3 keys for Cincinnati Bearcats football to finish season at Nippert with a win over Kansas

Nearly two dozen seniors will be honored before the University of Cincinnati Bearcats football game Saturday night against Kansas. Senior Day will be much sweeter should the Bearcats knock off Lance Leipold's Jayhawks to finish 4-8.

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Not that 4-8 is reason for a parade for Scott Satterfield, but it would equal the opening season starts of first-year head coaches Butch Jones in 2010 and Luke Fickell in 2017.

"Hopefully the fans will come out and celebrate these seniors and show them appreciation for everything they've done for the program for many, many years," Satterfield said.

Coming or going?

Like last year, some players will walk on Senior Day who could use the extra COVID year (2020) of eligibility and return. Among those possibilities would be linebacker Dorian Jones, hybrid defensive back/linebacker Deshawn Pace, defensive end Eric Phillips and running back Ethan Wright.

Tight end position tenuous

When Chamon Metayer elected to enter the transfer portal two days after scoring a pair of touchdowns against West Virginia, that left the tight end room short-handed. Western Kentucky transfer Joey Beljan has been out injured all year and Satterfield declared Payten Singletary out last week. Mason's Barak Faulk is also injured leaving only Michael McCalmont (also of Mason) and Caleb Schmitz who have caught one pass apiece.

"The last couple weeks we've played Trevor (Radosevich, offensive lineman) for a little bit more blocking," Satterfield said. "Evan Prater's done some things as an H-back. Give credit to Evan, he's very smart. He's played a lot of different positions. We're trying to take up the slack with those guys."

As for the early exit by Metayer:

"To me it's sad players can't finish out a season across college football," Satterfield said. "We've got guys that have been on the scout team four or five years practicing their butts off. You think of those guys, Ben Blevins, Jiair Thomas, guys that have been around for a while. Then you've got guys doing that (leaving). It's a sad state of affairs."

Young Bearcats

Saturday will be Barry Jackson Jr.'s fourth allowable game (to keep his redshirt) so he will definitely be in the plans.

At quarterback, Brady Lichtenberg was nicked up at West Virginia, so it could be a full dose of Emory Jones unless freshman Brady Drogosh gets snaps.

"Drogosh gets reps, but it's very, very limited," Satterfield said. "There's a chance this week. We'll see how it goes. He's certainly a great athlete. We'll have to see how the week goes for Lichtenberg."

3 keys to ending with a W

1. Send them out smiling

A losing season, cold weather (it's November), out-of-town students home for Thanksgiving and a soccer game down the road might be among the excuses fans heard this week.

There's a plethora of reasons for some no-shows and the best way to show them what they missed is to win the game. Ending the season on an up note could give players and coaches a much-needed boost.

2. Running game rebound

UC was out-rushed in Morgantown last Saturday while gaining only 153 yards. That's 62 less than the 215.8 they average for No. 6 in the NCAA. Corey Kiner needs 59 yards to reach 1,000 and redshirt senior Ryan Montgomery is playing in his last game.

"There's a lot of people in that locker room where this may be their last time stepping on the field," Montgomery said. "To have one an opportunity to have one more 'Nipp at Night' is something some of the guys are looking forward to,"

3. Stop the Jayhawk

On the other side of the coin, UC gave up 453 yards rushing to West Virginia and Kansas also has a strong attack. Running back Devin Neal ran for 138 yards and three scores in the Kansas State loss last week.

"I think we've got some guys out there that are dinged up," Satterfield said of the run woes. "(Bryon) Threats has been dinged up, DP (Pace) has been dinged up and (Jack) DIngle's been out there in a cast. I just thought Saturday (against West Virginia) we didn't tackle very well."

Players to watch

Neal, a junior, has 1,103 yards rushing this season and three touchdowns. If Jason Bean plays at quarterback with Ballard, as Satterfield expects, both are threats to run from their position.

Season-ending pick

Had the ball bounced favorably toward UC, this could have been a pivotal game for a post-season bid. Instead, they'll have to rely on pride. For a team that in the last two weekends has played their best game and worst game, they'll have to dig deep to have a chance.

Kansas 33, Cincinnati 20

And then the portal opens . . .

"We'll probably have some guys get in the portal," Satterfield said. "Every team in the country will. Last year was way different because you're trying to get a staff. Now with our recruiting department in play, I think it'll be much better for us this offseason."

Satterfield mentioned talking to 29 high school players one recent night alone.

"We go over our roster every single week, looking at each position," Satterfield said. "We're looking at guys that may leave and guys we want to bring in. December doesn't stop. We're going to be recruiting our players here, high school players and the portal all the way through Christmas."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 3 keys to Senior Day victory for UC Bearcat football over Kansas