Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell met with the media Tuesday to look ahead to Saturday's matchup in Fayetteville with the Razorbacks.
One of the biggest storylines coming out of the Bearcats camp is the quarterback battle between Evan Parker and Ben Bryant. Fickell said he still has not settled on a starter for this weekend.
Here is more on the quarterback battle and what Fickell thinks of the Hogs:
On the Cincinnati quarterback battle:
“Yes [we know who will start at quarterback]," Fickell said. "It [announcing the starter] doesn’t do anything good for our team, it doesn’t do anything good for our opponents and their preparations for the game...We obviously wanted to know earlier, but I thought the way those guys competed made it tougher to do, there’s never an exact right time, but it was important for us to get guys the reps that they need. The [two quarterbacks] are different guys, so there is a plan, and you want to do what you do well, so there will be some adjustments depending on what guy is in the position.”
Thoughts on Razorback quarterback KJ Jefferson
“In his growth, I’m sure they don’t want Jefferson to be their leading rusher, but he is very dynamic at what he does," Fickell said. "He can throw the ball; I think that he is getting better and better at that. He is a dual-threat guy, and not only is he a dual-threat guy to run, but he is also a dual-threat guy to run you over. The unique thing about it, is that when quarterbacks are willing and able to run downhill and not just laterally, they put a lot more pressure on defenses...It is hard to simulate that size guy as a quarterback, and you just must be prepared for it. You must be able to tackle well, and you must be able todo that consistently.”
Thoughts on Arkansas wide receiver Jadon Haselwood:
“He’s a really good player," Fickell said. "Do we know if he’s the same thing (as Treylon Burks)? Will they use him in the same way? I think those are the things that you're always curious about in week one. They know he's a dynamic player, obviously led Oklahoma in receiving last year. In what ways would they use him? That's the thing you got to kind of figure out. We definitely know who he is, we know where he'll be, whether it's the same as Burks, I don't know that."
Fickell went on to say that the Hogs have athletes all over the field and Haselwood is just one of them.
"But the reality is, they've got athletes, and they're going to put them in position to get them the ball," Fickell said. "And however, they do that with them, whether it's down the field, or whether it's doing a lot like they did with Burks. We won't know till the game.”
Preparing for the atmosphere in Fayetteville:
“Well, it’s not easy," Fickell said. "We can pump music in, and we want it to be loud, but the reality is that you want to have good practices, so there is a balance there. We started last week talking about the environment, talking about the atmosphere, making sure that we are aware of what it is going to be like [in Fayetteville]. It is hard to prepare for. There are a lot of other things that you must prepare for as well, and the atmosphere sometimes gets put in the secondary.”
Fickell was also asked what he knows about the Arkansas fanbase going into this game.
“Obviously, I know a lot about them, but I don’t remember much from [2011 Sugar Bowl with Ohio State]," Fickell said. "I know that it is going to be loud, I know it is going to be a hostile environment, I know it is going to be one that you want your players to be able to enjoy because that is what college football is all about.”
Answers question about Sam Pittman's 'ice tea or liquor' comment:
Razorback head coach Sam Pittman said Monday that the first two possessions of Saturday's game will determine if Cincinnati is bringing 'ice tea or liquor' to the party. Fickell was asked what he brings.
"I told you before I don’t have a whole lot of friends and I don’t get invited to a whole lot of parties," Fickell said. "So, I don’t know what I’ll do. I just know who I am and I guess they’ll find out."
The Hogs and Bearcats are set to kick things off at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium this Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN.
