Locked On Bearcats - Daily Podcast on Cincinnati Bearcats Football & Basketball

Despite the Cincinnati Bearcats beating Indiana by 21 points on Saturday, some fans are a little salty about it not being by more points. Alex is joined by Russ Heltman of AllBearcats and Sports Illustrated for his thoughts on the Bearcats 45-24 win over Indiana and what the team needs to improve upon heading into conference play. Alex and Russ then get into why there is no way Cincinnati Bearcats...

There has been a lot of talk about Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Ben Bryant being benched for Evan Prater after a lackluster second half against Indiana. Alex explains why that recency bias will not get him benched, especially with him being the leader of the offense. Bryant is playing with too much confidence to be benched right now, and Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell reiterated ye...

A lot of the Cincinnati Bearcats success through nonconference play this season has been because of some key transfers in their first season in red and black. Alex assigns a letter grade to each of the key transfers including Ben Bryant and Ivan Pace Jr. While Ben Bryant has looked really good and exceeded expectations, Alex points out that Bryant needs to rid himself of long stretches of bad play...

The Cincinnati Bearcats looked great in the first half but awful in the second half. Alex reacts to the Bearcats 45-24 win over Indiana, and why the team that showed up in the second half today cannot show up in bigger games later this season. A lot of things went wrong for the Bearcats in the second half from Ben Bryant struggling to playcalling to the lack of a running game... to Evan Prater not...

The Cincinnati Bearcats will look to run their home winning streak, that's second-longest in the country, to 29 games when they take on the Indiana Hoosiers tomorrow afternoon. Alex explains how the one thing that can be counted on tomorrow afternoon is the impact the Ruckus will have. Nippert Stadium can be a very tough environment to play in, especially with the crowd being a factor added on to...

The Cincinnati Bearcats offense has featured a more passing-focused offense this year, largely thanks to a big-armed quarterback and deep wide receiver room. Alex is joined by AllBearcats colleague Russ Heltman for his thoughts on Ben Bryant's development, running back Charles McClelland looking as healthy as ever and the offensive line's stout pass protection. Alex and Russ then get into Saturday...

While the Cincinnati Bearcats are off to a solid 2-1 start, the Cincinnati Bengals are off to a stunning, and disappointing, 0-2 start. Alex is joined by Locked On Bengals host James Rapien to discuss the main reason for the Bengals 0-2 start and how much of it is on Joe Burrow. Alex and James then discuss Ben Bryant's development through the first three games and if James thinks the Bearcats can...

Cincinnati Bearcats head football coach Luke Fickell earned his 50th win of his Bearcats head coaching career on Saturday against Miami. Alex debates if he's already the greatest head coach in UC football history. Whether or not he is, Fickell's approach to the Battle for the Victory Bell was evident in the Cincinnati Bearcats victory on Saturday. The Bearcats clearly wanted it more, they played w...

The Cincinnati Bearcats were reeling early on defense early on in the Battle for the Victory Bell, until an igniting boom from linebacker DeShawn Pace began the shutdown of Miami's offense. Alex looks at the key turning points from the Bearcats 38-17 victory over Miami on Saturday, including linebacker DeShawn Pace's booming tackle, cornerback Arquon Bush's interception and two receiving touchdown...

The Cincinnati Bearcats dominated Miami 38-17 for their 16th straight win in the Battle for the Victory Bell, taking the series lead for the first time since 1915. Alex talks about what led to the Bearcats dominant win, starting with head coach Luke Fickell making sure he had his team ready to play and respecting the rivalry. On the field, quarterback Ben Bryant delivered his best performance for...

The Cincinnati Bearcats program culture was on display in their win on Saturday, after Luke Fickell told the team to humble themselves after the season-opening loss at Arkansas. Alex is joined by AllBearcats and Sports Illustrated colleague Russ Heltman for the latest surrounding the program as they look to take the series lead in the Battle for the Victory Bell this Saturday against Miami (Ohio)....

The Cincinnati Bearcats defense has been led by transfer linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. in the first two games, and he's emerged as a front-runner for the American's Defensive Player of the Year. Alex then talks about the Cincinnati Bearcats once again being able to stop the triple option, holding Kennesaw State to just 142 rushing yards. Evan Prater performed well on Saturday, and Alex talks about what...

The Cincinnati Bearcats made several plays that can be viewed as turning points in their 63-10 victory over Kennesaw State on Saturday. Alex looks at four key turning points in Saturday's game including the blocked field goal in the first quarter, Jabari Taylor's fumble return for a touchdown, Ja'von Hicks's pick six and Evan Prater's rushing touchdown. All four of these plays were not only turnin...

The Cincinnati Bearcats beat Kennesaw State 63-10 Saturday for their first win of the season. Alex explains why it was expected that the Bearcats won today and that it shouldn't be celebrated that they beat an FCS team. That said, the Bearcats did snap Kennesaw State's 73-game streak of at least 150 rushing yards. It's the latest impressive performance by the Bearcats defense against the triple op...

Alex is joined by Locked On Bengals host James Rapien for this week's edition of the Cincinnati Bearcats-Bengals Crossover to preview the Bengals season-opener against the Steelers. James and Alex talk about the expectations for this year's Bengals team, and how healthy Joe Burrow is coming into this season. Alex then asks James the main reason for the shift in the Bengals-Steelers rivalry plus hi...

The Cincinnati Bearcats are gearing up for their home-opener against Kennesaw State on Saturday. Alex talks about the challenges of facing an FCS team, especially coming off a season-opening loss. Like Arkansas, Kennesaw State can run the football. Alex talks about the importance of stopping the run, especially Kennesaw State quarterback Xavier Shepard. Alex also talks about not playing down to th...

The Cincinnati Bearcats were dealt a big blow leading up to the season opener when starting center Jake Renfro was lost, likely for the season. Alex talks about the impact his loss will have on this season. In particular, how will it impact the running game? The College Football Playoff is going to expand to 12 teams by 2026, possibly by 2024. Alex talks about how that impacts the Cincinnati Bearc...

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for the weekly film review and takeaways from the Cincinnati Bearcats previous game. This week, Alex takes a look back at the Cincinnati Bearcats season-opening loss at Arkansas. The biggest thing that stood out was Alex coming away thinking this team still belongs, and the Bearcats also did a great job handling the hostile environment they played in at Arkans...

It's Tuesday, which means it's Turning Point Tuesday on Locked On Bearcats. Alex looks back at the key turning points in the Cincinnati Bearcats 31-24 loss at Arkansas. The biggest turning point came midway though the third quarter when the Cincinnati Bearcats squandered a golden opportunity to tie the game after recovering an Arkansas fumble inside the five yard line. Instead, four penalties on t...

The Cincinnati Bearcats failed to take advantage of several opportunities in their season-opening loss at Arkansas. Alex explains how this was a game the Bearcats could have won, and maybe should have won. Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Ben Bryant showed incredible toughness and resiliency in the second half, overcoming several mistakes in the first half that put the Bearcats down 14-0 at halftim...

In today's bonus content, Alex previews the upcoming Cincinnati Bengals and NFL season. This is arguably the most anticipated season in Bengals franchise history. The franchise has a lot of momentum coming off a Super Bowl appearance led by Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Joe Mixon and an underrated defense and the fanbase is as connected with the team as ever. The NFL offseason was nothing short of ev...

Alex previews tomorrow's Cincinnati Bearcats showdown at the Arkansas Razorbacks, including a long streak they're putting on the line. A loss would likely drop the Cincinnati Bearcats out of the top 25, a place the Cincinnati Bearcats have not been in quite some time. And Alex thinks that will also impact their chances at a third straight New Year's Six Bowl. The biggest key to the game will be th...

It's the weekly crossover on Locked On Bearcats! Alex is joined by Locked On Razorbacks host John Nabors to preview Saturday's top 25 matchup between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Arkansas Razorbacks. John has high praise for the Cincinnati Bearcats and their winning culture, and explains why he, unlike other Arkansas fans, is not overlooking them leading up to the game. Alex and John then talk abou...

The Cincinnati Bearcats have been a run-first team for the entire Luke Fickell era. But could that change with a new offensive coordinator and quarterback? Alex is joined by Cincinnati Bearcats The Athletic beat writer Justin Williams for his insights on a potential new-look offense and the latest insight from the quarterback battle. Justin and Alex then get into a development on the offensive lin...

There were several moments in the offseason for the Cincinnati Bearcats that can be viewed as turning points. Alex looks at four key turning points starting with Ben Bryant transferring back to Cincinnati in early January. Ben Bryant transferring back has created a quarterback battle that has defined the entire offseason and can also loom over the regular season. In addition, Luke Fickell's contra...