Matthew Montalto By Earl Kulp
Luke Fickell has been the head coach at the University of Cincinnati for 5 years now and has made a big impact. This was most noticeable last season when his Bearcats faced off against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl. Unfortunately, for Bearcat fans, Georgia’s kicker Jack Podlesny hit a career-long 53-yard field goal with two seconds left to give the No. 9 Bulldogs a 24-21 win over No. 8 Cincinnati in the December 30th, 2021 Peach Bowl. Even though the Bearcats fell short of a win, they proved they can compete with some of the top teams.
Early on in this season, Fickell’s Bearcats matched up with Notre Dame which was ranked #9 while Cincinnati was #7;they managed to come out on top with a 24-13 victory. This was another big win for the program, but the Bearcats did not stop there! They finished the season 13-0. Fickell and the Bearcats finished the season strong and made the College Football Playoffs for the first time. They faced Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Cotton Bowl on December 31. Getting there was a big achievement, but Fickell’s Bearcats were not able to pull off an upset to beat Alabama.
