2010 NCAA Football Preview: Cincinnati
Losing a key player or players is tough to handle; losing a coach is as well. Having to handle losing both a key player and coach is something no team really wants to do.
For the Cincinnati Bearcats that is exactly what they will be faced with in 2010. Head coach Brian Kelly has left for greener pastures- more specifically the Irish green pastures of Notre Dame. Tony Pike has moved onto the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.
Replacing Kelly is Butch Jones. Jones comes to the Bearcats after three years as the head man at Central Michigan. In three years he led the team to three winning seasons and three bowl games. The 2009 season was his best; the Chippewas finished with an 11-2 record and won only their second bowl game in school history (Jones has already departed for Cincinnati). They also finished the season ranked 25th in the Associated Press Poll.
In Cincinnati, Jones inherits a team that has grown accustomed to winning. Over the last decade they have been to eight bowl games. Even though he will have to break in a new quarterback, there is no reason to think that the Bearcats will not be competing for a top 25 slot once again.
Offence
Despite their losses, the Bearcats should not miss a beat in 2010.
Departing QB Tony Pike was a solid player, but his replacement Zach Collaros should do just fine as the new starter. The Bearcats got a preview of his abilities last season when he started in four games, all victories. In four games he never completed less than 70% of his passes and averaged over 300 yards. If he can maintain that over the course of an entire season like the Bearcats expect then he could also end up being in some Heisman debates late in the year.
Like any quarterback he will need his skill players to look good so that he can. With three returning, (four if you include all-conference tight end Ben Guidugli) that should not be a problem. Senior (and all conference player) Armon Binns returns to lead the wide receivers. Last season he caught 61 balls for 888 yards and 11 touchdowns and will be looking to improve on that in order to increase his chances of getting drafted. Binns will also be the likely recipient of a lot of the balls that went to Marty Gilyard last season.
Isaiah Pead returns to run the ball for the pass happy offence. Considering that the team looked to pass first and run much later he did well accumulating 806 yards in 121 carries with nine touchdowns. Unlike Tony Pike, Collaros is a run threat as well; on the season (mostly in four games) he ran the ball 57 times for 344 yards and four touchdowns.
Defence
While the team was not great on defence they were not bad either; then again, when you have an offence like they had in 2009.
The unit only returns five starters scattered across the front line, linebackers, and secondary. Only Derek Wolfe returns on the front line. Last season he had 41 tackles and 5 sacks, good numbers for a player that is more intended to take on blockers and free the linebackers up to make plays. He will likely be joined by Dan Giordano and John Hughes; Brandon Mills should get a fair amount of playing time as well.
Two of the starting linebackers return in inside man J.K. s******r and outside backer Walter Stewart. No one has stood out yet as likely starters for the open spots, but Demetrius Jones and Dorian Davis will get time.
Butch Jones will have his work cut out for him with replacing the holes on defence, but his powerful offence will easily be able to give whoever does play on defence time to gel before they get to the tough part of the schedule.
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