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Even though he had already played 27 games for the Cincinnati Bearcats, linebacker Joel Dublanko had never recovered a fumble before. That's not an easy thing for a Bearcats player to do. Yes, UC forced ten fumbles in 2019, but there was competition to recover most of them. This defense honors turnovers so much that the person who gets the takeaway gets to take a slam dunk in front of the rest of the defense as a celebration. In the middle of the third quarter of the No. 14 Bearcats 24-10 win over No. 22 Army on Saturday, Dublanko finally had his chance to be the dunker. After defensive end Michael Pitts knocked the ball away from Army ball-carrier Christian Anderson, five Bearcats players fell on it wanting the ball. The ball ended up in Dublanko's arms, and a minute later he had the first slam dunk of his career. In a game where the Bearcats offense didn't establish the run and struggled connecting on deep passes, UC wouldn't have beat Army if the team didn't force four turnovers. "I'm not sure (the defense) could have done much better to be honest with you," head coach Luke Fickell said. - Cincinnati Enquirer

(DS#15 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Joel Dublanko, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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09/28/20 - Ethan Tucky, rSr/2021, Cincinnati, 6-2, 231 (DS#25 OLB) + More +

Ethan Tucky is still really good at blocking punts The 6-foot-2, 245-pound junior had yet another blocked punt. That makes five blocked kicks for his career. Tucky trails only Antwan Peek's seven career blocks for the most in program history. - Cincinnati Enquirer

(DS#25 OLB) rSr/2021

OLB Ethan Tucky, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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09/27/20 - Josh Whyle, rSr/2023, Cincinnati, 6-7, 248 (DS#10 TE) + More +

Right after Cincinnati Bearcats sophomore tight end Josh Whyle made the best catch of his college career, head coach Luke Fickell approached him on the sideline. Quarterback Desmond Ridder had just dropped back to pass on the 26-yard line, and Whyle streaked up the middle of the field. An Austin Peay defensive back pounded Whyle as he went to make the catch at the 2-yard line, but Whyle held onto the ball anyway. After Whyle led the Bearcats into the red-zone, Fickell found Whyle on the sideline and said, "If that would have been last year, you would have been broke in half."

In UC's 55-20 win over Austin Peay in Week 1, Whyle finished with three catches for 61 yards, which was more than any other Bearcats tight end or wide receiver. It was equally important that Whyle stayed in the game since he has been injury prone throughout his college career. Fickell and the Bearcats coaching staff had been anticipating a moment like this from Whyle for a while. "Where he was year was from year one and year two to where he is now is a far cry," Fickell said. "For the first time people are seeing what I probably saw in the winter." In reality, Fickell has seen something in Whyle since he started coaching at UC. - Cincinnati Enquirer

(DS#10 TE) rSr/2023

TE Josh Whyle, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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09/26/20 - Desmond Ridder, rSr/2022, Cincinnati, 6-3, 213 (DS#3 QB) + More +

Desmond Ridder passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns as No. 14 Cincinnati defeated No. 22 Army 24-10 in the first matchup of ranked teams at Nippert Stadium since 2008. Army's vaunted triple-option offense came in averaging 389.5 rushing yards, but the Bearcats held them to 182, including 81 by junior QB Christian Anderson who also passed for 94 yards on nine completions. Army (2-1) hasn't defeated a ranked opponent on the road since 1958, but the Black Knights shocked the Bearcats with a defensive touchdown just 51 seconds into the game. Ridder ran an option to the left, but his pitch to running back Charles McClelland was deflected by Army defensive back Jabari Moore who recovered the ball and ran 42 yards for a touchdown to put the Black Knights ahead 7-0.

Moore also had an interception in the first quarter. But the Bearcats bounced back when Ridder completed a 45-yard pass to Jayshon Jackson and two plays later found Michael Young for a 12-yard TD, putting the Bearcats ahead 10-7 in the second quarter. Young had five catches for 60 yards. The Bearcats (2-0) made a big special teams play late in the half when Ethan Tucky blocked an Army punt giving them possession at the 7-yard line. But the Black Knights held on fourth-and-goal from the 1. The Black Knights defense, which ranked fifth nationally in rush defense, held the Bearcats to only six rushing yards in the first half. - Cincinnati/AP College Football

(DS#3 QB) rSr/2022

QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati/AP College Football
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09/21/20 - Gerrid Doaks, Sr/2021, Cincinnati, 5-11, 228 (DS#22 RB) + More +

SEPT 21 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE HONOR ROLL: Gerrid Doaks, Cincinnati, Jr., RB,...Scored four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) and had a team-high 84 all-purpose yards in a 55-20 win against Austin Peay. - American Athletic Conference Football

(DS#22 RB) Sr/2021

RB Gerrid Doaks, Cincinnati
News Source: American Athletic Conference Football
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09/19/20 - Gerrid Doaks, Sr/2021, Cincinnati, 5-11, 228 (DS#22 RB) + More +

No. 13 Cincinnati had to wait a while to kick off its season. Once it got started, the Bearcats found their stride in a hurry. Gerrid Doaks scored four touchdowns, including a career-high three rushing TDs, and Cincinnati beat Austin Peay 55-20 on Saturday in the Bearcats' season opener. "We showed we're not a team to mess around with," Doaks said. Desmond Ridder passed for 196 yards and two TDs for Cincinnati in a game that originally was scheduled for Sept. 3. It was the latest start for a Bearcats season since 1968 when they played at Texas Tech on Sept. 21. "It was like Christmas morning and you're 8 years old," coach Luke Fickell said. "You feel like you have a good opportunity with the guys you've got, and now we got to see how guys would handle things." Cincinnati (1-0) has high hopes for this year after it went 11-3 last season and ranked No. 21 in the final AP poll. It quickly jumped all over the Governors. - Cincinnati/AP College Football

(DS#22 RB) Sr/2021

RB Gerrid Doaks, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati/AP College Football
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09/16/20 - Braden Smith, rSr/2024, Cincinnati, 5-10, 185 (DS#999 WR) + More +

Braden Smith has a knack for impressing people early on. His freshman year at Northwest Mississippi Community College, head coach Benjy Parker found Smith alone in the weight room, going through a drill. The former high school quarterback, making the transition to wide receiver, was throwing a tennis ball off the wall, catching it and sending it back. It was a common drill wide receivers went through. But Smith fielded the ball and threw it back like a shortstop. Parker, impressed with Smith's hand-eye coordination, asked Smith if he played baseball before and the Flowood, Mississippi, native said he had. "I never saw him play, but I bet he was a good baseball player," Parker said.

While many don't associate baseball with him anymore, many have a similar feeling of amazement when they meet Smith. He impressed Parker early in his time in junior college, he did the same with Louisville wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer this spring and took it to the national stage on Saturday. In his Louisville debut, Smith caught four passes for 110 yards, the longest was a 63-yard catch that set up Louisville's first touchdown. He was named ACC receiver of the week for his performance. He is the first Louisville player since Deion Branch (2000) to tally 100 yards or more in his debut. Parker also coached Branch for a year when he was at Jones County Community College and said he and Smith are very similar. "Braden is bigger and probably a step faster, but Branch was certainly very savvy and very tough," Parker said. "They have a lot of the same traits." - Courier Journal

(DS#999 WR) rSr/2024

WR Braden Smith, Cincinnati
News Source: Courier Journal
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09/14/20 - Braden Smith, rSr/2024, Cincinnati, 5-10, 185 (DS#999 WR) + More +

SEPT 14 ACC RECEIVER OF THE WEEK: Braden Smith, Louisville, So., WR, Flowood, Miss.,...Finished with four catches for 110 yards in Saturday night's 35-21 win over Western Kentucky...Smith became the first Cardinal to record 100 receiving yards in his Louisville debut since Deion Branch tallied 123 yards against Kentucky in the 2000 season opener. - Atlantic Coast Conference Football

(DS#999 WR) rSr/2024

WR Braden Smith, Cincinnati
News Source: Atlantic Coast Conference Football
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09/13/20 - Braden Smith, rSr/2024, Cincinnati, 5-10, 185 (DS#999 WR) + More +

Newcomer Braden Smith, a transfer from Northwest Mississippi Community College, had a record-setting debut for the Cardinals tallying 110 yards. He's the first receiver since Deion Branch in 2000 to record 100 yards or more in his Louisville debut. Louisville's defense has been the hot topic all offseason with many understanding if the defense took a step forward, it would help the Cardinals jump into the ACC's elite. - Courier Journal

(DS#999 WR) rSr/2024

WR Braden Smith, Cincinnati
News Source: Courier Journal
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09/12/20 - *James Hudson, rJr/2021, Cincinnati, 6-5, 313 (DS#12 OT) + More +

Hudson had his transfer waiver denied and was forced to sit out last season, but he is slated to start at left tackle for the Bearcats in 2020. The former four-star tackle out of Central Catholic in Toledo redshirted as a freshman in 2017 and appeared in three games for the Wolverines in 2018 before transferring. - Ann Arbor News

(DS#12 OT) rJr/2021

OT *James Hudson, Cincinnati
News Source: Ann Arbor News
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09/05/20 - Gerrid Doaks, Sr/2021, Cincinnati, 5-11, 228 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Heading into the preseason, Boone had already proven he could be UC's leading running back. Warren was one of the best recruits head coach Luke Fickell had ever signed. Doaks was just a lightly-recruited running back who didn't have any college experience. He won the position battle anyway and finished the year as the Bearcats' leading rusher. "When he was a redshirt freshman, we thought (Doaks) was one of our most talented guys on offense," Fickell said. Now a senior, it's Doaks' turn to carry the offense again. For the first time since 2017, Doaks is in position to be UC's starting running back.

As a freshman, Doaks dealt with injuries and lost carries to Boone and Warren over the course of the season. Then Doaks missed his entire sophomore season and watched Warren become one of the best running backs in the American Athletic Conference in 2018 and 2019. Warren, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, said the Bearcats offense is in good hands with Doaks replacing him in the backfield. "He's an every down back, and he's got a lot to prove this year," Warren told The Enquirer. "He dealt with a lot of injuries, but this is the year for him. He'll be in the draft this year too." Warren said he and Doaks are similar running backs. Both are about six-feet tall and 230 pounds, and both are strong enough to level a linebacker. But Warren has done something Doaks hasn't - carry the offense from the running back position. - Cincinnati Enquirer

(DS#22 RB) Sr/2021

RB Gerrid Doaks, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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09/03/20 - Desmond Ridder, rSr/2022, Cincinnati, 6-3, 213 (DS#3 QB) + More +

American Athletic Conference media members pick the Cincinnati Bearcats to finish second behind Central Florida in the conference's preseason football poll. Cincinnati garnered 201 overall votes, including seven first-place votes in the poll announced Tuesday. UCF led the way with 204 votes and 10 votes for first place. UCF coach Josh Heupel said after the poll's release that 10 of his players, including two projected starters, are opting out for the 2020 season because of concerns around the coronavirus pandemic. Memphis (192/2) finished third, followed by SMU (146), Navy (125/1), Tulane (118), Houston (114), Temple (88), Tulsa (49), ECU (42) and USF (41). It is the second year in a row the Knights and Bearcats have been picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the preseason media vote. UCF defeated Memphis for the AAC championship in 2017 and again in 2018. Cincinnati won the AAC's East Division for the first time last season, only to lose to Memphis in the conference title game. - Cincinnati Enquirer

(DS#3 QB) rSr/2022

QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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08/30/20 - Gerrid Doaks, Sr/2021, Cincinnati, 5-11, 228 (DS#22 RB) + More +

University of Cincinnati Bearcats football head coach Luke Fickell is stepping back and allowing his players to take the lead when it comes to conversations about racial inequality and social injustice. With Fickell's blessing, UC's football players elected on Friday to cancel practice and put out a collective statement advocating for change after police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. "I'm really proud," Fickell told The Enquirer. "Not that they said let's not practice, but that they were willing to write something and talk with their teammates about what this means. Tomorrow will be a big morning to see how deep we get in our talks within our units."

Fickell put together a player-led "social awareness group" that includes senior running back Gerrid Doaks, sophomore offensive lineman Jeremy Cooper and junior defensive end Malik Vann. With the group leading the way, the team decided to talk among itself and educate each other, with guidance from defensive line coach Greg Scruggs. "Like today, not many people on our team knew about the Emmett Till situation that happened all those years ago in 1955," Vann said. "And 1955 isn't that long ago. We were just trying to educate our teammates and team members of the situation that happened. Then we led into now, with the Jacob Blake situation that's going on, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor...I felt like progress was made." - Cincinnati Enquirer

(DS#22 RB) Sr/2021

RB Gerrid Doaks, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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08/27/20 - James Wiggins, rSr/2021, Cincinnati, 5-11, 209 (DS#6 FS) + More +

2021 SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: James Wiggins, Cincinnati,...Wiggins missed the 2019 season after suffering an injury two days before the Bearcats' opening game against UCLA. The three-time nominee to Bruce Feldman's College Football Freaks list was a Second-Team All-AAC honoree in 2018 after tallying 54 tackles and four game-changing interceptions while showing a big-play flair in the secondary. - Cincinnati Football

(DS#6 FS) rSr/2021

FS James Wiggins, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Football
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08/26/20 - John Williams, rSr/2025, Cincinnati, 6-4, 322 (DS#36 OT) + More +

It was not exactly just another Monday evening for Cincinnati Bearcats freshman offensive lineman John Williams, who probably didn't expect to get a shout-out on Twitter from a celebrity former college football player who has 14.7 million followers. It apparently started with a tweet from the Bearcat football team's official account about whether Williams looks like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Johnson said he sees the resemblance, added that he's impressed with Williams' aerospace engineering major and wished Williams well: Williams signed with UC in December 2019 and enrolled in January 2020. Johnson played mostly defensive tackle for the Miami Hurricanes in the early 1990s and won a national championship with the team in 1991. - Cincinnati Enquirer

(DS#36 OT) rSr/2025

OT John Williams, Cincinnati
News Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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