FAYETTEVILLE — Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell was eager to make up for a mistake made.
On Tuesday, looking back at the Bearcats’ matchup against No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal last December, Fickell admitted that he did not do an adequate job preparing his team for the atmosphere they would walk into in Dallas.
Cincinnati fell 27-6 to the Crimson Tide and totaled only 218 yards of offense.
In the last couple of weeks, his players have gained an understanding of the environment that awaits them Saturday in Reynolds Razorback Stadium. A large and lively crowd is expected for Arkansas’ first ranked-versus-ranked matchup to open a season since 1980.
“We started probably last week really kind of talking about the environment, talking about the atmosphere, making sure we’re aware of what it’s going to be like,” Fickell said. “I can’t exactly tell them, because I’ve never been there.
“I’ve heard and talked to a lot of other people. But it’s one of those things that’s hard to prepare for.”
Fickell is of the belief that the two teams, which place a priority on toughness and physicality across the board but especially in the trenches, are in for a tough and nasty game.
He anticipates the energy in the stadium to match the hard-hitting nature of the play on the field.
“I think they pride themselves in things like that. We pride ourselves in things like that,” Fickell said. “In Week 1 you’re always trying to figure out who you exactly are, and I think it’s going to be like that. We’ve prepared ourselves for that. That’s what the expectation is.
“If something would change, then obviously you’ve got to adapt and adjust. But if there’s anything I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of, I would imagine it’s going to be the type of physical game that it’s going to be.”
Fickell added that he is attempting to strike a balance in practices this week between plugging in music and crowd noise and ensuring quality reps for a younger team. With so much to prepare for in terms of schematics ahead of a game, the atmosphere can become almost secondary, he said.
But the Bearcats are covering their bases there, too.
“What the environment and atmosphere comes down to is your emotions,” Fickell said. “But it’s not like you’re going to trigger those kinds of motions in a practice based on the environment.”
Fickell’s teams have won eight consecutive road games, including at Indiana and No. 9 Notre Dame last season. Cincinnati is 5-0 in season openers under Fickell and 6-9 against ranked opponents.
“That’s one of those steps for me, even when I came here,” Fickell said, “is wanting these guys to experience the environments like we’re going to play in on Saturday, but also the environments of what a college campus feels like when there’s a buzz, what a community feels like when there’s a buzz.
“I’d remind them again: to much is given, much more is expected.”