Miami Got Its Hype Back. Cincinnati Will Tell Us Whether It’s Real.

I made one tactical mistake before Miami’s biggest game of the young season.

I agreed to watch it with a large portion of my Miami group chat.

Usually, if Miami gets buried early, I can process the disaster privately, send a few emotionally measured messages and eventually pretend I was analyzing the game rationally the entire time. That option will not exist Saturday. If Cincinnati turns the final scheduled Battle for the Victory Bell into another Pitt game, I will have to experience every second of it in person.

That is not how I would prefer to spend my weekend.

The good news is that Miami gave us a reason to believe this game can be different.

After getting embarrassed 59-14 at Pitt, the RedHawks responded exactly how Chuck Martin said they needed to. They beat Holy Cross 45-7, scored touchdowns on all five first-half possessions and received a nearly flawless performance from David McComb.

Martin backed up his words. Miami looked prepared, physical and angry.

Now comes the important part.

Can it do any of that against Cincinnati?

One Last Chance at the Bell

Miami and Cincinnati first played in 1888, in what Miami’s game notes describe as the first college football game played in Ohio.

On Saturday, the programs will meet for the 129th time. It is also the final game currently scheduled in the series.

Cincinnati leads 61-60-7. A Bearcats victory would give them the winning record and possession of the Victory Bell for the foreseeable future. A Miami victory would tie the series at 61-61-7 and send the Bell back to Oxford.

There is no guarantee Miami will receive another opportunity to change that ending.

Cincinnati has won 17 of the last 18 meetings, although Miami’s overtime victory in 2023 proved the gap is not impossible to cross. The Bearcats reclaimed the Bell with a 27-16 win in 2024 despite allowing Brett Gabbert to throw for 339 yards.

This finale will take place at TQL Stadium rather than Nippert Stadium. That does not make it a neutral crowd, but it does give the rivalry a different environment for its final scheduled chapter.

Miami does not need help understanding the stakes.

It needs to handle them.

Holy Cross Restored the Hype. It Did Not Prove Everything.

McComb completed all 13 of his passes against Holy Cross for 234 yards and three touchdowns. He added a rushing touchdown and did all of it in the first half.

Through two games, he has thrown for 475 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in 46 attempts. That includes his first collegiate start against a nasty Pitt defense and a perfect half one week later.

Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield has noticed.

“He is a big kid and he can throw it,” Satterfield said. “He throws a good, accurate football.”

Satterfield warned that if Cincinnati allows McComb to remain comfortable in the pocket, “he will make you pay.” He said the Bearcats must move McComb off his spot, mix their looks and prevent him from settling into the same rhythm he found against Holy Cross.

That is a meaningful sign of respect for a quarterback with two career starts.

It is also the first major test of whether Miami’s passing game can become the strength of this team.

Holy Cross gave McComb clean pockets, open receivers and manageable situations. Cincinnati will attempt to disguise pressure, tighten coverage and force him to hold the ball longer. The Bearcats did not record a sack against Western Carolina, but they had four against Boston College.

McComb does not need to be perfect again. He needs to remain decisive, protect the football and keep Miami out of the hopeless third downs that helped the Pitt game get away.

When Miami Has the Ball

Miami showed much better balance against Holy Cross, but Cincinnati will tell us how much of that improvement can travel.

The offensive line earned two Bricks as a unit after the Holy Cross performance. Saturday is where that progress gets stress-tested.

Miami has allowed only two sacks through two games, even after facing Pitt. That is encouraging. But Cincinnati’s defensive plan is not a secret. The Bearcats want to make McComb uncomfortable and find out whether the young quarterback remains as composed when the first read disappears.

If the line gives him time, Miami has enough receiving talent to create problems.

If it does not, the afternoon could become unpleasant in a hurry.

The Matchup That Should Scare Miami

Cincinnati’s offense has been built around an experienced line and a rushing attack that has overwhelmed its first two opponents.

The Bearcats are averaging 336 rushing yards per game and 7.1 yards per carry. Gi’Bran Payne has opened the season with consecutive 100-yard performances. Cole Tabb and Zylan Perry have provided additional explosiveness, while quarterback JC French IV already has three rushing touchdowns.

French has also completed 31 of 38 passes for 322 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

That combination is the problem. Miami cannot sell out against the run without exposing itself to play-action passes and one-on-one coverage. It also cannot sit back and allow Cincinnati to stay ahead of schedule all afternoon.

This is where we learn the most about Miami’s response to Pitt.

Holy Cross could not consistently place the RedHawks under duress. Martin acknowledged that after the game.

“We did a lot of things today not under duress, but we did them,” Martin said.

Cincinnati supplies the missing half of that evaluation. The Bearcats have the line, running backs and quarterback mobility to punish poor fits, weak tackling and undisciplined pursuit.

Miami does not have to shut down one of the country’s most productive early-season rushing attacks. It does have to prevent Cincinnati from treating every possession like a controlled march downhill.

What I Need to See

I am not going to pretend beating Holy Cross suddenly made Miami the favorite against an undefeated Big 12 opponent.

Cincinnati is favored by 14.5 points for a reason. The Bearcats have been better, deeper and more physically imposing through two weeks. They have not trailed beyond their opponent’s opening possession and have allowed only three touchdowns all season.

But this cannot look like Pitt again.

Miami’s investment, transfer additions and larger ambitions were not designed solely to overwhelm overmatched opponents. The goal is to become nationally relevant and consistently threaten teams with Power Four resources.

Saturday is an opportunity to show what that actually means.

Miami needs to remain competitive into the second half. It needs McComb to continue looking like a legitimate answer at quarterback. The offensive line must give the playbook a chance to function, and the defense must show that seven Cincinnati players are not going to take turns reaching the end zone like Pitt did.

Most importantly, Miami cannot appear overwhelmed by the occasion.

That is the minimum standard.

The better outcome is that Miami makes Cincinnati nervous, drags the Bell into the fourth quarter and gives itself a chance to steal the entire thing.

Make Me Look Reasonable

The irrational hype is back, although Cincinnati is a much harsher place to bring it than Holy Cross.

I will be surrounded by people who have read my optimistic messages, heard me talk myself back into this team and know exactly how quickly I can go from “Miami has a real chance” to staring silently at the television.

If the RedHawks fall behind 21-0, I will not even have the dignity of turning off my notifications. The group chat will be sitting next to me.

So yes, some of my expectations are selfish.

I would like Miami to play well because this is the final scheduled Battle for the Victory Bell. I would like the program to prove its growing investment is changing what games like this can look like. I would like McComb to show that his first two performances were the beginning of something real.

I would also prefer not to become the afternoon’s secondary entertainment.

Miami restored the hype against Holy Cross.

Now it has to protect me from it.