Antwan Peek Jr. Carrying Over Strong Play Into 2025 Season As Cincinnati Searches For First Turnover

 Bearcats safety Antwan Peek Jr. picked up right where he left off last season with strong play across the first two games of the 2025 campaign.

Peek leads all Bearcats defenders with a 78.7 Pro Football Focus grade this season. He's elevated his coverage skills to a career-best level and is trying to reel in some interceptions this season after being the forced fumbles leader for Cincinnati last season.

The 6-1, 214-pound talent has started with 10 tackles and one forced fumble so far this season.

"Punching the ball out and just getting more turnovers. That's been a few of the big emphasis's that we have been talking about," Peek said about the defensive things to key in on after two games. "And then 

I feel like just the little things, stuff like footwork, communication, hand signals, just the little things that we can improve on would definitely make us even better throughout the season."

Forcing more turnovers (or any to start) should help Cincinnati with its rough time of possession figures so far.

The Bearcats rank second-to-last nationally in time of possession this season.

“I certainly would like to get off the field. Our style of defense is a little bend, but don't break, so you are going to give up some yards at times," UC head coach Scott Satterfield said about the issue. "I did think the four penalties extended their drives and gave them first downs. We did not create any turnovers in the first two weeks. So those factors are why I think we didn't have any time of possession the last two weeks, and therefore not running as many offensive plays. I really think we've got to do a better job again, creating turnovers, getting off the field on third down, which will help that time position and really balance out the number of plays.”

Check out my full discussion with Peek below: