Apparently everything is fine with the University of Cincinnati Football Program.
There’s nothing to see here, friends. The bear cats “Living in positivity” and being extremely competitive is “the vibe of our building.”
This is what UC athletic director John Cunningham was offered this week following the Bearcats’ embarrassment, Defeat by collapse 28-27 in Pittsburgh last Saturday at Nippert Stadium.
It was Cunningham’s way of giving second-year coach Scott Satterfield and his program a vote of confidence as the losses pile up and fans continue to complain that the athletic director made a bad hire.
Let’s be clear: Satterfield needs and deserves more time. But the deadline to determine whether that will work may have to be moved up after last weekend’s debacle.
Ideally, Satterfield would get the rest of this year and the 2025 season. But this season is not going in the right direction, and one has to wonder what will happen if the Bearcats only win three games again. Because “positivity” and “vibe” aren’t enough with the fans.
Any momentum UC had before joining the Big 12 last season is long gone. UC football, one of the hottest brands in sports just a few years ago, has become irrelevant. Irrelevance could be imminent in the era of the NIL and transfer portals, and college football is no longer a game about process and patience.
The Bearcats have been terrible at Nippert Stadium under Satterfield. They have virtually no high school players from talent-rich Cincinnati. And their coach blamed the officiating after UC blew a 21-point second-half lead against Pittsburgh.
It doesn’t matter if officials throw flags.
Satterfield should be concerned about all the red flags that are appearing around his program.
Cincinnati Bearcats‘ record at Nippert Stadium under Scott Satterfield
The Bearcats are 0-7 against their major opponents at Nippert Stadium since Satterfield arrived. Louisville. Besides UC’s inaugural Big 12 game against then-No. 16 Oklahoma A year ago, it wasn’t exactly a blue-blooded murderers’ row coming through the Nipp. Miami University, Iowa State, Baylor, Central Florida, KansasPittsburgh.
Miami’s loss last season was inexcusable. The Bearcats squandered a fourth-quarter lead against a rival program that UC had already beaten 16 straight times. UC travels to Miami this Saturday, and no one should be surprised if the Victory Bell stays at Oxford for another year.
Still, Satterfield deserves a break for last season. UC was on the rise in a big-boy league after Luke Fickell took the program to heights it had never reached before and likely never will again. UC was forced to take a step back, even though it shouldn’t have fallen all the way to 3-9.
Cincinnati Bearcats Not Recruiting Local High School Football Players
It should be alarming that UC is no longer signing any of the top high school recruits from the talent-rich Cincinnati area. The UC football team has signed just one high school player from the area under Satterfield, according to Rivals.com. It has not received any verbal commitments from local high school players for the 2025 class.
Arguably, high school recruits aren’t as important in the era of the transfer portal. But when UC has been at its best over the last 20 years — particularly under Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones and Fickell — it’s managed to attract a decent number of players from Greater Cincinnati. UC fans have always been keen for the Bearcats to recruit hometown players, and to be fair, Satterfield has brought in some of them through the transfer portal.
Satterfield complaints regarding arbitration This idea shouldn’t be ignored either. Blaming the referees is a lame excuse, especially after blowing a 27-6 lead. It’s a sign that the head coach may be starting to feel the heat and looking to deflect blame.
UC fans deserve better. They do their part. They support the Name, Image and Likeness Fund. They continue to fill Nippert Stadium.
But if things don’t change, one wonders how much longer they will last.
Contact columnist Jason Williams at [email protected]
This article was originally published in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats Football Fans Deserve Better From Scott Satterfield
