September 12th Roll Out
By Chris Bains
If Time magazine was going to choose a picture of the year, this would be it:
Cincinnati’s Shaq Thomas Cleared
Huge news out of the NCAA today as Shaq Thomas has been cleared to enroll at Cincinnati this year. The only stipulation is that he has to sit out the first quarter of basketball which ends on December 10th. Presumably, he can enroll in classes immediately as he is currently packing his bags for Cincy as I type. When he’s available to play beginning on December 11th he would have missed only about a month of basketball games. I’m assuming he can practice with the team and just not play. At least that’s what the glass-half-full side of me wants to believe. Either way, this is good news for the Bearcats who were possibly looking at having Shaq suspended for the entire season and not even being allowed with to join the team at all.
Cincinnati went 2-for-4 in Paul Dehner’s pregame goals for the Bearcats against the Volunteers last Saturday. Again the defensive needed to feed off of the defensive line’s ability in getting to Tyler Bray. With no sacks or quarterback hurries, he was given plenty of time to pick apart the Bearcats’ secondary. Looking back, the coaching staff should have recognized the lack of a pass rush early and started sending the speedy Maalik Bomar and/or J.K. Schaffer to crash the gaps. It would have taken 2 players out of coverage but leaving them there wasn’t getting it done from a pass defense standpoint.
Other UC Stuff
The Week Ahead: Busy Weekend on Campus
Vol Football Report: Three Stops Key in UT Win Over Cincinnati
Men’s Golf Opens Season Monday at Marshall Invitational
DeNormandie Earns Big East Rookie of the Week Accolades
Grause Named Big East Rookie of the Week
Recruiting
Cincinnati Bearcats Football Recruit Round Up: Week 3
Sounds like future UC quarterback Bennie Coney threw for three touchdowns in 29 – 7 route. He’s been looking very impressive so far in his senior year. Another offensive standout, Jeremy Graves had two touchdowns as he continues to be a threat for Maple Heights. On defense, the secondary commits Kevin Brown, Andre Jones, and Drake Bruns and forcing interceptions and fumbles left and right.
BEast News
Unusual family life pushes Rutgers receiver to new heights
Crazy story about Mohammed Sanu’s mother and her transition from war torn Sierra Leone to the United States. She left two of her oldest sons behind in Africa to make the journey. It’s just an incredible story and one that makes you root for Sanu no matter your college affiliation as he hopes to return to Africa to follow in his mother’s footsteps someday.
The Bearcats, Scarlet Knights, and Cardinals laid three big fat goose eggs last weekend. Syracuse and Pitt got the W’s but won by only a touchdown each. Over FCS schools. At home. Yea, it wasn’t pretty. But week 3 presents some solid opportunities for the Big East. Syracuse flies out to USC which will almost certainly end in a loss for the Orange but, you know, they could make a fight out of it. Maybe? Louisville gets instate rival Kentucky which the Cards better win. Pitt and West Virginia have pretty tough road games against Iowa and Maryland respectively which could go either way. Let’s hope for Big East wins in these games. Finally, UConn hosts Iowa State on Friday night which poses a solid opportunity against a school in the crumbling Big XII. Or Big IX. Or whatever.
Around the Nation
College Football’s Domino Effect – Week 2
Some good stuff here including the cushions starting to feel a little warm underneath Georgia head coach Mark Richt and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly. I’d Richt’s seat has just about burst into flames since last weekend’s loss to South Carolina. One loss won’t make or break a coach but since 2008 Georgia has gone 24 – 17 under Richt and one of those years was Matt Stafford’s senior season (10 – 3). To Brian Kelly, he’s coaching at a school where one loss CAN make or break him. Notre Dame’s fan base, alumni, and boosters can’t stand losing and if he puts up a couple of 7 – 5 or even 8 – 4 seasons. Kelly might want to consider axing Bob Diaco if he wants to keep his own job, because that guy is just terrible.
Brian Kelly takes a shot at Ohio State
Everyone knows the Big Ten’s out of conference schedule is typically loaded with MAC schools but they can afford to buy those schools off. It’s not Ohio State’s fault that Notre Dame has traditional rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, and USC every year and that those schools just happen to be very very good right now. I’m no Buckeye fan, but maybe Brian Kelly should be worrying a little more about his own team than the schedule of a school he doesn’t even play.