JC French IV looks to follow up his successful debut as Cincinnati’s quarterback while FCS opponent Western Carolina attempts to rebound from a nine-point loss when the teams meet Saturday night in Cincinnati.
French, a transfer from Georgia Southern, ran for three touchdowns and threw for another in his first game for the Bearcats (1-0) in a 34-15 win over Boston College last Saturday. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 77 yards.
“I thought JC played great,” coach Scott Satterfield said. “He made great decisions in the run game, very efficient at throwing the football. There were some times we were trying to take (a) couple shots and they got the coverage back there, and he’s throwing it underneath, which is awesome to see.”
Another newcomer, Cincinnati native Gi’Bran Payne, led a powerful rushing attack that totaled 254 yards. Payne, a transfer from Notre Dame, ran for 108 yards on 14 carries.
“He was behind two first-rounders (in the NFL draft) there at Notre Dame,” Satterfield said. “He came in here, and man, to his credit, he’s just worked his butt off.”
Cincinnati’s physical identity already is locked in, with the offensive line earning Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week honors.
Meanwhile, coach Kerwin Bell and his Catamounts (1-1) passed for 326 yards but were held to 1 yard rushing in a 28-19 setback against Campbell last Sunday.
Bell relies heavily on an explosive, spread passing philosophy. Western Carolina quarterback Lex Thomas, a transfer from North Carolina State, completed 25 of 44 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the loss.
“On the front line, offensive line and our quarterback situation is young right now,” Bell said of Thomas, who had just 15 pass attempts in his first two years for the Wolfpack. “So it’s a work in progress, but you do want to be a team that’s to the point where they can go be competitive. Especially when we get to the (Southern) Conference.”
Western Carolina will open conference play on Sept. 26 at East Tennessee State.
