Week 11 of the college football season is here and despite there not being a ranked matchup this weekend in the Big 12, there is still plenty on the line with conference play in full swing. One of the most underrated games of the weekend took place in Cincinnati, Ohio as the Cincinnati Bearcats hosted the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Both teams are fresh off a bye week and both teams are still trying to keep their Big 12 title hopes alive. It was a great game that saw several momentum changes as West Virginia came out on top 31-24. Here are my top three takeaways from the game.
Cincinnati’s Turnovers
Coming into this game, the Bearcats had done a fairly good job of taking care of the football this season. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby was one of just three starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 with the fewest amount of interceptions (4). But against West Virginia on Saturday afternoon, that changed. Sorsby threw an ugly interception early in the second quarter that ended up going for six the other way.
The reason this was so bad was because Cincinnati had a chance to go up by at least two scores and instead, the game ended up being tied because of this play. It truly was the turning point of the game.
On the very next drive, Brendan fumbled deep in their own territory but luckily it only cost his team three points. But the turnovers didn’t stop there. Down by three with less than four minutes left to play, Sorsby once again threw an ugly pass that ended up being a fumble and West Virginia scooped it up for another score. That was the final nail in the coffin for the Bearcats and if not for these three turnovers, who knows what this game would have looked like.
Is Nicco Marchiol the Guy For West Virginia?
When it was announced that Nicco Marchiol would get the start on Saturday, it certainly grabbed my attention. I honestly thought that Neal Brown would go back to Garrett Greene, but he didn’t. Nicco played well the last time this team played two weeks ago in Tucson but against Cincinnati, he really didn’t have to do much because of the way their defense played. Nicco went 9/15 with one touchdown and one interception for just 156 yards. The one thing I will say is that Nicco is a little more athletic than what people give him credit for. While I am still not sure if he is an upgrade over Garrett Greene, it won’t matter who is playing quarterback if their defense can keep getting takeaways like they did against Cincinnati.
Elimination Game
As crazy as this may sound, this was an elimination game when it comes to the Big 12 title race. Coming into the weekend, neither team was technically eliminated from conference title contention but that changed after today. With the loss, Cincinnati falls to 3-3 in Big 12 play, and I am sorry but there is no chance they are making it to Arlington after this. But the good news is that they are still just one win away from making a bowl game which would be a big step forward for head coach Scott Satterfield.
As for West Virginia, this was a much-needed win for two reasons. First off, it helped cool Neal Brown’s seat just a tad but most importantly it kept their slim Big 12 title hopes alive for at least one more week. With the win, the Mountaineers move to 4-2 in Big 12 play and are now just a win away from becoming bowl eligible, which is necessary if Neal Brown wants to keep his job.
