Desmond Ridder is guiding the 2021 Bearcats squad to unprecedented heights – 13-0, AAC championship, and a College Football Playoff birth. This football season has been pure magic. From beating Notre Dame in South Bend to rising as high as #2 in the AP Poll, Coach Fickell’s squad is checking off every goal and then some. Let’s look back at Desmond Ridder’s senior campaign.
QB1 has thrown for 3,190 yards and 30 TDs, with just 8 interceptions. His QBR of 75.4 is good for 25th in the nation. He has rushed for 572 yards and another 5 TDs. Let’s not forget, he also caught a pass for another TD.
For his career, Desmond is responsible for 10,095 and 87 TDs through the air. Add another 2,175 yards and 28 TDs on the ground.
A feat no one thought was possible, Ridder has snapped his own quarterback coach, Gino Guidugli’s record at UC for total TDs. Gino still stands alone with 11,453 passing yards. However, Ridder could even break this if the Bearcats win on New Year’s Eve. Ridder can also break the single season TD record held by Ben Mauk and Gunner Kiel at 31 apiece. Desmond also stands alone at the top of the chart for total offense. He is the only player in AAC history with 12,000 total career yards.
The most important statistic for quarterbacks in my mind is wins, and Ridder has won a ton of games, 42 to be exact. Only Kellen Moore at Boise State and colt McCoy at Texas ever racked up more college QB wins. Desmond is the most winning active QB in the country. He will end his career 27-0 at home in Nippert Stadium – this is the best home record of any QB in the history of college football. For perspective, Jalen Hurts was 26-0 at Alabama and Oklahoma.
Ridder isn’t done yet. Tune into the CFP Cotton Bowl on December 31st as UC takes on #1 ranked Alabama for a chance to play for a national title.
By Andy Smith