Goal Line Stand
The Hot Program
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Goal Line Stands
USC's
new superstar |
A
revamped Michigan
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The QB
you need to know |
The
BCS's biggest problem
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Alabama's Focus |
The
Notre Dame hype machine
By Michael Bradley
As Cincinnati ripped to 11 wins last year and the Big East title, there were some whispers. Actually, given coach Brian Kelly’s somewhat over-the-top personality, there were some shouts. Nice job, but he was doing it with somebody else’s players. In a league that wasn’t exactly the SEC. What Kelly and the Bearcats had done was impressive, but let’s see what he could accomplish with 10 starters gone on defense and his own guys stepping up. What would happen then?
So far, a whole lot. Cincinnati started the year 5-0, is 10th nationally in scoring defense and has become even more potent offensively. While there are still holdovers from former boss Mark Dantonio’s regime, most notably QB Tony Pike, more and more Kelly recruits have been making contributions, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. That’s the biggest surprise of the season for the Bearcats. Instead of falling apart, new coordinator Bob Diaco’s D has been nasty and productive. If Cincinnati repeats as Big East champ – pretty impressive, considering some pre-season mags had it finishing in the second division – Kelly will again be a hot commodity when the wheel of coaching fortune starts spinning again.
Diaco has been a key, thanks to his multiple fronts, which give opponents 3-4 and 4-3 looks. The Bearcats’ young talent has been important, too, because if Kelly and his staff weren’t able to build depth on defense, there would be no chance of continued success. And, yes, Dantonio and his staff (now at Michigan State) deserve credit, because there are plenty of seniors playing some good ball for UC.
The biggest reason for the growth is Kelly’s commitment and expectation level. You didn’t hear a word from him in the pre-season about taking a step back, just like he has never made excuses for his program’s poor stadium and shaky facilities. He has produced excellence wherever he has gone and never settled for less.
“You get what you are demanding,” he says. “If you talk about rebuilding and the loss of 10 starters, that permeates the locker room and the team’s thought process. I told our players that the next man in had to compete at a higher level and compete for a championship and win right away.”
Once the veterans accepted the challenge and performed, Kelly and his staff felt comfortable folding the newcomers into the mix. That will allow for a similarly strong performance next year, when the Bearcat roster will be comprised primarily of players recruited by the current regime. By then, the transformation will be almost totally complete, and the Bearcats will be almost entirely Kelly’s.
A similar change is happening on the offensive line. Dantonio’s philosophy was built on the power running game. Under him, UC wanted to control the ball and win the time of possession battle. That’s not how Kelly rolls. His goal is to score quickly, maximize his team’s number of possessions and wear out the opposition. Pike’s emergence and mastery of the offense has helped that. Another, less publicized, area has made a difference, too.
“Our biggest change has been the offensive line,” Kelly says. “Mark Dantonio did a great job of building an offense, but the line didn’t fit our style. Year one, year two, we were getting the offensive line to play our style.
“We’re more of a zone than a gap team. We want to get our linemen out on screens and play our quick tempo.”
Other teams have noticed the Bearcats’ ability to strike quickly. The longest of UC’s four scoring drives in the 28-20 win over Fresno State was 2:53. And we’re not talking small jaunts here. Cincinnati went 77, 71, 80 and 71 yards in the express lane. That may put the defense back on the field after only a short rest, but it makes for some big outputs.
“They’re very explosive,” South Florida coach Jim Leavitt says. “[Pike] has done a great job. He hasn’t made mistakes. He makes all the right decisions and can make all the throws.”
Pike has been amazing. Though the Heisman talk generated by the school is largely being ignored, he has been as good as Leavitt says. Through last Saturday, Pike was ninth nationally in passing efficiency, was completing 66.7% of his throws, had 13 TDs and just three picks. Not bad for a guy who three years ago was content to be a backup. Now, he’s starting to wonder about his NFL Draft status.
Meanwhile, the Bearcats are dreaming about another BCS bowl berth. While that might make Kelly a wanted man once again, it’s worth the risk, particularly if his success spawns greater interest in the program and a larger financial commitment from the university community. Meanwhile, the high expectations continue in the locker room, the roar of the crowd builds, and the whispers have all but disappeared.
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GAME OF THE WEEK I: Texas vs. Oklahoma, Dallas, 12 Noon (EDT) ABC. Once the Sooners lost a couple games, this one lost a little luster. But it’s unwise to dismiss this as a small hurdle in the path of the Longhorns’ stampede to the BCS title game. Now that Sam Bradford is back, the OU offense has the kind of balance that can make any team’s life difficult. And if wideout Ryan Broyles can play, the Sooners will be even more difficult to handle. Texas’ ground game is better than last year’s, but it isn’t overwhelming, and UT lacks a second real receiving threat behind Jordan Shipley. This one always entertains, and the Sooners have much better than a puncher’s chance of winning. Look for drama until the last possession.
GAME OF THE WEEK II: USC at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. (EDT) NBC. The Irish have been pointing to this one for months, because they think this is the time they finally break through under Charlie Weis. That could be, since the ND offense is at a peak, and the Trojans aren’t the same team they have been in the past several seasons. Expect leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, Father McGee working as a back judge and maybe even green jerseys. That will all help, but the big question is whether the Irish defense that has surrendered an average of 29.85 points during the past four games can stop anybody. Should ND buck up on that side of the ball, it will get its first win over the Trojans since 2001.
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BUMPS AND RUNS: You think you have problems? Consider the lot of Akron coach J.D. Brookhart. Last month, he dismissed veteran QB Chris Jacquemain from the team for a violation of team rules. His backup QB left school last spring. On Saturday, third-stringer Matt Rodgers tore his ACL and MCL in a loss to Ohio. The Zips are down to true freshman Patrick Nicely, with a walk-on behind him. Brookhart has added a student assistant to the roster run the scout team, and he is putting an ad in the student newspaper encouraging former high school quarterbacks to try out for the team. Oh, and it’s the last year of his contract…Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis really has it cooking. In Saturday’s 49-28 win over NC State, he completed 40-of-50 passes for 459 yards, five scores and no picks. He also converted 13-of-18 third-down conversions. The week before, in a 34-26 near-miss against Virginia Tech, Lewis threw for 359 yards and two TDs…It hasn’t been the strongest start for New Mexico coach Mike Locksley. In May, he was accused of sexual harassment, age discrimination and retaliation by a former administrative assistant. Tuesday, he was suspended for this week’s game against UNLV for allegedly punching an assistant coach. By the way, the Lobos are a robust 0-6 and have come within 20 points of one rival…Could Virginia coach Al Groh be in the midst of another job-saving maneuver? The Cavaliers’ 0-3 start included a loss to Bill & Mary, but consecutive wins over North Carolina and Indiana have UVA on a bit of a roll. If Groh keeps it up, he might just get off the hot seat – again.