Spring practice always provides a fresh start for football players and coaches after a few months away from the field.
At the University of Cincinnati this year, it's also serving to wipe away what remains of the bitter taste from its 51-27 loss to Florida in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
The players have embraced new coach Butch Jones and are too busy pursuing a third straight Big East championship to sit around fretting about what happened on New Year's Day in New Orleans.
But if you ask them about it, the emotions come bubbling up and are now being channeled as motivation for next season.
"It was a humbling experience," said wide receiver Armon Binns. "It showed us that we can't let the situation of what was going on around us bring us apart. We have to come together in times of turmoil and stay close-knit, like we are now.
"I feel like we could have played with them. It wasn't that they were that much better than us. Our heads just weren't in it. There was a lot going on."
Tight end Ben Guidugli said it took him an entire month to get over the Sugar Bowl defeat.
"I was definitely sick for about the whole month of January," Guidugli said, "and then learning this new stuff and getting in the weight room actually helped everything out. Everybody can come back and start over fresh. I knew we were better than what we showed. Everybody was like, Florida kicked your butt. It was just disappointing.
It was just weird," Guidugli said, "with the coaches not knowing where they were going and the (returning) players not knowing what to expect after that game. Everybody wasn't on the same page for that game. We made it that far and then to have everybody just kind of go their own way at the end was unfortunate, really."
The loss to Florida left UC with a 12-1 record after the Bearcats had put together a perfect regular season. It was their second straight loss in a BCS bowl game after losing in the Orange Bowl to Virginia Tech, 20-7, the previous year.
"I think it gives us a little chip on our shoulder," said linebacker JK Schaffer. "We're tired of going through the whole season winning and then ending on a bad note. We're ready to step up to the next level and get to those BCS games and win them. It definitely gives us a little bit of motivation."
To those around the Big East Conference who assume the UC program will slip a notch or two this season without Kelly, the Bearcats say they'll be in for a big surprise.
"I think this team can be better than last year," Binns said. "We've got the right guys. Guys are older. Guys are more experienced. I feel like this coaching staff is going to instill a certain kind of toughness in us that we might not have had last year."
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100330/SPT0101/3310380/1064/Bearcats+seek+fresh+start
At the University of Cincinnati this year, it's also serving to wipe away what remains of the bitter taste from its 51-27 loss to Florida in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
The players have embraced new coach Butch Jones and are too busy pursuing a third straight Big East championship to sit around fretting about what happened on New Year's Day in New Orleans.
But if you ask them about it, the emotions come bubbling up and are now being channeled as motivation for next season.
"It was a humbling experience," said wide receiver Armon Binns. "It showed us that we can't let the situation of what was going on around us bring us apart. We have to come together in times of turmoil and stay close-knit, like we are now.
"I feel like we could have played with them. It wasn't that they were that much better than us. Our heads just weren't in it. There was a lot going on."
Tight end Ben Guidugli said it took him an entire month to get over the Sugar Bowl defeat.
"I was definitely sick for about the whole month of January," Guidugli said, "and then learning this new stuff and getting in the weight room actually helped everything out. Everybody can come back and start over fresh. I knew we were better than what we showed. Everybody was like, Florida kicked your butt. It was just disappointing.
It was just weird," Guidugli said, "with the coaches not knowing where they were going and the (returning) players not knowing what to expect after that game. Everybody wasn't on the same page for that game. We made it that far and then to have everybody just kind of go their own way at the end was unfortunate, really."
The loss to Florida left UC with a 12-1 record after the Bearcats had put together a perfect regular season. It was their second straight loss in a BCS bowl game after losing in the Orange Bowl to Virginia Tech, 20-7, the previous year.
"I think it gives us a little chip on our shoulder," said linebacker JK Schaffer. "We're tired of going through the whole season winning and then ending on a bad note. We're ready to step up to the next level and get to those BCS games and win them. It definitely gives us a little bit of motivation."
To those around the Big East Conference who assume the UC program will slip a notch or two this season without Kelly, the Bearcats say they'll be in for a big surprise.
"I think this team can be better than last year," Binns said. "We've got the right guys. Guys are older. Guys are more experienced. I feel like this coaching staff is going to instill a certain kind of toughness in us that we might not have had last year."
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100330/SPT0101/3310380/1064/Bearcats+seek+fresh+start