Deneric Prince vs. Cincinnati
Deneric Prince is at his best as a north-south runner. He’s fairly patient in picking holes and has proven he can maximize the little daylight in front of him early in this matchup. Midway through the first quarter, he was met by three defenders, but kept his feet churning and dragged them for an eight-yard gain. It appears that Prince doesn’t shy away from contact. He is perfectly willing to lower his pads and lay into an oncoming defender.
This was evident on his nine-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter. Prince was met by Bearcats cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard at the goal line, but had a full head of steam at the point of contact and his momentum carried him into the end zone anyway. Sheppard had great position, but Prince is a big man at 6′ 0″, 219 pounds. He made his presence felt in another red zone situation on his second touchdown of the day, getting the best of linebacker Deshawn Pace, in another goalline collision.
Prince’s best run of the night was a third-quarter play where he scampered for 15 yards on a draw play. He was largely untouched on this play, but did show an ability to run well in the open field. Overall, this was not an eye-popping performance by Prince, but several intangibles showed up in this game. I’m excited to see how well the positives carry over into the next game.