Bearcats vs Tigress

[waterhead]

I have been a huge Bearcat BB fan for almost 25 years now. With the recent success of football I have also become a die hard fan. The football board seems to have gone AWOL recently so I thought the players and coaches deserved a little more forum support. It's been crickets in here. I feel like some fans already quit...but I don't think the players deserve that or even the coaches for that matter.

Let's go Bearcats!! I will be watching. I am a realist who leans toward looking at things optimistically. We have been playing pretty good D this year for the most part and we have our QB playing more like he did last season. I still need more data to decide how this season is going to end. I feel like we have played 3 pretty poor games and 4 pretty good games. We haven't had great opponents but our players have also dealt with some pretty tough blows regarding death and season ending injuries. Now is the time to give them your full support IMO.

We have been spoiled as fans with great football for a while now. I can think of a time when most Bearcat fans would have been very happy at 5-2. I can also remember Jones' first year which was tough to watch...but that turned out OK and this season has the potential to be a lot better.

Tonight's game will tell me a lot about whether we have turned a corner towards consistency. If we win by a decent margin I will remain optimistic about turning in a good season. If we lose I will temper my expectations for the rest of the year but I will not stop watching and rooting.

OK...off my soapbox...

 

[david aka the TYZ]

I'm with you, I've started threads on the last few games and got no responses. I'm still rooting them on. Upset about the midweek game. Will be hard to get to bed by 8 with the game going past 11. Same problem with Bengals tomorrow. Difference is I'm too die-hard of a fan to miss the Bearcat game. I hope to be asleep by time the Bengals kick-off.

I think their play has been much improved over the last two games. We've played horrible, horrible teams all year and tonight is no different. I'm most interested to see how we look in a road game. The road has not been kind to the Bearcats this year.

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

Might watch some if I get a chance after dinner, more excited about an exhibition game on Saturday than watching this game tough. That is how pathetic the schedule has been. At least there will be some decent teams coming up...better win this one tonight or bowl eligibility is unlikely.

 

[UCalum08]

Might watch some if I get a chance after dinner, more excited about an exhibition game on Saturday than watching this game tough. That is how pathetic the schedule has been. At least there will be some decent teams coming up...better win this one tonight or bowl eligibility is unlikely.

Think about how bad it will be next year. The schedule is awful and the games will be a PBS. Woof.

 

[UCalum08]

We have dominated this first half but yet we are up only 7 points. Just hard to watch this team, especially on the road. How much longer do we have to watch Miliano suck it up?! My goodness has he regressed.

 

[nparker1]

personally, i do found myself feeling guilty of my lack of enthusiasm and attention to the football program...i gave up my season tix with the mindset of transferring my funds to the bball program...however, i do not feel as though my interests tempered on their own or without any reason...this team is very difficult to watch...the Pistol offense is dated and predictable at times...the previous two coaches, kelly and butch, oozed excitement and energy...the new coach is bland and seemingly lethargic...TT did his job and got the donors' money for Nippert and since then, there is no energy...

as i stay up watching this team struggle against Memphis, i do not question my loyalty or support...with the hiring of TT, i said that i really hoped he would not set this football program back years after it had made such great strides over the last half-decade...unfortunately, it appears as though this is somewhat coming to fruition...i will continue to watch and support my Bearcats, but i personally do/will not post when there is nothing exciting to talk about...

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

First time seeing this team since USF and they are still bad. Still wondering how Tuberville took supposedly the most talented roster in a decade and ran it into the ground. Seriously, how are they this bad?

 

[Scheids21]

Count me in the group that says this team must have been overhyped, like Butch's first year. I don't think TT set us back at all. At the very least, this team will go to a bowl game. There are plenty of things that set the program back (such as having to stay in the AAC) but I don't think you put those on TT's shoulders.

Could it be this team just does not know how to play on the road? I know they haven't played anyone at home, but they have destroyed them all. And when we play garbage teams on the road, we struggle. So four games left, we have SMU and Louisville at home and Houston and Rutgers on the road. Suddenly, this looks like a tall task. At this point, I would take a home/road split finishing 8-4, knocking off a top 15 team in Louisville, and head to a bowl game with some momentum for next season.

 

[waterhead]

Here are some things that are holding us back from blowing out opponents. We clearly have the talent to do it. We won the game so congrats to the players.

They started off the game passing the ball and moving it effectively and then basically abandoned the pass for the run. why? There MUST be a reason. I think it is possible TT doesn't want Kay to go down and is willing to eek out wins if he has to until he needs Kay against better opponents. Kay did take some shots last night from Memphis D. It may be like Cash Wright in BB...Cronin was limited with what he could do because he didn't want to risk Cash being out.

Penalties. TT has to discipline his players better in this regard. There is no excuse for this.

Kicking. What's up with Miliano?

Play calling? We clearly have the ability to open the game up and have at times...but it's obvious the coaches PREFER ball control and running. that's fine if we can do it effectively...but we really can't. When we have to open it up they will use it...but we keep letting teams in the game by not using our high octane offense and also making huge mistakes. If they must run the ball at least get creative with it. They are way too predictable with their formations.

Questionable decisions. I did not like the pooch punt call when we were on the wrong side of the field. That one hurt us. We had an early 4th down we went for and missed. I would have passed the ball or taken a FG...but we have Miliano kicking. TT likes to go for it...eh...OK...but he thinks we are a better running team than we actually are.

The great thing is everything on this list can be fixed with the possible exception of making the kicker better. We won the game so I will extend my optimism for another game that we can fix some of these issues.

 

[ucswais]

Might watch some if I get a chance after dinner, more excited about an exhibition game on Saturday than watching this game tough. That is how pathetic the schedule has been. At least there will be some decent teams coming up...better win this one tonight or bowl eligibility is unlikely.

UC will probably be double digit favorites next week against SMU. Even if they somehow lost that game at Nippert, they would have 3 more shots at the last win. The odds of UC making a bowl game even had they lost to Memphis were not only likely, they were nearly a lock.

Anyway, if the Bearcats are going to stay above water and not get drug down by the conference nonsense, they just HAVE to take care of business in games like this on the road. They did it last night and haven't done it twice already this season. I think the team is better than the results have shown though and I think we could have a good finish coming.

2 areas though that I didn't expect to be weaknesses are special teams and Oline and both have been a problem most of the year. That has really hurt UC and it's unlikely to get fixed in the next 4 weeks. Hopefully, it is something that will be addressed in the offseason.

 

[Cataclysmo]

The reason no one comes to this board to talk football is because some of you are calling this team the regression of UC football to irrellevance after a win, and a 6-2 start. They dominated Memphis in every aspect besides the score, and have done so at every home game this year. While they have looked poor on the road, they still have flashed potential, yet the most cynical of football fans choose to believe the football program is torched. I don't get it. Maybe when we are 6-6, we can talk about regression.......but for now, just support the team dammit, or don't call yourself a UC football fan.

 

[handwaver]

The reason no one comes to this board to talk football is because some of you are calling this team the regression of UC football to irrellevance after a win, and a 6-2 start. They dominated Memphis in every aspect besides the score, and have done so at every home game this year. While they have looked poor on the road, they still have flashed potential, yet the most cynical of football fans choose to believe the football program is torched. I don't get it. Maybe when we are 6-6, we can talk about regression.......but for now, just support the team dammit, or don't call yourself a UC football fan.

Some of the problem is that it's hard to get excited about a team that has two losses against competition that is collectively (minus their UC games) 6-39 (don't know or care about Northwestern State)
The victories are a bit hollow and the losses are embarrassing

 

[Robert]

This schedule has just been brutally bad. I could accept 7-1 with a close loss to Illinois, but that USF game just really sucked the life out of me. The Bearcats are my team, but UC football has always been 4th to the basketball team, Bengals, and Reds for me. I'm trying to be more supportive, but as a kid growing up in the '90s, our football program was pretty irrelevant and I only watched the basketball team. I think many of us might be in the same boat. We're working on it... I think I would be a whole lot more excited if we were in the ACC or Big 12, but I realize that's not a good excuse.

 

[Robert]

I also should mention that I have just never enjoyed the college game that much, regardless of the teams on the television. I much prefer watching the NFL.

 

[JumpinJack5]

The reason no one comes to this board to talk football is because some of you are calling this team the regression of UC football to irrellevance after a win, and a 6-2 start. They dominated Memphis in every aspect besides the score, and have done so at every home game this year. While they have looked poor on the road, they still have flashed potential, yet the most cynical of football fans choose to believe the football program is torched. I don't get it. Maybe when we are 6-6, we can talk about regression.......but for now, just support the team dammit, or don't call yourself a UC football fan.

It's called unrealistic expectations. You cannot expect us to go undefeated every season, but our fans have been spoiled with BK and BJ. Many forget we were 4-8 in BJ's first season as our coach. No matter how weak the schedule is, anytime you have a brand new staff who had to throw together a recruiting class in a matter of weeks, you are going to struggle a bit. 6-2 is very good and if we can finish 9-3 or 8-4, I'd say it was a good year. In the end, a win is a win and a loss is a loss, no matter who you play. If you get 8-9 wins, you had a very solid year.

 

[Bearcat_NTS]

It's called unrealistic expectations. You cannot expect us to go undefeated every season, but our fans have been spoiled with BK and BJ. Many forget we were 4-8 in BJ's first season as our coach. No matter how weak the schedule is, anytime you have a brand new staff who had to throw together a recruiting class in a matter of weeks, you are going to struggle a bit. 6-2 is very good and if we can finish 9-3 or 8-4, I'd say it was a good year. In the end, a win is a win and a loss is a loss, no matter who you play. If you get 8-9 wins, you had a very solid year.

The schedule is rated 152. That is below FCS teams. I don't think I have ever seen a schedule this bad. UC football is a joke this year.

 

[Cataclysmo]

The schedule is rated 152. That is below FCS teams. I don't think I have ever seen a schedule this bad. UC football is a joke this year.

Simple solution, don't call yourself a UC football fan then. If you can't support a 6-2 team during the bad times, then its best to just stick to basketball.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

The team has improved as the season has gone on and most importantly the coach has adjusted to his personnel rather than just stick with his style regardless. I think our biggest problem has been the injury to the center before the season starting and having to insert a redshirt freshman to start in his place. Combine that with an undersized running back in Abernathy and running the ball up the middle has been nearly impossible. Tuberville is what he is. He runs more of a pro-style approach and running comes first for him. He has gone away from that some and run some more spread-type looks, but any offense will struggle if they can't establish a running game. Penalties have killed us as well. While alot of that falls on the coach to discipline his team, this was a big problem under Butch Jones and I don't know if we're seeing a hangover from his lack of discipline in that regard. Bottom line though it is Tuberville's team now and he needs to get it cleaned up. I'm looking forward to seeing the improved talent Tuberville can bring in and if that translates to success on the field. I'll agree that this year has been lackluster as far as hype. Other than a home game vs. Purdue there really hasn't been a reason to get hyped up about any game we've played. This is Cincinnati and for whatever reason as a whole our citizens need to be given a reason to cheer/support a team. I get it if a team sucks or doesn't commit to winning, but neither of those apply to this team.

 

[waterhead]

The schedule is rated 152. That is below FCS teams. I don't think I have ever seen a schedule this bad. UC football is a joke this year.

The schedule is what it is. I don't get the constant harping on things that can't be changed. What do you want them to do...improve the schedule on the fly? Maybe the SEC will invite us to join and finish out the season with them.

I think the biggest joke is that unfortunatley Cincy has an inordinantly large portion of pessimistic over-reacting fan base. A lot of drama queens and toddler tantrums in both BB and FB. It's a shame that our players and recruits have to endure it...unless of course we are having a spectacular year...and even then...many of our fans will find something negative to point out.

 

[JumpinJack5]

The schedule is rated 152. That is below FCS teams. I don't think I have ever seen a schedule this bad. UC football is a joke this year.

Tuberville didn't make this schedule, you know. When the schedule was made, Illinois was decent and we had OSU scheduled. Can't control the schedule when you are a new coach, and you will have a few bad games when you are trying to get the players to adjust. They are playing much better right now and should finish the year out strong. You aren't a true fan if you only root for undefeated Brian Kelly UC teams. This team is solid and they had 2 bad games, so what.