DUPLICATE***Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Dee Wiggins (2)***Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Dontay Corleone (2) competes against Baylor Bears offensive lineman Campbell Barrington (53) in the first quarter during a college football game between the Baylor Bears and the Cincinnati Bearcats, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dontay Corleone Highlights Penalty Factor UC Football Can Flip in 2025

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bearcats on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 1:06 PM ET

Bearcats leader and star defensive tackle Dontay Corleone pointed to one key factor when it comes to closing tight games this coming season: Penalties.

UC football wasn't terrible on that front last season (32nd nationally in penalties per game), but they did make some crucial mistake during winning time across a 5-7 campaign.

"We played teams that didn't have many penalties," Corleone noted on Tuesday. "We had four or five small penalties that really changed the whole trajectory of the game, the course of our season. Jumping offsides, delay of games on us, false starts multiple times. So it's like those small things if we didn't have that, we win the game."

Corleone is one of the most disciplined players on the team across multiple seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, he's committed just one penalty in his UC career (last season).

On the flip side, UC opponents were very disciplined, committing just 5.4 penalties per game. That was top-20 nationally and is a wonky stat bound to flip closer to average this season. Penalty variance is an under looked part of the positive trend mix from Cincinnati football ahead of a huge 2025 slate.

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