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UCONN – CINCINNATI FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Bearcats present a number of problems for Huskies in conference match-up

By Raphielle Johnson

The most talked-about injury heading into this game has been that of Cincinnati QB Tony Pike and with good reason. They’re ranked fifth in the current BCS standings and have a chance to achieve a lot more in the final month of the regular season. But Connecticut will be without some important contributors as QB Cody Endres (shoulder), RB Robbie Frey (shoulder) are both out for the season due to injuries suffered in the loss to Rutgers. In addition to those losses there are issues to deal with, from Zach Frazer’s inconsistent play to coverage breakdowns and shoddy tackling on defense. Below is the projected two-deep for the defending Big East champion Bearcats. Game time is 8 PM and it will be telecast by ABC.

Offense

QB 12 Zach Collaros (So.) -or-
15 Tony Pike (Sr.)

RB 20 Jacob Ramsey (Sr.)
23 Isaiah Pead (So.)

TE 19 Ben Guidugli (Jr.)
8 Kazeem Alli (Sr.)

For those predicting doom for the Bearcats when Tony Pike aggravated a forearm injury from last season in their win at USF got a rather emphatic answer in that same game to the contrary. Zach Collaros turned a quarterback draw into a 75-yard touchdown run and led the Cincy offense the rest of the way in their 34-17 win over the Bulls. Since then, Collaros and company have done what they’re supposed to do, taking care of conference bottom-feeders Louisville and Syracuse.

The sophomore offers more in the way of mobility (6.9 yards per rush) than Pike, something that should be a concern for Todd Orlando’s defense given what QB Jarrett Brown was able to do in space for West Virginia a couple of weeks ago. Collaros has completed 74.6% of his passes for 749 yards, nine touchdown passes and just one interception. He pairs with the running back tandem of Ramsey and Pead to make Brian Kelly’s offense a threat on the ground even though they put the ball in the air more times than not.

Pead and Ramsey are similar backs; both are currently averaging six yards per rushing attempt and they can also catch the ball out of the backfield. Connecticut will have to be careful in covering both of these players, especially when they’re matched up with a linebacker. Each has a pair of touchdown receptions and while they won’t match the production of the likes of Mardy Gilyard, Armon Binns and D.J. Woods they must be accounted for. Of the tight ends Guidugli is the better receiver, and Alli is the one that will more than likely be in the game in short-yardage situations.

WR 3 D.J. Woods (So.)
16 Marcus Barnett (Jr.)

WR 1 Mardy Gilyard (Sr.)
87 Charley Howard (Sr.)

WR 80 Armon Binns (Jr.)
6 Jamar Howard (Jr.)

This is the area in which the Bearcats are their most lethal. Gilyard leads the way with fifty-three receptions and is also a threat in the return game. He can normally be found in the slot but look for the senior to end up just about anywhere on the field. The goal is the same here: get their guys matched with your one-on-one in space. Binns has been the breakout performer when looking at guys many didn’t know much about before the season began.

Tied for sixth in the conference in receptions per game and eighth in receiving yards per game, Binns has the size to cause problems on the outside. Woods is another threat that the Bearcats have and he’s averaging just under fifteen yards per reception. The lapses in the secondary that have been an issue all season long for the Huskies can’t happen on Saturday night. If they do, this one could get out of hand quickly.

LT 71 Jeff Linkenbach (Sr.)
77 Sean Hooey (Fr.)

LG 60 Jason Kelce (Jr.)
53 Randy Martinez (So.)

C 56 Chris Jurek (Sr.)
72 Evan Davis (So.)

RG 59 Alex Hoffman (So.)
65 TJ Franklin (So.)

RT 66 Samuel Griffin (Jr.)
70 CJ Cobb (Jr.)

This unit has given up just nine sacks on the season, ranking second in the Big East in that category. The individual matchup to watch: left tackle Jeff Linkenbach against Lindsey Witten. Linkenbach is thought by many to be the best left tackle in the Big East based on performance (Rutgers’ Anthony Davis is widely regarded as the best NFL prospect at the position). The Bearcats also aren’t a bad team when it comes to running the football, ranking fifth in the conference in rushing offense. Connecticut must win this battle if they’re to entertain any thoughts of knocking off the Bearcats.

Defense

DE 90 Ricardo Mathews (Sr.)
99 Dan Giordano (Fr.)

DT 95 Derek Wolfe (So.)
58 Brandon Mills (Fr.)

DE 4 Alex Daniels (Sr.)
40 John Hughes (So.)

The Bearcats are one of the best at getting to the quarterback, ranking second in the Big East to Pittsburgh in sacks with twenty-nine. Daniels leads the team with 5.5 sacks and the overall pressure is one of a few reasons why Cincy is also second in the conference in pass defense and first in pass efficiency defense. The run defense ranks fifth in the conference, allowing just under 116 yards per game. Connecticut will need to establish both Andre Dixon and Jordan Todman if they want to keep the Cincinnati offense off of the field.

OLB 98 Curtis Young (Sr.)
7 Craig Carey (Sr.)

ILB 37 JK Schaffer (So.)
42 Dorian Davis (Jr.)

ILB 50 Andre Revels (Sr.)
35 Marcus Waugh (Sr.)

OLB 54 Walter Stewart (Fr.)
2 Demetrius Jones (Jr.)

This has been a unit that’s benefitted from the change in philosophy from the 4-3 scheme to the 3-4, and the middle linebackers are quite active in Bob Diaco’s defense. Revels and Schaffer (also has three interceptions) lead the Bearcats in tackles to this point in the season, and what all of these linebackers have in common is their ability to run. The freshman Stewart is second on the team in sacks with four and he’s also got six tackles for loss. Overall this is a solid group, one that will make the Husky offense works for everything on Saturday night.

CB 25 Brad Jones (Sr.)
21 Cameron Cheatham (Fr.)

SS 26 Drew Frey (Fr.)
24 Wesley Richardson (So.)

FS 17 Aaron Webster (Sr.)
13 Pat Lambert (Fr.)

CB 9 Dominique Battle (So.)
5 Reuben Johnson (Fr.)

This is the least experienced area of the Cincinnati defense but they’ve done well through eight games, ranking at or near the top of the conference in both pass and pass efficiency defense. The starting safeties have combined for five interceptions thus far and despite their youth both corners have solid ball skills. UConn will need to hit a few big plays in the passing game with the likes of Marcus Easley and Kashif Moore but if Zach Frazer throws in a scattershot fashion they’re going to be in serious trouble.

Special Teams

K 97 Jake Rogers (Jr.)

P 97 Jake Rogers (Jr.)

PR 1 Mardy Gilyard (Sr.)
3 D.J. Woods (So.)

KR 1 Mardy Gilyard (Sr.)
2 Darrin Williams (Fr.)

Rogers hasn’t seen much work on either field goals (6-10) or punts (24) to this point in the season but he has made 41 of 42 extra points. The junior has placed eight of his punts inside of the 20 and five have been for fifty yards or more. Freshman Patrick O’Donnell has punted seven times, averaging nearly thirty-eight yards per punt. The return game is where UConn has to be careful; they’ve given up a kickoff return for the opening touchdown in each of their last two games.

And Mardy Gilyard is just as dangerous a returner than either Tavon Austin (WVU) or Devin McCourty (Rutgers). The senior has averaged over twenty-six yards per kickoff return and nearly eighteen yards per punt return (1 TD). Darrin Williams has returned just one kickoff this season…and he ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. Special teams has been an area of concern for Connecticut the past two weeks, and that’s unlikely to change this weekend.