Cincinnati Bearcats Football: Report Card Grades for the NC State Game

The Bearcats had their best showing of the season against NC State on Thursday. 

Cincinnati led from beginning to end en route to a 44-14 victory over the Wolfpack. 

The defense continued to dominate the turnover category and the Bearcats currently lead the nation in turnover differential. 

The offense put points on the board as expected and Cincinnati was as impressive as they have been since Butch Jones arrived on campus. 

Zach Collaros had his best game of the season, despite throwing his first interception. 

He passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns on 25 of 34 passing. 

Collaros was also able to elude the NC State blitzes on a consistent basis and rushed for 52 yards and two more touchdowns on nine carries. 

He controlled the tempo of the game and led the Bearcats offense to 44 points. 

Overall grade: A

Isaiah Pead finally got to play a full four quarters and he did not disappoint. 

The Bearcat senior carried the ball 27 times for 167 yards. While he was bottled up a few times, he showed his vision and ability to elude tacklers, running for a touchdown on the first drive for the fourth consecutive game. 

Pead also had a 25 yard touchdown reception and showed why he is one of the best running backs in the country. 

Overall grade: A-

Sophomore receiver Anthony McClung is quickly developing into one of Zach Collaros' favorite targets. 

McClung caught six passes for 94 yards and Kenbrell Thompkins added five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. 

Senior D.J. Woods also caught six balls for the Bearcats. 

Overall grade: B+

The offensive line was solid against a depleted NC State defensive front. 

They opened up holes for the running game and protected Collaros well enough against an NC State defense that blitzed on 21 of 34 pass attempts.

The Wolfpack were only able to record one sack on Collaros and the steady improvement of the offensive line only means good things for Cincinnati in the coming weeks. 

Overall grade: A-

The Cincinnati defensive line was impressive from start to finish. They have improved every week and began to show those improvements on Thursday recording six sacks. 

Tackle Brandon Mills had two sacks and fellow lineman Derek Wolfe and Dan Giordano each had one sack. 

The depth on the defensive line was shown with three reserves each recording a half sack. Monte Taylor, Rob Trigg and Jordan Stepp give the Bearcats the depth they have not had in recent seasons. 

Overall grade: A

J.K. Schaffer proved once again whey he is one of the best linebackers in the Big East. 

Schaffer had nine tackles, one tackle for loss and also had his second interception of the season. 

The linebacker group helped the defense force three more turnovers and helped hold the NC State offense to -26 yards rushing.

Overall grade: B+

If there was one weak spot on either side of the ball, it was the secondary. They did force two turnovers however, including an interception by Drew Frey and a fumble recovery by Deven Drane.

NC State passed for 348 yards and had a few big plays that went for scores. 

The defensive front got enough pressure on the quarterback that the long touchdowns should not have happened. 

Overall grade: B-

Cincinnati kicker Tony Miliano has begun to step into his own. 

He hit on all five extra points and was 3 for 3 on field goal attempts, including a career long 48 yarder. 

Punter Pat O'Donnell booted a 76 yarder, the second longest in school history in the first quarter that changed the field position and allowed Cincinnati to get the scoring started.

Overall grade: A

Head coach Butch Jones had perhaps his best game as a head coach at Cincinnati. 

Jones and his staff had an excellent game plan and showed a balanced attack on offense. 

The defense got consistent pressure on the quarterback and simply dominated all facets of the game.

Overall grade: A+