The objective is to do whatever it takes to win, and the University of Cincinnati football team did that on Saturday.
Despite allowing 187 rushing yards to a Tulane offense led by a third-string quarterback and true freshman, the No. 2-ranked (Associated Press/Coaches) Bearcats scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from the one-win Green Wave, 31-12.
"A win is a win," Cincinnati tight end Josh Whyle said. "Yeah, it was ugly. We could've done better. But like I said, a win is a win, and we're going to celebrate."
Up next: The Bearcats (8-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) return home Nov. 6 to host Tulsa (3-5, 2-2). The game, which will be Cincinnati's homecoming, is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
And ESPN's College GameDay will be in Clifton for the game.
What we learned from Saturday's win:
Whyle, Desmond Ridder are finding their groove
It appears Whyle and Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder have rediscovered their magic.
The two former roommates revealed themselves last season as being one of the most potent connections in the country. So much so that Whyle, a junior from La Salle High School, earned a spot on the watch list for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the most outstanding tight end in college football.
Whyle led the Bearcats with 353 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season en route to earning second-team All-AAC honors and third-team All-America accolades from Pro Football Focus.
His 28 catches in 2020 were a career high.
But through the first five games of this season, Whyle had largely been an afterthought, managing just seven catches for 73 yards and a single score.
Over the last two weeks, Whyle and Ridder appear to be back in sync. After Whyle broke out with a four-catch, 60-yard and two-touchdown performance last week at Navy, Whyle and Ridder connected on four completions for 79 yards and two more scores on Saturday.
"He didn't get the touches and targets that he wanted to early in the season, and we just told him just keep working, keep pushing and the ball's going to find you," Ridder said.
At 6 feet, 6 inches and 245 pounds, Whyle has the size to be an intimidating matchup for most defenders in pass coverage. He also possesses the speed and quickness of a wide receiver. That creates a matchup nightmare for any defensive coordinator.
If the Ridder-Whyle connection is back, opposing defenses will have a tough time containing both it and the physicality and speed of running back Jerome Ford as the Bearcats enter the final stretch of the season.
"It's just as much on him (Ridder) as it is on me," Whyle said. "His trust in me, me being where I need to be, I think we've been doing that the past two weeks, especially, and it's paying off."
Coby Bryant continues to make teams pay
With Cincinnati owning a slim 21-12 lead in the fourth quarter, it was Bearcats graduate cornerback Coby Bryant who helped slam the door on the Green Wave.
Bryant intercepted Tulane quarterback Kai Horton with 11:12 remaining. UC then went on to score 10 straight points.
"They continue to try to test him, and he continues to answer the bell," Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said. "I'm proud of what it is he does and how he works. We're going to need him. We're going to need him to continue to be the energy and the leader of our defense."
Bryant and the UC secondary held Horton to just 79 passing yards. Bryant's interception was his third of the season and the 10th of his career.
In seven targets on Saturday, Bryant allowed two catches for 17 yards and had the pick. Bryant continues to show AP first-team All-American cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner isn't the only elite corner on the UC roster.
"I know they're not going to go at Ahmad," Bryant said. "He motivates me. He stays on me to just make the play when the ball's in the air."
'A win is a win'
Fickell, Ridder, Whyle and Bryant all said the same thing Saturday: "A win is a win."
It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but it was still a win. But unfortunately for the Bearcats' national championship hopes, all wins aren't created equally.
Whether or not it's fair, Cincinnati needs to win in impressive fashion against teams in the AAC. The Bearcats can't just simply win if they're going to have a shot at a national title.
Outside of UC's road win at Notre Dame, the Bearcats just don't and won't have the résumé of the other College Football Playoff contenders.
Yes, Tulane nearly beat Oklahoma in its season-opener. That matters. But it also matters that the Green Wave have allowed more than 42 points per game to opponents this season and their lone victory came against Morgan State, an FCS team.
Sure, the triple-option offense is tough to defend. But that wasn't UC's issue against Navy. Unlike other teams who played the Midshipmen, the Bearcats couldn't move the ball against Navy's defense. Cincinnati managed its fewest amount of yards in a game (271) since November 2019.
That matters.
But what ultimately matters is how will the CFP selection committee view a very talented Cincinnati team that is undefeated but seems to play down to inferior competition. Does the committee think the Bearcats are one of the four best teams in college football? Does it think Cincinnati deserves a shot?
We'll find out Tuesday night.