CINCINNATI -- Losing their first game at Fresno State last year was easy for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats to rationalize.
They had to fly across the country to play a season opener under a first-year head coach in extreme heat against a quality team fired up to have a BCS opponent in its stadium. Difficult.
But two weeks later, after UC traveled to North Carolina State for a Thursday night ESPN game and got whipped, 30-19, there was no way to put a positive spin it.
The Bearcats were soundly beaten by a superior team. Only two UC touchdowns in the final 6 1/2 minutes prevented the score from being much more humbling. It was the first real sign that the Bearcats might struggle after winning back-to-back Big East championships.
"They were the better football team that night," said UC coach Butch Jones. "I thought they were physical. They ran the football. They stopped the run. That was an NC State team that we thought was the best team we played last year."
The Bearcats get their chance to return the favor Thursday night at Nippert Stadium in another ESPN prime time game, this time hoping to send a signal that this UC team is much better than the 4-8 team from last year.
"I feel like we owe these guys one," said UC linebacker Maalik Bomar. "We let that one slip away from us last year."
Three games into the season, the Bearcats are still difficult to read. They own two blowout wins over two very bad teams and have absorbed one loss at Tennessee against what appears to be a middle-of-the-road Southeastern Conference opponent.
This week they'll face a NC State team similar to UC at this stage. The Wolfpack are 2-1, with wins over South Alabama and Liberty and a 34-27 loss at Wake Forest.
NC State no longer has quarterback Russell Wilson, who passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns against UC last year. Wilson transferred to Wisconsin and has picked up where he left off for the No. 6 Badgers.
In his place, Mike Glennon is averaging 248.3 yards with eight touchdowns, one interception and a 64.1 completion percentage.
Glennon threw a career-high four touchdown passes against South Alabama last week, completing 17 of 20 passes. But like UC, NC State struggles defensively, allowing 243 passing yards and 376.7 yards overall.
That wasn't the case last year when the Wolfpack shut down UC's passing game, sacking Zach Collaros five times.
"Last year we struggled offensive line-wise," said senior left tackle Alex Hoffman. "This is a redemption game from last year."
Senior defensive tackle Derek Wolfe has been looking forward to this game from the moment he and his UC teammates walked off the field at Carter-Finley Stadium last year wondering what hit them.
"They talked a lot of trash and said a lot of things," Wolfe said. "That was a game where I realized we have to get better obviously. That was the game where we had to find out what kind of team we are. This off-season we decided to become just a mentally tough team and answer the call when you're called upon."
This is one of those calls.
"The physicality of the game Thursday night will be turned up a notch," Jones said.
COMMITMENT: The Bearcats received a commitment from 3-star wide receiver Nate Cole from Memphis. The 6-2, 195-pounder had offers from Alabama, UK, Memphis, Mississippi, Stanford, Tennessee and Virginia.
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