CINCINNATI (AP) — These chances don’t come around often for the Bearcats.Cincinnati (2-0) lost a lot of regular opportunities to prove itself against ranked teams when conference realignment stripped the schedule of long-time rivalries. The Bearcats’ best chance to gain national attention this season comes on Saturday at No. 22 Ohio State (2-1), a team that it would love to have as a regular rival.That’s not going to happen, so the Bearcats know they need to make the most of this one.”We’ve anticipated this day for a while now,” said receiver Shaq Washington, who grew up in northern Ohio. ”Leading up to this game, a lot of emotions are running high.”It’s a chance for us to go out and show the world what we’re capable of. We want to take advantage of it.”A win in Columbus would be a big deal in many ways.The Buckeyes haven’t lost to an in-state school since a 7-6 defeat against Oberlin in 1921. Ohio State hasn’t lost in 44 consecutive games against other Ohio teams.Cincinnati came as close as any to pulling off the big upset. Ohio State came to Paul Brown Stadium unbeaten in 2002 and watched the Bearcats drop two passes in the end zone during the closing minutes of a 23-19 Buckeye win. Ohio State went on to win the national championship.The Buckeyes were supposed to come back to Cincinnati in 2012, but paid $1 million to buy out the deal and move the game to Columbus. They’ll play again in 2019 in Columbus. View gallery Cincinnati quarterback Gunner Kiel reacts after his team scored against Miami (Ohio) in the first ha … ”We’ve been looking forward to it for a while,” defensive end Silverberry Mouhon said Tuesday. …
Continue Reading: Bearcats want to prove themselves vs No. 22 OSU
