The Cincinnati Bearcats held their team banquet this afternoon and announced several well deserved postseason awards.
UC didn’t exactly live up to the fans’ expectations. I myself pegged them a 10-win team at a minimum. Never in my life have I ever been so disastrously wrong. The Bearcats instead finished with a 7-5 record, never beat an opponent with a better record, were routinely listless defensively, including a 65-27 blowout against South Florida, and wound up in a lower tier bowl game against San Diego State.
But that doesn’t take away from the several outstanding individual performances from Bearcats players this year, including Shaq Washington, who broke Mardy Gilyard’s career reception record and took home a MVP award. So too did Silverberry Mouhon on the defensive side of the ball.
Here’s the full press release from UC.
"CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati football team announced its 2015 team awards on Sunday at its annual end-of-season banquet. The highlights includedSilverberry Mouhon and Shaq Washington collecting the Claude Rost Sr. MVP Awards for defense and offense, respectively.The Bearcats are in the midst of preparing for their ninth bowl game in 10 years and school-record fifth straight. UC takes on San Diego State in the Hawai’i Bowl in Honolulu on Dec. 24 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN).// CLAUDE ROST SR. MVP AWARDSWashington (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) was one of the top receivers in UC history. He set a school record with 238 career receptions, while his 2,552 career receiving yards rank second all-time. He also caught a program-best 88 passes in 2015. Those 88 grabs went for 971 yards and six touchdowns, highlighted by six 100-yard performances and a UC single-game record 15 receptions at East Carolina. He earned second team All-American Athletic Conference honors for his efforts. It marks the second consecutive year Washington has been named the Claude Rost Sr. Offensive MVPMouhon (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) was a constant in a UC defense riddled with injuries. He made 4.5 sacks, bringing his career total to 19 sacks, fifth all-time at UC. He totaled 38 tackles, 7.0 going for a loss. Like Washington, he was a second team All-American Athletic Conference selection.// C-CLUB STROTHMAN AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCEMekale McKay (Louisville, Ky./Moore/Arkansas) led a group of 20 UC athletes who received degrees in Fall 2015 Commencement Exercises on Saturday. He graduated with a degree in Health Education – Public and Community health while boasting a grade-point average of 3.4. He has made the Bearcats Honor Roll for posting at least a 3.00 semester GPA on three occasions, while he was a Dean’s List selection in spring of 2015 thanks to a GPA of at least 3.40. On the field, McKay played in all but one game on the year, making 25 catches for 494 yards and a pair of touchdowns.// JIM KELLY SPIRIT AWARDSThe Jim Kelly Spirit Award is given annually to a student-athlete on offense and defense who best represent the ideals of former UC letterwinner, administrator and coach Jim Kelly, Sr. Offensive lineman Chad West (Perry, Ohio/Perry) and cornerback Leviticus Payne (Southfield, Mich./Southfield) both received the honor for their leadership and positive impact on the sidelines.// NEWCOMERS OF THE YEARQuarterback Hayden Moore (Clay, Ala./Clay-Chalkville) was named Offensive Newcomer of the Year. The redshirt freshman saw action in eight games and made a pair of starts, making sure the UC offense didn’t miss a beat with injuries to Gunner Kiel. Moore totaled 1,683 passing yards and eight touchdowns on the year. He set a school record with 557 passing yards at Memphis, adding four touchdowns, while also leading the Bearcats to a win over Miami (Fla.) thanks to 22-33 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns.Fellow redshirt freshman Cortez Broughton (Warner Robins, Ga./Veterans) earned Defensive Newcomer of the Year. The defensive tackle started 10 games and played in all but one with a total of 26 tackles (1.5 for a loss). He twice recorded five tackles in games against Miami (Ohio) and Tulsa, while recording four in the effort at league champion Houston.// BRIG OWENS OUTSTANDING BACK AWARDSHosey Williams (Miami, Fla./Southridge/ASA College) earned the Brig Owens Outstanding Back Award on the offensive side of the ball. The senior finished as the team’s leading rusher with 725 yards on 129 rushes and four touchdowns. His 5.6 yards per rush ranked third in The American. He had a career-best 140 yards with a touchdown against UConn, while he ran 11 times for 80 yards and a touchdown against Miami (Fla.).On the other side, Zach Edwards (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) collected the Brig Owens Outstanding Back Award. The junior was second on the team with 87 tackles, while adding three interceptions and a forced fumble. He recorded multiple tackles in all 12 games on the year, highlighted by a season-best 12 against Tulsa. He also recorded 11 tackles and an interception at No. 18 Houston. For his efforts, Edwards was named Honorable Mention All-American Athletic Conference.// JOHN PEASE OUTSTANDING LINEMEN AWARDSParker Ehinger (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) started all 12 games on an offensive line which paved the way for one of the most prolific offenses in school history. The senior helped the UC offense rank among the league’s top five teams in scoring offense (36.1 points per game), total offense (559.4 yards per game), rushing offense (186.3 yards per game), passing offense (373.1 yards per game), first downs (29.6 per game) and third-down conversions (51.6-percent). He was Cincinnati’s lone first team selection on the all-conference lists.Alex Pace (Cleveland, Ohio/Ginn Academy) appeared in all 12 games on the defensive line, starting all but one contest. He recorded 26 tackles on the year, including 4.5 for loss. The junior made three tackles in five different games on the year while helping provide stability for a UC defense which overcame multiple injuries throughout the season.// MOST VALUABLE LINEBACKERCincinnati’s leading tackler on the season, Eric Wilson (Redford, Mich./Thurston/Northwestern) was named the team’s Most Valuable Linebacker. Wilson totaled 103 tackles while playing in all 12 games and earning second team All-American Athletic Conference honors. He added 3.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries, two quarterback hurries and two pass break-ups. The junior was Defensive Player of the Week in The American after he made 18 tackles, nine solo, in the victory at Miami (Ohio). He also twice recorded 14 tackles in a game, both victories over Miami (Fla.) and Tulsa.// MOST VALUABLE RECEIVERChris Moore (Tampa, Fla./Thomas Jefferson) led the UC receiving corps with seven touchdowns on the year, while totaling 39 catches for 823 yards. He averaged an outstanding 21.1 yards per catch which ranked eighth nationally and second in the conference. The senior holds the school record with 26 career touchdown receptions, a mark he set against USF in his native Tampa, Florida. He had a pair of touchdown catches among a season-best six receptions for 140 yards in the effort at Houston, while his top game of the year in terms of yardage came at Memphis to the tune of 153 yards on five catches. It marks the second straight Most Valuable Receiver Award for Moore.// SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEARKicker Andrew Gantz (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville) collected Special Teams Player of the Year honors after leading UC in scoring (111 points) thanks to going 48-49 on point-after attempts and 21-27 on field goals. Gantz ranked 17th nationally with 9.3 points per game, while he had a long field goal of 51 yards in the victory over Miami (Fla.). In the 19-16 season finale victory at East Carolina, Gantz connected from 50 yards before going on to kick a game-winning 42-yard field goal as time expired, earning American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. He drilled his first 48-point after attempts before missing at ECU. For his efforts on the year, Gantz was a second team all-conference pick, while this also marks the the second straight year he has been named UC’s Special Teams Player of the Year.// SCOUT TEAM PLAYERS OF THE YEARFranklin Bruscianelli (Woodridge, Ill./Montini Catholic) was named the top player on the defensive scout team. The linebacker helped mirror the opponent’s defense each week in practice as UC prepared for that week’s game. He also saw the field in game action for the first time since one appearance in 2013. He recorded three tackles, including one solo. Deionte Buckley (Indianapolis, Ind./Indiana State) collected offensive scout team player of the year honors. The tight end is a product of Warren Central High School and saw action in 2012 at UC before transferring to Indiana State. He returned to the Bearcats this season and was instrumental in helping the defense prepare each week.2015 CINCINNATI FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERSOFFENSIVE SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEARDeionte BuckleyDEFENSIVE SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEARFranklin BruscianelliC-CLUB STROTHMAN AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCEMekale McKayJIM KELLY SPIRIT AWARDOffense – Chad WestDefense – Leviticus PayneNEWCOMER OF THE YEAROffense: Hayden MooreDefense: Cortez BroughtonBRIG OWENS OUTSTANDING BACK AWARDOffense – Hosey WilliamsDefense – Zach EdwardsSPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEARAndrew GantzMOST VALUABLE LINEBACKEREric WilsonMOST VALUABLE RECEIVERChris MooreJOHN PEASE OUTSTANDING LINEMAN AWARDOffense: Parker EhingerDefense: Alex PaceCLAUDE ROST SR. MVP AWARDDefense: Silverberry MouhonOffense: Shaq Washington"