fourth quarter versus the Jayhawks…Five-year contributor at running back and punt returner who wrapped up his career with 1,058 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 198 carries (5.3 ypc) to go along with 214 yards and three touchdowns on 25 receptions…Ranks third in UC history with  688 punt return yards…Finished his career with 2080 total yards and 14 touchdowns over 55 games.

2022: Versatile running back and team leader who appeared in nine games and started the season opener at Arkansas…Rushed for 270 yards and five touchdowns…Added four receptions for 65 yards…Ran for a season-high 95 yards and two touchdowns against No. 19 Tulane in the regular season finale…Had a team-best 31-yard punt return at Tulsa in a 31-21 win… Season-high 30 receiving yards at UCF…Was Bearcats’ primary punt returner with seven punt returns for 75 yards…Rushed for 58 yards and one touchdown in a 23-3 win vs Temple…Missed three games due to injury suffered in season opener and got better as the season progressed.

2021: Saw action in all 14 games at running back and as Cincinnati’s punt returner for third straight season...Named to Pro Football Focus’ All-AAC Third Team as a punt returner...Rushed for a career-high 312 yards on 46 attempts to go along with three touchdowns in 2021...Had six catches for 42 yards...Totaled 20 punt returns for 229 yards, ranking second in the AAC and 10th nationally with an 11.5 average per return...Had an eight-yard receiving touchdown in the home opener against Miami (Ohio)...Ran for a career-high 95 yards on only eight carries in UC’s blowout win over UCF...Totaled 82 yards of offense on the road against USF, rushing for 72 yards and a career-high two touchdowns...Had four punt returns for a season-high 63 yards in the win over SMU...Had 41 yards rushing and a score at ECU...Had one punt return for 12 yarda against No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic...Fourth in UC history in career punt returns (62) and yards (597)...Has a 9.6 career punt return average.

2020: Saw action in all 10 games on special teams and at running back...Rushed 15 times for 41 yards, had four catches for 16 yards, returned four kicks for 87 yards and totaled 14 punt returns for 110 yards...His 7.9 yards-per punt return average was sixth-best in the AAC...Had a season-high five rushes for 18 yards in the opener against Austin Peay...The 10-yard catch against Memphis was his longest of the season. Returned three punts against Army and at UCF and featured in two kick returns against East Carolina...Had two returns of 20+ yards, against Tulsa in the AAC title game (21) and vs. Army.

2019: Played in all 14 games, serving as UC’s primary punt returner…Totaled 28 returns for 258 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per return with a long run back of 25 yards…Rushed 20 times for 107 yards and a TD…Ranked third in the AAC in returns...Earned a spot on the Football Writers Association of American Midseason Freshman All-America Watchlist...Had 92 all-purpose yards against Miami (OH), 57 on punt returns and 35 on the ground…Tallied a career best five returns against Miami (OH) and UConn…His 57 return yards against the RedHawks set a career high…Scored his first career TD on a plunge against UConn…Rushed seven times for 47 yards and a TD against Boston College in the Birmingham Bowl.

PERSONAL: Composite three-star pick was a standout at Franklin HS in Franklin, Ohio for Coach Brad Childers...Listed as one of the Top-50 prospects in Ohio by 247Sports.com and ESPN...Rushed for 740 yards and 13 touchdowns in seven games his senior season before suffering a season-ending injury...Earned Journal-News All-Area Honorable Mention accolades...Named the 2016 TriStateFootball.com Dayton Offensive Player of the Year, Journal-News Offensive Player of the Year, Associated Press Division III Second-Team All-Ohio and All-Southwest District and Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division Offensive Player of the Year... Wildcats went 11-1 and set a single-season school record for victories, winning the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division title and advancing to the second round of the Division III playoffs ... in 12 games, Montgomery ran 182 times for 1,935 yards and 34 touchdowns, caught 36 passes for 518 yards and two touchdowns, completed 39 of 54 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions, returned 16 kickoffs for 460 yards and a touchdown, and punted 10 times for a 36.4-yard average...amassed 2,456 yards of total offense (521 passing, 1,935 rushing), compiling 2,920 all-purpose yards (1,935 rushing, 518 receiving, 466 return yards) while accounting for 41 touchdowns (34 rushing, four passing, two receiving, one kickoff return)...Those efforts earned him Division III Second Team All-Ohio and the Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year honors...Also played basketball and earned Second-Team Journal-News All-Area Prep Boys Basketball honors after averaging 11.7 points per game for the Wildcats in 2016-17...Chose UC over a number of offers, including Michigan State and Northwestern.