Cincinnati dominates NC State

There usually is a tried and true formula to winning football games:

1) Win the line of scrimmage.

2) Force turnovers.

3) Limit mistakes.

Cincinnati hit all three points in a 44-14 win over NC State on Thursday night. In fact, the Bearcats have hit on all three in their three victories this season. That is in stark contrast to what plagued the Bearcats last year -- a minus-15 turnover margin and subpar play from their offensive and defensive lines doomed them to a 4-8 season.

But all that has changed in the 3-1 start. What has been most impressive has been the complete turnaround in turnover margin. Cincinnati forced three more turnovers against the Wolfpack, bringing their season total to 16 on the season -- tops in the nation. The Bearcats turned two of those turnovers into 14 points, helping them jump out to a quick 21-0 lead they never relinquished.

On the down side, Zach Collaros threw his first interception of the year on a poorly thrown pass in the red zone and NC State turned that into a quick touchdown. That is no doubt a pass Collaros would have liked to have back. He had another poorly thrown ball that was nearly intercepted but dropped. Those were the only two mistakes he made on the night.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati defensive front got plenty of pressure on NC State quarterback Mike Glennon. NC State finished with minus-26 yards rushing because he was sacked five times. The defense also had a season-high 17 tackles for loss. That was in contrast to the Tennessee game earlier this year, and helped mask what still appear to be a few deficiencies in the secondary.

The offensive line did a solid job helping Isaiah Pead to another terrific game, as he finished with 167 yards and a touchdown. Pead added�a 25-yard touchdown reception off a short pass. According to ESPN Stats & Information, NC State blitzed Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros on 21 of his 34 pass attempts. But he handled it quite well -- Collaros threw for a season-high 263 yards, 207 against the blitz.

While it is true that the NC State defense is depleted because of injuries, the Cincinnati offense showed its ability to take advantage and make some big plays.

One more point to make: Coach Butch Jones emphasized before the game that he wanted to see his team play more physically than it did in a tough loss to NC State last year. No question the Bearcats did just that, and now they get some down time before facing Miami (Ohio) next Saturday.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/47788/cincinnati-dominates-nc-state

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