SB Nation - Drew Frey

Cincinnati Bearcats 23 Delaware State Hornets 7 | 10 Thoughts

Matt Opper — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 03:29:15 -0000

--The old adage is that a teams greatest improvement is between week one and week two. Clearly not the case for the Bearcats tonight. I firmly believe that the outcome of tonight's game had little to do with the skill or ability level of this team. This is a case of a bad week of practice coming to bear on a Saturday night.

-- What means for the ability level of this team is anyone's guess. The ceiling is obviously somewhere near last Thursdays performance. And I can't fathom a basement much lower than the one the Bearcats hit tonight. In the second half it seemed like this team was actively invested in creating the worst possible outcomes. They went out of their way to do stupid shit over and over again.

--The unraveling started when Anthony McClung let up going into the end zone. He finishes the play like he is supposed to and the game is effectively over. Instead he lets up, costs himself, and Munchie a TD and DSU gains a measure of confidence.

-- In the first half the Bearcats rolled up 327 yards and three touchdowns averaging 8.8 yard per play. In the second half UC gained 160 yards and averaged 4.2 yards per play. No idea what the hell happened in between.

--76 offensive snaps for the Bearcats is closer to what the Bearcats need going forward from a tempo standpoint. The offense, Munchie in particular, gets worse when the pace slows down. Part of the problem with the red zone offense tonight is that when UC got into those situations the pace dropped off. I understand the impulse to slow down and make sure that the play call is perfect. But the effect has been a negative so far this season.

--What is also clear is that the Bearcats need to run Munchie more. He had 8 carries tonight, only five of them were designed, two were sacks, one was a scramble. Its simple, he is arguably the best athlete the Bearcats have, he is far more effective when he has the running game going. UC has to make teams defend him in the running game. They did against Pitt, did not against Delaware State tonight.

--This offense has some issues, but I still think the Bearcats can ride this defense to a lot of wins. This group played badly, looked disinterested and didn't really feel like playing. And yet they completely dominated at the point of attack, limited a pretty good passing attack to 4.2 yards per play. I would be shocked to see this group play that badly again.

--Anthony McClung is becoming a very silent weapon as a punt returner. Through two games he has 8 returns for 131 yards, an average of 16 per pop. The new kickoff rules have somewhat blunted the impact that Ralph Abernathy IV can have. McClung is stepping up.

--Like the rest of the the team the offensive line played well and terribly at the same time. 272 pre sack rushing yards and a robust 5.3 per attempt. At the same time the cohesion wasn't there and the blitz pick ups were really extra spotty

-- For what its worth the Bearcats did rest several key contributors tonight. Drew Frey sat down, as did Adrian Witty. Also absent, Alex Chisum. Damon Julian started in his stead and put in 4 catches for 62 yards and grown man touchdown.

Film Study | Aggression, Run Fits, and the Occasional Disaster

Matt Opper — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:00:54 -0000

On an objective scale of college football, the Cincinnati Bearcats have a small defense. There isn't a single 300 pound man in the Bearcats defensive line rotation. The starting linebackers (Greg Blair, Nick Temple and Maalik Bomar) average 233 pounds between them. Drew Frey is the biggest guy in the secondary and he barely cracks 210 pounds. The Bearcats are small, yes, but they are fast. This is not a fact without purpose.

John Jancek is a guy who craves speed. He wants as much of it on the field as possible at all times. That is a big reason why the Cats went Nickle for large portions of last season. Given the option of size or speed Jancek always comes down on speed. In general that means everyone gets smaller. To counter that disadvantage, a defense must emphasize the traits that they do posses.

For the Bearcats that means playing an aggressive, attacking style of defense. That is how the Cats played last season. It is, almost certainly, the way they will continue to play for the remainder of this year. It is a high risk, high reward approach. Against Pittsburgh the rewards were clear. Six sacks, ten tackles for loss, two interceptions and a handful of passes defended and quarterback hurries. Equally clear were the risks, two busted plays that accounted for 81 of the Panthers 415 yards of total offense. Both were the byproducts of the Bearcats being overly aggressive.

In 2011 Ray Graham was among the best in the country at generating plays of 10 or more yards, 38 of them in 8 games. Thats an average of 4.8 per game. To put that in context the national leader among running backs last year was Montee Ball, who produced 70 such plays, in 14 games, an average of 5 per contest.

Against Cincinnati Graham had two of them, for 81 yards in total. For the game, he finished with 154 yards on 23 touches. Some quick math puts his total yardage on the 21 other plays at 73, an average of 3.5 yards. Ray's statline from Thursday looks gaudy, but the Bearcats actually did a reasonable job of keeping him under wraps. Except for two plays.

So what happened? Its simple, Graham exploited space created by the defense losing its shape. The way a defense aligns against an offense can seem random, but there is a reason everyone is in their place. The defense wants a man in every hole, or gap as the kids say. As a play progresses the defense should always have someone in every gap. They want to fit a man in every space where the ball might come.

From a defensive perspective, the whole of the last paragraph can be summed up, so long as its a running play, in one phrase. They want a good run fit. A good run fit cuts off all areas of escape for the running back, and the play ends with a TFL or no gain. When the defense doesn't, bad things happen. For example.

This, this is a bad run fit. Lets take it frame by frame.

As the handy on screen graphic tells us its 2nd and 8. Pitt is behind schedule, but not so far behind schedule that they can't run the ball. I am 99 per cent sure that the logic here is lets pound Ray to get to third and medium rather than third and oh-my-god-Tino-has-to-throw-the-ball-downfield. As such they come out with a tight double wing. UC counters with a 4-3, but with Brandon Mills standing up on the boundary side, so it looks like a 3-4. Roll it.

Pitt is running a simple inside zone, the Bearcats counter with a MIKE/NT twist. John Williams shoots the playside A gap, Greg Blair loops to the backside A. This call is exactly what I would expect from John Jancek, statistically speaking its a low risk situation to use a stunt to bring a little heat. Win, win.

John Williams does his job. Graham can't even press to the hole, his decision is made for him, he bails to the left. keep an eye on Nick Temple, who disengages from Hubie Graham and makes his way into the backfield. That is a mistake, he just doesn't know it yet.

Graham presses left, sees Deven Drane closing him down, so he looks back to the right. Just now you can see the faintest of running lanes forming through the middle of the picture. You know who else sees it? Ray Graham.

Now you can see where Graham is headed, and you can see how a line that didn't really block anyone suddenly finds itself in a great position to, essentially, set a pick.

The pick is set and Graham is off to the races.

Now this might seem like homework but go back to the video, and watch it twice. Once focusing on Greg Blair, the other on Temple. I'll wait. Both Temple and Blair make small, but crucial mistakes. But here is the key, they are mutually reinforcing mistakes.

Temple is the end man on the line. He started out playside, but the disruption of Williams made him backside. The rule for the backside guy is always to stay home and wait for the ball to reverse. Its boring, but its the rule. Instead he chases the rainbow of a killer TFL.

Blair meanwhile is meant to blitz, and then occupy the A gap. The blitz he accomplishes, the occupying not so much. He attacks the blocker, and beats him, but then he runs himself out of the play chasing the rainbow of a monster hit. Half a second later the rainbow formerly known as Ray Graham bursts through the gap where Blair stood half a second previously.

Honestly if either Blair or Temple play this as their defensive rules tell them to it is, at best, a three yard gain. Instead both guys freelance a bit and Graham gets a monster run. Aggressive defense is good, but there is a point where aggressive becomes reckless. That point is when you have two guys just sort of running around for a bit. One more quick example.

Other than the video of the trumpet player biffing, this is the most viewed thing from Thursday's game. Its third and 8 for Pitt, and that can only mean on thing, its Joker time.

Indeed.

The Bearcats overload the right side of the line with a fire zone blitz and play cover three behind. It is simultaneously aggressive and conservative. It is also working. Tino is in deep trouble. Pay attention to Adrian Witty at the bottom of the screen on the 35 yard line. This is a cover three zone, but Witty isn't zoning as much as spying Ray Graham. Its smart. After all, Graham is all Pitt has.

Rolling forward a bit Graham cuts a looping Brandon Mills, thus making Witty unoccupied. Its not hard to spy a guy laying on the ground.

Brandon Mills gets Tino Sunseri's foot and trips him up. At the same time Witty reaches a cross roads. His spying responsibility is now up moving. But splayed just six feet before him is, possibly, the first and only sack of his career. What would you do? You would go for the sack, of course you would, you're an American.

And you, and Adrian, would miss it. That little speck in the red circle is the ball floating miraculously, almost comically, into the waiting arms of Ray Graham.

Tino trolls so hard man

The lesson from these two plays shouldn't be that it is a bad thing to play with this style. It is that there are always risks, to any approach to this game. That is simply the nature of the beast. Against Pitt the Bearcats played John Jancek's scheme to something bordering on perfection. But, when you attack as much as this defense does simple missed assignments, or lapses in judgement, can mean big plays for the other guys. The key going forward is to remain aggressive, but with an eye to each players specific role in a scheme.

Syracuse Orange Football Semi-Too Early Preview: Cincinnati Bearcats

Apregs — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:00:15 -0000

After dropping the contest in USF, I have the Orange back down at .500 with a 4-4 record but a 1-3 record within the Big East. HCDM can't like this, but the team can improve on this mark and get one win closer to bowl eligibility with a strong performance against the Cincinnati Bearcats. I can't be too hard on UC; my aunt teaches there and I did like the campus when I toured... anyways, back to the stuff that matters!

Cincy Overview:

Last season, behind Isaiah Pead, the Bearcats clawed their way to a 10-3 record with a tie for first in the conference. They defeated Vanderbilt in the Liberty Bowl to finish the year right, but this season doesn't hold the same expectations. The Bearcats have to replace Pead and Zack Collaros, one of the best quarterbacks in the Big East. Munchie Legaux filled in while Collaros was injured and offers a new dimension with his ability to run once plays break down. The defense was one of the best in the NCAA last season against the run thanks to the best front seven in the conference. While not all of the talent departed, most everyone agrees that this unit will take a step or two backwards. The secondary was weak last season but strengthens up this season with sixth year senior Drew Frey leading them. Overall, the Bearcats will probably have the second or third best defense in the conference while their offense searches for consistency and an identity.

How the Orange should attack the Bearcats:

The front seven of the Bearcats were scary last season. They allowed 96.2 yards a game on the ground, sixth best in the country. This year, Cincy returns their two ends but need Cameron Beard and Jordan Stepp to fill in the middle of their front four and replace an All American and an All Big East selection. They lost top linebacker JK Schaffer but return the two guys behind him so overall, the front seven should still be a top 25 unit, but not nearly as dominant as last season. The secondary has continually improved each of the last three years but this year the Bearcats are relying on two healed ACL's for success. Both Dominique Battle and Reuben Johnson failed to make it to the halfway point of the season before they wrecked their knees. If they are back at 100% and had some improvement, they should be better than average.

Even with Cincy's great front seven, bruiser Antwon Bailey and company managed to run for 4.5 yards a carry en route to a team 189 yard performance. With the two inexperienced tackles a hearty does of Jerome Smith and PTG right up the middle would be a great way to wear down Cincy and keep their offense off the field. If Ryan Nassib can establish the play action game, Syracuse could be looking at another very good offensive day...only with the points to show for it this year. If Adonis Ameen-Moore is looking like a promising back by this point in the season, it would be great to see him get involved in the offense.

How the Orange can defend the Bearcats:

The Bearcats don't exactly know what their strategy will be come the Syracuse game. The first few weeks will be used to figure out how effective their running game is without Pead. Jameel Poteat is the young future back of the Bearcats and they need him to start reaching his potential this year. Legaux will have some weapons to throw to, although they are not as proven as in years past. Anthony McClung is the true number one wide out on the team, but the slot spot will be filled by former quarterback Jordan Luallen, a recipe for trick plays. The offensive line will not be as strong as in past years as the Bearcats lost 3 starters who played in all 13 games last year.

If Poteat establishes himself as the premier back many think he will eventually be, this will be a tough offense to stop. While they don't have too many options at wide out, Legaux's versatility will keep defense on their toes. If the Bearcats turn into a rushing team, the Orange linebackers will have to use their speed to keep up. If the Bearcats are able to pass the ball with consistency rather than run, the Orange will have to use a complex zone to force Munchie into making mistakes because he'll have the staying power in the pocket with his legs.

X Factor:

Ryan Nassib. This is the toughest defensive test the Orange will face up to this point because of their balance. Nassib will need to be able to execute when the defense slips up and make big plays for the offense.

Prediction:

This game is so hard to predict because Cincinnati has the biggest question marks on offense while definitively taking steps backward on defense. If the Bearcats fail to find an offensive identity, then this is a winnable game. However, Cincy has a history of consistently living up to and exceeding expectations. Safe bet to say they pull together a decent season and are a solid Big East team and just a tad too much for the Orange to handle. Bearcats win 21-17.

BECB Preseason Big East Defensive Teams

29sonski — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:00:04 -0000

In this final week before the beginning of training camps, Big East Coast Bias is counting down the days with the announcements of is preseason awards.

Monday: Preseason Defensive Teams

Tuesday: Preseason Offensive Teams

Wednesday: Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

Thursday: Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

The Big East has several quality defensive units. The conference will not be wide open with teams scoring on every possession. Rather, defenses will be a huge factor in game outcomes, from forcing turnovers to keeping favorable field position. The following players are likely to have the greatest impact on the defensive side of the ball during the 2012 campaign.

2012 BECB Preseason Big East First Team - Defense

DE - Trevardo Williams (Sr), UConn

DE Ryne Giddins (Jr), USF

DT - Aaron Donald (Jr), Pitt

DT - Scott Vallone (sr), Rutgers

LB - Khaseem Greene (Sr), Rutgers

LB - DeDe Lattimore (Jr) USF

LB - Sio Moore (Sr), UConn

CB - Adrian Bushell (Sr), Louisville

CB - Logan Ryan (Jr), Rutgers

S - Jarred Holley (Sr), Pitt

S - Duron Harmon (Sr), Rutgers

P - Pat O'Donnell (Jr), Cincinnat

2012 BECB Preseason Big East Second Team - Defense

DE - Marcus Smith (Jr), Louisville

DE - Dan Giordano (Sr), Cincinnati

DT - Levi Brown (Jr), Temple

DT - Cory Grissom (Sr), USF

LB - Sam Barrington (Sr), USF

LB - Steve Beauharnais (Sr), Rutgers

LB - Marquis Spruill (Jr), Syracuse

CB - Blidi Wreh-Wilson (Sr), UConn

CB - Kayvon Webster (Sr), USF

S - Hakeem Smith (Jr), Louisville

S - Drew Frey (Sr), Cincinnati

P - Cole Wagner (Jr), UConn

Big East Position Rankings: Defense

29sonski — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 16:00:16 -0000

1. Rutgers – There’s not much to dispute here. The Knights are the best overall defense – easily. Their linebackers and defensive backs are solid and deep, and the line is not far behind. Look for a strong season from Khaseem Greene, who has already been named to several national award watch lists.

2. South Florida – The Bulls defense was a significant contributor to last year’s seven losses. The unit failed to keep its team in the game on more than one occasion in 2011. It’s not without talented starters though, most of whom return. The USF defensive line, anchored by Cory Grissom (injured but not expected to miss much time) and Ryne Giddins is the Big East’s best.

3. Louisville – This unit is young and on the rise. It allowed only three yards per carry in run defense last season (101 yd. avg.), but lost three defensive lineman. Eight starters return through, so it could easily match last season’s success. If it stays healthy, watch for this unit to hit its stride during conference play, when it matters most. Experienced leadership should come from Adrian Bushell and Daniel Brown.

4. Connecticut – UConn lost two key linemen, but will their replacements are experienced. Defensive end Trevardo Williams was the conference sack leader (12.5) in 2011. The linebacker corps is deep and led by veteran Sio Moore. The run defense was best in conference at just 2.7 yards per carry. Injuries hurt the secondary last season, and still may be the weak point. The Huskies defense has eight returning veterans and will rely on this unit to keep them in games this season.

5. Pittsburgh – As noted previously, Pitt’s defense is switching from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3. The linebackers are young, so the line will have to apply pressure on opponents’ quarterbacks. If Aaron Donald can get free to do so – or draw the double team so his teammates can – the unit should get the job done. K'Waun Williams and Jarred Holley will contribute to a strong secondary.

6. Cincinnati – The Bearcats need to adjust to departure of key players. They have two veteran ends in in Dan Giordano and Walter Stewart. Linebacker Maalik Bomar (LB) and safety Drew Frey are also returning talent. Questions remain about how quickly and effectively the unit can retool. Don’t expect them to be equal to last season.

7. Syracuse – This unit is hard to gauge. Player losses two years ago left the unit depleted in 2011. The defense has many young and rising stars, such as Marquis Spruill, and a few veteran leaders like Shamarko Thomas, but there is still a sense that cohesion is lacking.

8. Temple – The Owls defense, like Syracuse, is rebuilding after some key losses in 2010 and 2011. They’re solid at the center of the line with Levi Brown and John Youboty and have two talented members of the secondary in Justin Gildea and Zamel Johnson. This unit has only five returning starters though. The linebacker corps is rebuilding though, and the edge rush may be lacking. The Owls defense will be tested all season.

Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Offensive Lines, Wide Receivers, Defensive Lines, Defensive Backs, Linebackers, Special Teams, Offense.

2012 Program Preview - Cincinnati

3k — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:30:05 -0000

Having capped off the ACC programs, we're moving on to the Big East. The West Virginia-less Big East. Mind your step.

Sticking with the alphabetical order mandated by adherence to stare decisis following U.S. v. Chip Kelly, Cincinnati proves the lead-in for the conference; it's a suitable program to do so.

The Bearcats were surprising overachievers in 2011, with two consecutive 3-point road wins over Pitt and South Florida and the following 3-point loss to West Virginia serving as the key stretch in the regular season. Of course the Liberty Bowl victory over Vanderbilt was a fitting cap to a season that saw Butch Jones steer Cincy back into successful waters.

With RB Isaiah Pead and DE Derek Wolfe (the Big East offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively) having left as well as QB Zach Collaros, Jones, himself the Big East coach of the year in 2011, has a tough task ahead in 2012.

Though there are suitable replacements in tow (RB Jameal Poteat and a pair of capable ends), the inexperience on the offensive line, the talent gap at DT and the unpredictability of QB Munchie Legaux (despite his nominal supremacy) all point toward a season that's tough to forecast.

After the jump, the prospects worth noting as well as some games and matchups to pencil into your calendar.

References

Down the Drive (SBN Cincinnati community), SB Nation team page, official team site, Bill Connelly's preview for SBN, CBS Sports preview

Notable offensive prospects

Name	POS	Yr.	Early projected Rd (notes)
Sean Hooey	OT	RS Sr.	7 (potential riser)
Travis Kelce	TE	RS Sr.	UD
Kenbrell Thompkins	WR	Sr.	UD
Anthony McClung	WR	Jr.	UD

Notable defensive prospects

Name	POS	Yr.	Early projected Rd (notes)
Drew Frey	SS	RS Sr.	5
Walter Stewart	DE	RS Sr.	6
Dominique Battle	CB	RS Sr.	7
Maalik Bomar	LB	Sr.	7
Dan Giordano	DE	RS Sr.	UD
Deven Drane	CB	Jr.	UD
Nick Temple	OLB	Soph.	N/A

Summary

Nobody on the roster stands out like Wolfe, Pead or DT John Hughes last year. Still, with nearly a dozen qualified prospects at this point (with a likely handful to emerge throughout the season), Cincy's in position to deliver plenty of talent to the NFL in the 2013 NFL Draft. They're also on good terms of being able to compete in the Big East in 2012.

Key games

Pittsburgh (home) - Week 2 (Thu., Sep. 6 - 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Cincy starts their season a week after most other programs with a Thursday night contest that stands alone on the 6th. With the college football and NFL Draft worlds watching, this is a huge game for both teams. For the Bearcats, this is the first of five consecutive home games. Three of those games include Delaware State, Miami of Ohio and Fordham, so the Pitt game is even more meaningful. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, follows this game up with a Virginia Tech challenge. With the Hokies' defense, that proves to be a difficult out of conference match. Speaking of...

Virginia Tech (home) - Week 5 (Sat., Sept. 29 - TBD)

Cincinnati's out of conference slate is very easy, save for this Big East-ACC contest. You could argue it means more for Virginia Tech given their potential national aspirations. However, with Pitt and Cincy both with the Hokies on the schedule, it becomes a good barometer for both programs in terms of their caliber in 2012 but also for recruits. Pitt pulled in five recruits from Ohio in their 2012 class while Cincy nabbed a WR from Pittsburgh proper -- Shakim Alonso. With that in mind, this game will have some notable secondary effects.

Key matchups

LB Maalik Bomar v. Pitt RB Ray Graham*, Week 2 - Thu., Sep. 6

* - Anything related to Ray Graham needs to be marked with an asterisk. Graham was on course to replace former Pitt RB Dion Lewis in spectacular fashion last year, rushing for 939 yards in Pitt's first seven games. In unlucky number eight against Connecticut, Graham tore his ACL on the fourth play of the game. If he's healthy for this one, he's going to be a handful for the Bearcats' run defense. With their inexperience at DT, that effort could well rest on Bomar's shoulders.

RB Jameel Poteat v. South Florida LBs Sam Barrington, Michael Lanaris and DeDe Lattimore, Week 13 - Fri., Nov. 23

It's a somewhat similar situation in this matchup. Instead of an experienced RB coming off an injury after replacing a former standout, it's a relatively untested young talent replacing a RB who has moved on to the NFL. Isaiah Pead was selected by the Rams in the middle of the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, opening the door for Poteat. The Harrisburg, Pa., product got some playing time early in the season, but didn't feature by the time Cincy got into Big East play. We'll have a sense of how good Poteat really is by the time this game comes around, but with the production and experience of USF's linebacking corps, this might be the biggest challenge he faces all year.

Bearcat Bits for May 25th

Matt Opper — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:07:04 -0000

Phil Steele released his pre season All Big East teams and they aren't overly kind to the Bearcats. Only Anthony McClung and Patrick O'Donnell landed on the first team. Kenbrell Thompkins, Austen Bujnoch, Dan Giordano, Walter Stewart, Maalik Bomar, Drew Frey and Ralph Abernathy IV all made the second team. Safe to say that at least one of those guys on the second team probably deserves a spot on the first team, most likely Walt who is sitting on a massive Senior Season by all accounts.

Some other interesting tidbits from Mr. Steele. He has Jameel Poteat as the fourth team RB which obviously means he projects him to win the job. Still all indications are that George Winn will be the starter, even if in name only. Jordan Stepp, Camerron Cheatham and Tony Milliano round out the Bearcats selections.

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News has a wildly speculative top 25 for next year. Since we are linking to it that obviously means that the Bearcats are in it. And what do you know they are. Coming in at 18. Just after the Wisconsin Badgers and right in front of the San Diego State Aztecs. That seems like a relaistic place for the Bearcats right now. There are questions for UC down low but the versatility of Sean Kilpatrick and JaQuon Parker, not to mention the steady hands of Cashmere Wright will carry UC to a lot of wins this year. For what its worth just three other Big East squads make the cut. Notre Dame (24), Syracuse (9), and Louisville (3).

Video(s) of Interest

Et Cetera

the bearcats track team handed out some awards...Paul Daugherty has the crazy idea of the Bearcats playing Football at Great American Ball Park...the Bearcats are showing an interest in three Aiken Football Players...Tim Higgins is retiring and the world is a better place for it...Clemson Tigers open to offers to leave ACC isn't transparency fun...former UCLA Bruin Reeves Nelson is filing a lawsuit against S.I. for making him seem like a terrible human being...the Great Gatsby is in fashion again not just for high school English students either

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Cincinnati Bearcats 2012 Post Spring Defensive Depth Chart

Matt Opper — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:47:04 -0000

On paper the strongest side of the ball for the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2012 is the Defense. 7 starters from the Liberty Bowl return this year. 8 if you want to count Dominique Battle as a starter, he only lost out on his job due to injury. If you want to count the nickle back as a position apart rather than as the third corner the number becomes 9 with Chris Williams coming back.

That doesn't mean that the group is without questions. Four Senior starters with a combined 122 starts are walking out the door. And with them goes 4/5's of the 2011 defensive spine. Those are (were) the biggest question marks for the defense heading into spring. After 15 spring practices this is a reading of the situation.

Defensive End

Starters: Walter Stewart and Dan Giordano - These two both come back for a second season as a starting pairing. Between them they had 11 sacks, 20 TFL, 78 tackles, 12 QB hurries, 9 pass breakups and 5 forced fumbles. Both improved over their sophomore years, though for different reasons. Stewart finally got to play his natural position, Giordano used his experience from 2010 to improve. This is arguably the best DE tandem in the Big East in 2012. Giordano just needed more reps to make the leap.

Back Ups: Brandon Mills and Silverberry Mohoun - Mills is a guy who can thrive in a situational role but can be easily exploited as an every down starter. To wit, in 2010 Mills had 12.5 TFL and 6 Sacks. Last year playing maybe 40 per cent the number of snaps he had 7 TFL and 5.5 sacks. His numbers declined, but not in proportion to his decrease in reps. He is back for a third year of causing offensive line coaches to lose sleep.

Mohoun is a guy who really took fully advantage of his red shirt year. He hit the weight room, he was the scout team player of the year for defense and now he is primed to be a key figure in a Senior dominated rotation. Coach Stripling loves what he brings to the table with his get off and quickness. It might be early to call him UC's next great pass rushing terror. But he is probably UC's next great pass rushing terror.

Related: Post Spring Offensive Depth Chart

Defensive Tackle

Starters: Jordan Stepp and Camaron Beard - Literally and figuratively the two biggest holes to fill for the defense in 2012. It is nearly impossible to match the production that John Hughes and Derek Wolfe displayed last year. 34 TFL and 14 sacks is a massive debt to pay. But Beard and Stepp don't have to match that production. What they have to do is allow the John Jancek to deploy the same old blitz happy scheme without leaving massive and exploitable gaps in the interior of the defensive line. They shouldn't have a problem doing just that. Stepp in particular really stepped it up this spring.

Back Up: Brandon Mitchell - With Roney Lozano's injury keeping him sidelined until mid October at the earliest it will be in the hands of Brandon Mitchell to be the one and only back up. Mitchell would probably be in the rotation even with a healthy Lozano because Mitchell is the biggest guy on the team at 6'2" 320 and that gives some versatility to a DT group that is, for the most part, predicated on speed and quickness over brute strength.

Linebackers

Starters: Maalik Bomar, Solomon Tentman and Nick Temple - That is WILL, MIKE, SAM from left to right. The obvious news here is Tentman is stepping in for J.K. Schaffer at the mike. Tentman really had an excellent spring and locked down the mike job relatively early in the process. He isn't yet 100 per cent, but barring any set backs he should be by September. When UC goes to the Nickle, which will be often, Nick Temple will slide inside to J.K.'s old nickle spot and Tentman will depart.

Back Ups: Dwight Jackson, Greg Blair and someone - Blair is Tentman's presumptive back up. He is another guy who had a good spring. Jackson played in 10 games last year and got plenty of first team reps as Bomar's understudy when Bomar struggled with stingers down the stretch. I have no earthly idea who winds up as the Temple of Doom's back up. I could be any one of five guys. For now I will refrain from listing the lot.

Corner Backs

Starters: Camerron Cheatham and Deven Drane - Field and Boundary respectively. Drane is the most gifted cover guy here since Mike Mickens. He has that kind of ability. Ask Mohamed Sanu, Drane put a blanket on him and kept him under 40 yards on 6 catches, with no TD's. He took firm control of the starting job when Dominique Battle tore his ACL on this play against USF. Cheatham had an injury plagued spring*, but he is still the presumptive starter as I write.

* So did Drane for what its worth

update: Not entirely sure how it happened but I seemed to have made up an injury for Cheatham in the process of writing about Drane's injury issues this spring. Once more to establish the basic facts, Drane had injury issues, Cheatham did not. Hat tip to Cheawhooer for pointing out the breadth of my idiocy

Back Ups: Trenier Orr and Dominique Battle - If/when Battle gets back from his injury he will be in the two deep somewhere, probably as Drane's back up. Orr took full advantage of his chance and played well running with the one's as the big three dealt with injuries. Orr impressed everyone and can't really be counted out with a chance to nab Cheatham's spot.

Nickle Back

Starter: Chris Williams - Williams finally found a role on defense and he thrived in it. He is fine covering slot receivers, but where he really excelled was blitzing from the slot and playing the run. Williams picked up 46 tackles, 4.5 TFL and 2 sacks last year. The job is his for another year.

Back Up: Reuben Johnson - Johnson was a corner in 2010 but was moved to nickle for last year. He missed action for two different stretches, one at the start of the year and one in the middle. It's unlikely that Johnson will unseat Williams.

Safeties

Starters: Drew Frey and Arryn Chenault - Frey is back for his 10,000th year in red and black and is coming off a phenomenal season a year ago. He had a rough start, particularly against Tennessee, but he rebounded in a big way and is unassailable at Free Safety. Chenault is the odds on favorite to replace Richardson. His name isn't there in permanent ink yet, but it's penciled in and underlined. Chenault plays the game like Richardson, but is more gifted athletically.

Back Ups: Adrian Witty and Malcolm Murray - Purely speculative here. Both were in competition with Chenault for the starting job at strong. Obviously both lost out. Still I would feel comfortable with either guy back there in a pinch.

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Cincinnati Spring Game | What To Watch For

Matt Opper — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:25:35 -0000

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Tomorrow is Bearcat Bowl VI. Just for a refresher the start time is 4PM at Nippert Stadium. Not that anyone who has managed to find this blog needs to be refreshed, still custom is custom. Almost all of the talk about spring Football has revolved around the Quarterback position and who will replace Zach Collaros. It has been framed by the coaches and the media as a "competition" between Munchie Leguax, Brendon Kay, and Patrick Coyne. It hasn't actually been a competition since mid March. Barring injury or a meltdown of catastrophic proportions Munchie will be taking the snaps against Pitt to start the season. But that doesn't mean that there aren't position battles to pay attention to in BB6.

The biggest piece from the 2011 offense that has to be replaced isn't Zach Collaros, it's Isaiah Pead. Pead always brought a level of athleticism and big play explosiveness that was hard to match. But as a Senior he learned how to grind out tough yards and that made him a complete back. Right now three guys are vying to replaced iPead, George Winn, Jameel Poteat and Ralph Abernathy IV. No matter what happens in the spring game those three guys will head into the season splitting carries more or less equally.

Receiver will continue to be the strength of the skill position groups with the top three at the end of the year (Anthony McClung, Kenbrell Thompkins and Alex Chisum) all coming back, not to mention two thirds of the rotation at Tight End in Travis Kelce and Blake Annen coming back. There are some guys who can push their way into the mix among the receivers and TE's, Dyjuan Lewis and Chris Moore for example, but that will be decided in the fall camp more so than in this setting.

The place to watch for changes and general chaos is along the offensive line. Regardless of what the media says the Bearcats are returning three starting offensive linemen Sean Hooey, Eric Lefeld and Austen Bujnoch. The only guy who has been 100 per cent all spring long has been Lefeld. Hooey is less than 100 percent after his ankle surgery earlier this year. Bujnoch had off season shoulder surgery as well. The three of them compose the starting Left and Right Tackles (Lefeld and Hooey) and Bujnoch will start at Guard, presumably left.

Where the intrigue lies is at the other guard spot and center where Dan Sprauge, Sam Longo, Andre Cureton, and anyone else capible of playing battle for the two remaining spots*. You can bet that the starting five will include the returning starters and two of those three in some order. The spring game means the most to those guys so pay attention to lineplay.

* My hunch is that Sprauge starts at center, Cureton at right guard. Purely a guess though.

Defensively almost everything is sorted. Coming into the spring four starters had to be replaced. Derek Wolfe and John Hughes at defensive tackle, J.K. Schaffer at Middle Linebacker and Wesley Richardson at Free Safety. Flash forward 14 practices and just one position is still up for grabs.

Camaron Beard and Jordan Stepp have been cemented as the starting tackle duo. Solomon Tentman has come all the way back from a devastating knee injury to be the man in the middle of the defense. That just leaves Free Safety to figure out. A trio of guys are competing for the spot. Malcolm Murray a JUCO transfer last season who tore his ACL and missed the majority of the season. Adrian Witty a converted corner back who is going to try and do his best Ahmad Black impression. Lastly is Pat Lambert who has been exclusively on special teams duty since losing his nickle back job to Chris Williams early in 2010.

For reference here is the spring roster


1	Kenbrell Thompkins	WR	6-1	196	SR-JC	Miami, Fla./Northwestern/El Camino CC
2	Dyjuan Lewis	WR	6-3	194	RS SO-RS	Indianapolis, Ind./Pike
4	Maalik Bomar	LB	6-1.5	220	SR-2L	Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods
4	Munchie Legaux	QB	6-4.5	203	JR-1L	New Orleans, La./Edna Karr
5	Reuben Johnson	DB	5-10	196	SR-2L	Lawnside, N.J./Winslow Township
6	Anthony McClung	WR	5-11.5	165	JR-1L	Indianapolis, Ind./Pike
7	Shaq Washington	WR	5-8.5	159	SO-HS	Maple Hts., Ohio/Maple Hts.
8	Jordan Luallen	QB	6-3	214	RS JR-TR	Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove/Georgia Tech
8	Adrian Witty	DB	5-10	177	RS SO-RS	Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach
9	Dominique Battle	DB	5-11	185	RS SR-2L	Boca Raton, Fla./American Heritage
9	Patrick Coyne	QB	6-1	233	RS FR-HS	Cincinnati, Ohio/Badin
10	Bennie Coney	QB	6-2	210	FR-HS	Plant City, Fla./Plant City
11	Deven Drane	DB	5-10.5	179	JR-1L	Plantation, Fla./Plantation
11	Brendon Kay	QB	6-4	229	RS SR-SQ	Marine City, Mich./Marine City
12	Trenton Norvell	QB	6-4	215	FR-HS	Daytona Beach, Fla./Seabreeze
13	Pat Lambert	DB	6-1	208	RS SR-2L	St. Cloud, Fla./Osceola
14	Tony Miliano	K	6-1.5	298	RS SO-RS	North Bend, Ohio/Elder
15	Chris Moore	WR	6-1	175	RS FR-HS	Tampa, Fla./Thomas Jefferson
16	Damon Julian	WR	6-2	209	SR-JC	Atco, N.J./Winslow Township/Pierce College
17	Malcolm Murray	DB	6-1	195	SR-JC	Glendale, Calif./Junipero Serra/Mount SAC
18	Travis Kelce	TE	6-6	255	RS SR-1L	Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights
19	Ralph David Abernathy IV	RB	5-6.5	160	SO-HS	Atlanta, Ga./Westminster School
20	Chris Williams	DB	5-11	180	SR-2L	Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods
21	Camerron Cheatham	DB	5-8.5	195	RS SR-2L	Kalamazoo, Mich./Central
22	Jameel Poteat	RB	5-10	202	SO-HS	Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt
23	Chris Burrell	RB	5-7	170	SO-TR	Westwood, N.J./Don Bosco Prep/Temple
24	John Lloyd	P	6-1.5	238	RS SO-RS	Cincinnati, Ohio/CHCA
25	Arryn Chenault	DB	6-0	197	JR-1L	Cincinnati, Ohio/Fairfield
26	A.J. Fleak	K	6-1	231	RS FR-HS	Sunbury, Ohio/Big Walnut
26	Drew Frey	DB	6-3	200	RS SR-2L	Wilmington, Ohio/Clinton-Massie
27	Trenier Orr	DB	5-11	180	RS FR-HS	Winter Garden, Fla./Ocoee
29	Rob Rice	RB	5-10	178	RS FR-RS	Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas
30	Aaron Roberson	DB	5-11	183	SR-1L	Maple Heights, Ohio/Chanel/Gannon
31	Deionte Buckley	RB	5-9	195	FR-HS	Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central
32	George Winn	RB	5-11	198	RS SR-2L	Southfield, Mich./U. of Detroit Jesuit
33	Solomon Tentman	LB	6-2	222	RS SO-RS	Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon
34	Pat O'Donnell	P	6-5	217	JR-1L	Lakeworth, Fla./Palm Beach Central
35	Eric Ernst	P	6-.5	177	RS FR-HS	Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas
35	Josh Russ	TE	6-5	231	RS FR-RS	Elyria, Ohio/Elyria Catholic
36	Marcus Foster	DB	6-1	190	FR-HS	Troy, Ohio/Troy
38	Adam Fearing	RB	5-9	182	SR-SQ	Dayton, Ohio/Carroll
39	Demitri Beal	DB	5-10.5	188	RS SO-RS	Pembroke Park, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna
40	Kevin Brown	DB	6-1	195	FR-HS	Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central
41	Kevin Hyland	LB	6-1.5	219	RS FR-HS	Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder
43	Nick Temple	LB	5-10	215	SO-HS	Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central
44	Corey Mason	LB	6-2.5	229	RS SO-RS	Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder
46	Mitch Meador	LB	6-4	270	RS JR-1L	Greenwood, Ind./Whiteland Community
47	Colin Lozier	LB	6-0	220	SR-2L	Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain
48	Matt Staubach	TE	6-5	247	RS FR-HS	Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas
49	Anthony King	RB	5-11	206	JR-HS	Chicago, Ill./Ayersville
50	Innocent Macha	LB	5-11.5	216	SO-HS	Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon
51	Greg Blair	LB	6-2	240	SR	Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley/Lackawanna CC
52	Dwight Jackson	LB	6-1	213	SO-HS	Miami, Fla./Miami Central
54	Walter Stewart	DL	6-4.5	248	RS SR-2L	Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley
55	Roney Lozano	DL	6-1.5	272	RS SO-1L	Miami, Fla./American
56	Errol Clarke	LB	6-2	210	FR-HS	Miami, Fla./Central
57	Clemente Casseus	LB	6-1	205	SO-HS	Mirimar, Fla./Everglades
58	Brandon Mills	DL	5-10	251	RS SR-2L	Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain
60	Sam Longo	OL	6-5	289	JR-TR	Spring Valley, Ohio/Bellbrook/Ohio State
61	Kirk Willis	LS	6-2	227	RS FR-HS	Granville, Ohio/Granville
62	Cory Keebler	OL	6-6.5	286	RS SO-RS	Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota East
63	Dan Sprague	OL	6-3	278	RS JR-SQ	Worthington, OH/Kilbourne
66	Sean McClellan	OL	6-4	281	RS JR-SQ	Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller
68	Daniel Murray	OL	6-2.5	284	RS FR-HS	San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines
69	Dominic Mainello	OL	6-3	266	JR-SQ	Fort Mitchell, Ky./Beachwood
70	Brandon Mitchell	DL	6-2	320	RS FR-HS	Cincinnati, Ohio/Withrow
71	Eric Lefeld	OL	6-6	285	RS SO-RS	Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater
74	Justin Murray	OL	6-5	245	SO-HS	Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore
75	Kevin Schloemer	OL	6-6.5	303	SO-RS	Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota West
76	Austen Bujnoch	OL	6-4.5	274	RS JR-1L	Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder
77	Sean Hooey	OL	6-9	298	SR-1L	Litchfield, Mich./Hillsdale
78	Parker Ehinger	OL	6-7	278	RS FR-HS	Rockford, Mich./Rockford
79	Andre Cureton	OL	6-5.5	299	RS JR-1L	Indianapolis, Ind./Pike
80	Alex Chisum	WR	6-2.5	178	SO-HS	Fayetteville, Ga./Sandy Creek
81	DeShawn Dowdy	TE	6-4	222	FR-HS	Akron, Ohio/North
82	Max Morrison	WR	6-1	166	RS FR-HS	Kenton, Ohio/Kenton
83	Danny Milligan	WR	5-8.5	172	RS SR-1L	Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier
85	Bruce Horner	WR	6-1	172	RS SR-1L	Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison
86	Blake Annen	TE	6-5	258	RS JR-1L	Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington
89	Demetrius Richardson	TE	6-2	243	SR-1L	Marlton, N.J./Cherokee/USMAPS
90	Camaron Beard	DL	6-5	278	RS SO-RS	Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral
91	Adam Dempsey	DL	6-2	260	SR-SQ	Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands
92	Silverberry Mouhon	DL	6-3.5	233	RS FR-HS	Norcross, Ga./Norcross
93	Brad Harrah	DL	6-5	250	RS SO-RS	Marion, Ohio/Marion Pleasant
94	Jordan Stepp	DL	6-.5	287	RS JR-1L	Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis
95	Jonathan Burt	DL	6-3	248	FR-HS	Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central
96	Josh Posley	DL	6-2	238	FR-HS	Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central
97	Chad Hannah	DL	6-5.5	218	RS FR-HS	Tampa, Fla./Gaither
98	Chad West	DL	6-6	240	RS FR-HS	Perry, Ohio/Perry
99	Dan Giordano	DL	6-4	261	RS SR-2L	Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East

Cincinnati Bearcats Link Jump Off | April 4th

Matt Opper — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:00:22 -0000

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Bearcats Nation continutes to run down the position groups. Yesterday was the corners today the safeties. Drew Frey has locked up one spot. The other is up for grabs. Chris projects Pat Lambert to replace Wesley Richardson at free safety. Not a chance. Lambert was given a shot as the starting Nickle in 2010. Outside of his play against Fresno State, which was decent, he was a bit of a dumpster fire. Chris Williams replaced him as the starting Nickle after the North Carolina State game, and the secondary improved. The fact that he has been contained to special teams since speaks volumes about his playing ability.

Lambert has the physical talent to be productive but he hasn't put it all together. Nor will he. I fully realize that the exact same statement could be said about Drew Frey after 2010. The difference is that Frey had the chance to work through his issues and has become, against all odds a strength of this defense. Lambert won't get that chance because for one there was no one to even challenge Frey while he struggled. He was winning the job unopposed. Lambert has competition from Malcolm Murray who is coming off an ACL tear and Adrian Witty who has been moved over from corner. The Witty move is illuminating. I don't think for a second he would have been moved to safety if the staff was comfortable with Lambert as the starter. And lastly its not helping his cause that his biggest advocate on the top floor of the Lindner Center (read: Kerry Coombs) is gone-

The Basketball Team
wound up in the final top 25 poll of the year at 18. I am in no mood/position to bitch about the ranking. UC did beat 5 of the teams ranked above them this year. UC also had more wins against teams that were ranked at the time of the meeting (8) than anyone else in the country. But where UC is ranked this year is a sideshow.

Its fare more important for the Bearcats to be ranked because of the symbolism of being ranked. It's impossible to say at this point that UC isn't back. Not back to the heights of 1998-2002. But back among the best programs in the nation, a position, a standard of living if you will that was maintained throughout the 90's and early 00's. Oh and it's officially impossible at this point to bitch about Mick Cronin being somehow not good enough. He might not be the best coach in the country, but he is damn good-

The Bearcat Bowl VI format
has been announced and it will be a regular game. Well sort of. Unlike in years past under Jones the format calls for a game rather than a glorified or actual scrimmage. But the other difference is that the squad won't be broken up into a white and a black team, as has been customary for as long as I have been going to the things. Instead it will be offense vs defense. Which presumably means best on best, which is fine by me. Keep in mind that last year Butch said that he wouldn't go have a spring game until he felt that he had the depth to make the "game" worthwhile. Take this as an indication that he likes the depth of this years team-

Video(s) of Interest

Et Cetera

Butch Jones interview after yesterday's practice...Nippert panorama from yesterday's practice...Bearcats third at Marsh Landing Invite...Susan Seaton honored as coach of the year...Harpenau named Sportswoman Of The Year, a richly deserved honor...There are four programs making the leap to the FBS level in 2012. Hard to beleive that any of them have nicer facilities than South Alabama...Oregon's new academic center has pictures of Phil Knight In the women's bathrooms. And they look as creepy as that last sentence sounded...Good year for Baylor no?...Gotta love a hard core foreign policy treatise that makes an allusion to Dr. Strangelove.