Bearcat Football: Questions Still Abound After Rout of Indiana St.

While the final score of 40-7 says rout, the fact is the Cincinnati Bearcats struggled mightily in the first half against a completely out-manned Indiana St. team.

After a first half that saw Cincinnati score only 12 points, the Bearcats emerged in the third quarter, putting 28 unanswered on the board and pulling away. Those 28 points allowed fans to relax a little bit, but the struggles of the first half left many questions still to be answered.

The most glaring question at this point in the season is the offensive line: Quarterback Zach Collaros was once again scrambling for his life at times against an over-matched Indiana St. team. Collaros did eventually get some time to throw and he connected on two touchdown passes to receiver Armon Binns. 

While the offensive line has work to do protecting the pass, the run blocking was superb, as the Bearcats rushed for 263 yards on 45 carries. They simply manhandled the Sycamores on the ground. 

The absence of receiver Vidal Hazelton was certainly felt, as Marcus Barnett filled in and did not record a catch. The question of who will take some of the pressure off Binns and D.J. Woods is still up in the air. 

Running back Isaiah Pead did not see any action on offense due to a swollen knee and with the Bearcats taking to the road against NC State on Thursday, they will need Pead at 100 percent.

The defense looked better, but big third down conversions kept Indiana St. in the game early.

Cincinnati struggled to get consistent pressure on the quarterback for the second consecutive week.  

The Bearcats have a short week to prepare for the Wolfpack on a nationally televised Thursday night showdown and with many questions still to be answered, this game could be a turning point in the season for Cincinnati.