The fourth-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats kick
off a crucial three-game homestand this weekend, as they host the Connecticut
Huskies in Big East play at Nippert Stadium.
The Bearcats are one of the top teams in the nation, obviously, but their name
never seems to be mentioned when discussing the national title picture
despite their No.4 ranking. Cincinnati continued its terrific run last
weekend, as it posted a 28-7 victory over Syracuse, marking its seventh win by
double figures.
"I thought we came in and it was business-like in a sense," said head coach
Brian Kelly. "We got our job done and we want to get the heck out of here."
It was the 14th straight regular-season win and the eighth in a row on the
road, as Cincinnati is now just one victory away from matching the 1951 team
for the best start in school history. The Bearcats, who jumped three spots in
the most recent BCS standings to No.5, are still very much in the mix for the
national title, although West Virginia and nationally-ranked Pittsburgh still
remain on their schedule.
As for UConn, it is coming off yet another painful loss, dropping a heart-
breaker, 28-24, to Rutgers on a late 81-yard touchdown pass. The Huskies took
the lead with just 38 seconds left, but the Scarlet Knights countered on their
first play from scrimmage after the kickoff.
"It seems like the same thing," said head coach Randy Edsall. "In all of our
four losses, we just couldn't finish the game out today. It's tough to take
but it is what it is. We had the opportunity and we didn't make the play when
we needed to."
Dropping close games is something the Huskies are getting accustomed to, as
all four of their losses have come by four points or less. Losers of two
straight, UConn is now just 1-3 in the Big East and in desperate need of a win
to remain in contention for the postseason.
UConn and Cincinnati are meeting for just the sixth time, with the Bearcats
holding a 4-1 edge in the all-time series. The Huskies, however, were the lone
Big East team to defeat Cincinnati last season, posting a convincing 40-16 win
in East Hartford. That marked Cincinnati's last regular-season setback.
Offensively, the Huskies have come on over the past several weeks and are now
averaging a solid 402.2 total ypg. The success on offense, however, has come
at the expense of some loose play, as UConn has struggled with turnovers,
committing 19 on the campaign. Last weekend, the Huskies totaled 481 yards
against Rutgers, but turned the ball over four times, preventing them from
scoring more points.
Quarterback Zach Frazer accounted for three turnovers on interceptions,
although he did finish with a career-best 333 yards and one score. Frazer
stepped in after starter Cody Endres left early in the game with a shoulder
injury and he had mixed results, but did lead UConn on a 15-play, 87-yard
drive to set up the go-ahead touchdown with just 38 seconds left. Endres is
expected to miss the remainder of the season following shoulder surgery, so
the starting gig once again belongs to Frazer, who lost his job early this
year while recovering from an injury of his own. Frazer, though, has
completed just 48.3 percent of his throws with seven picks and just three
scores and he will obviously need to be more efficient if UConn is to have
success.
Taking some of the pressure off Frazer will be a solid ground attack that is
paced by the duo of Andre Dixon and Jordan Todman, who have combined for 1,367
yards and 15 touchdowns. Last weekend, the tandem totaled 117 yards on the
ground, with Todman punching in the go-head score on a two-yard run on a
fourth-and-goal situation with 38 seconds left.
UConn's defense had done a terrific job all game long and even blanked Rutgers
in the second half until the Scarlet Knights struck in shocking fashion in the
final moments. After grabbing a 24-21 lead with 38 ticks left, Rutgers'
offense got the ball on its own 19-yard line and it took just one play for the
Knights to score the game-winning points on an 81-yard touchdown pass.
"They make a good throw and a good catch but then we had a young man that took
a bad angle to the ball" said coach Edsall. "We didn't make the tackle. That
was a coverage we were playing pretty much all day long."
The Huskies had limited Rutgers to just 241 total yards prior to that play,
and the defense even forced 10 punts in a stout effort. UConn's defense has
failed to make plays in clutch situations, but the unit has done a good job
in holding opponents to just 323.0 total ypg. The defense even came up with
three sacks last weekend, helping compensate for its inability to force a
single turnover.
Lindsey Witten wasn't much of a factor for the Huskies in the loss to Rutgers,
but he has been effective for most of the season, registering 10.5 sacks and
11 TFLs to lead UConn in both categories.
Cincinnati played its second straight game without star quarterback Tony Pike
(left forearm surgery) and once again the Bearcats' offense didn't miss a
beat, rolling up 422 total yards in a 28-7 win over Syracuse. Zach Collaros
got the start in place of Pike and he was sharp yet again, hitting on 22-of-28
pass attempts for 295 yards and four touchdowns.
"I thought he was outstanding, actually," said coach Kelly. "We would have
liked things to have gone a little bit better out of the pocket, but Zach is
really good outside on the perimeter and made the big plays for us."
Collaros has done an above average job for the Bearcats this season and he has
completed 74.6 percent of his throws for 749 yards, with nine touchdowns and
just one interception. Unlike Pike, whose return this weekend is questionable,
Collaros is also a threat to run the ball and has gained 231 yards and two
scores on the ground.
Mardy Gilyard is usually the team's top option through the air, but last
weekend Armon Binns put on a show, pulling in five balls for 138 yards and two
scores. The 6-4, 200-pound Binns is a tall and physical receiver with good
speed and he has provided a nice complement to Gilyard with 523 yards and six
score on the campaign. He is still the second option however, as Gilyard is
one of the top receivers around, leading Cincinnati with 53 catches, 736 yards
and eight touchdowns.
Cincinnati's opportunistic defense was in full force this past weekend,
holding Syracuse to 283 total yards and forcing a pair of turnovers in the
red-zone. Drew Frey picked off a pass in the end zone to keep Syracuse from
scoring, while Derek Wolfe recovered a fumble on first-and-goal that stopped
the Orange offense.
"Two big plays obviously, with the first being the interception in the end
zone when Syracuse was driving to tie the game," said coach Kelly. " Then, the
stripped fumble. We were fortunate in this game that our defense made two big
plays."
The defense has risen to the occasion time after time and has used 14
interceptions and 29 sacks to limiting opposing clubs to a mere 12.9 ppg. Alex
Daniels leads the Bearcats with 5.5 sacks on the campaign, while J.K. Schaffer
and Aaron Webster are tied for the team-lead with three interceptions apiece.
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