No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners at Cincinnati Bearcats: Sooners Wire staff predictions
The Oklahoma Sooners get ready for their last Big 12 opener as they travel to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in week four. The Sooners are rolling and take on a Bearcats team looking to rebound after their first loss of the season.
Can Oklahoma continue its defensive performance on the road against a talented dual-threat quarterback? Can the offense keep hitting big plays through the passing game? Can the running game find some running room against one of the best defensive fronts in the country?
We’ll find out starting at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday.
Here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
When we first saw Oklahoma’s schedule, this game against the Bearcats was the one that worried me the most before the Texas game.
Cincinnati is a team that shouldn’t be overlooked.
That defensive line is nasty and physical. They can disrupt an entire game plan. My worry has only grown due to how well the Bearcats’ offense is playing, particularly running the football. Their run game is No. 8 nationally.
Combine that with the loss last week, and this might be a trap game for the Sooners. If they’re not careful, they could look past the Bearcats and come out flat because of Cincinnati’s loss to Miami (Oh.).
They can very well lose this game. I think they’ll win, but it’ll be a lot closer than people think.
Sooners 34, Cincinnati 24
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Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
The warm-ups are out of the way. It’s time for the Oklahoma Sooners to really showcase how much they improved. Sure, we have numbers and some tape over three games to suggest they aren’t last year’s team. I think that’s obvious.
What’s not is how they will respond to raucous road environments and foes who will treat them as their national championship. That’s how we really know if this team has taken a leap.
Lucky for us, we get to find out this week.
Oklahoma travels to new Big 12 member Cincinnati to welcome them to the conference the Sooners have dominated.
The Bearcats boast a tenacious defensive front and a porous secondary. That is where I think Oklahoma wins.
Dillon Gabriel throws for over 320 yards and tosses three touchdowns. The pass allows Oklahoma to coast in the 4th and lean on the run game en route to a 17-21 point win.
Defensively, we get to see how Oklahoma handles the road atmosphere and a team that is committed to running the ball. If the defense stops the run, Oklahoma should be fine. I think we see an interception from Peyton Bowen or Billy Bowman.
Sooners 41, Cincinnati 20
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Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
While it’s easy to exaggerate what the Oklahoma Sooners have done in the nonconference, what seems pretty clear about this team is that they have a different mentality in 2023.
They don’t look like a team that’s taking anyone lightly or looking past anyone.
After what happened a year ago, the veterans on this team will keep everyone focused and playing with a chip on their collective shoulder.
Cincinnati can run the ball. The Sooners look like a much-improved run defense. And that’s where this game will be won for the Sooners. Oklahoma is allowing just 2.3 yards per carry. While the pass rush may not be getting to the quarterback often, the defense looks ready to stop the run this season. Danny Stutsman is playing as well as anyone in the country and young linebackers Jaren Kanak and Kip Lewis are getting better and better each week.
Offensively, the Bearcats can be beaten through the air. Like Stutsman, Dillon Gabriel is playing as well as any quarterback in the country and will help lead the Sooners to a big road win.
Oklahoma 48, Cincinnati 17
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