Cincinnati represents the “little guys” in the College Football Playoff.
Luke Fickell has his Bearcats (13-0) taking on the defending national champions, Alabama football, at AT&T Stadium in Friday’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
Mike Denbrock, Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator, spoke this week about how the Bearcats belong on college football’s biggest stage. Oddsmakers have the Bearcats as a 14-point underdog, but Fickell’s group is very confident.
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Curtis Brooks, a defensive end, said it’s ‘a dream come true to have a shot to beat Alabama.’
“As a kid, watching football, ‘Bama, Nick Saban, that’s who was on TV all the time,” Brooks said in today’s media availability for Cincinnati. “And now, we get the opportunity to play them. It’s everything you ask for.”
The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder is having a great senior year. Brooks leads the Bearcats in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (11.5).
He has 50 tackles, three quarterback hurries, and one forced fumble. Brooks has Cincinnati with the nation’s No. 4 scoring defense (16.1 ppg) and No. 7 for total defense (305.8 ypg).
The Bearcats also have the No. 2 passing defense (168.3 ypg) and top-ranked pass efficiency defense (100.5 passer rating allowed) in the nation. Cincinnati has talent, but will Brooks and others be enough to topple the Crimson Tide?
We will see Friday.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
