Cincy Sporting News » College

West Virginia beats Cincinnati 37-10

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:17:14 +0000

Associated Press

Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros tries to avoid West Virginia's Bruce Irvin during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, in Morgantown, W.Va. West Virginia won 37-10.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Geno Smith threw four first-half touchdown passes, West Virginia frustrated Big East passing leader Zach Collaros and the Mountaineers beat Cincinnati 37-10 on Saturday.

West Virginia (6-3, 2-2 Big East) broke a two-game losing skid and is back in the conference chase after first-place Pittsburgh’s loss to Connecticut on Thursday night.

Smith wasn’t overpowering but exploited Cincinnati’s inexperienced defense when he needed to, finishing 15 of 25 for 174 yards. He threw two TD passes apiece to Tavon Austin and Jock Sanders.

Cincinnati (3-6, 1-3) couldn’t overcome a 30-3 halftime deficit. It marked the first game this season that Collaros, who has 20 TD passes, failed to find the end zone.

The two-time defending Big East champion Bearcats now must win their final three games against Rutgers, Connecticut and Pittsburgh to become bowl eligible. The Bearcats’ three-game losing streak is their longest since 2006.

Cincinnati was forced to throw after West Virginia jumped out to its big early lead and Collaros had little luck against the nation’s fourth-best defense.

Collaros, who returned from a knee injury that forced him to miss Cincinnati’s previous game, was sacked five times, intercepted twice and he lost a fumble. He also was called for intentional grounding in the end zone that gave the Mountaineers a safety and was plagued by several dropped passes.

Collaros finished 25 of 45 for 221 yards.

West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy sent a statement when he drilled D.J. Woods and broke up a short pass that ended one Cincinnati drive late in the first quarter. On Cincinnati’s next series, Tandy got position on Armon Binns in the end zone for an interception after Collaros had completed three straight passes of more than 15 yards to Binns.

West Virginia cornerback Brandon Hogan made up for a dropped interception by picking off Collaros one series later. Collaros added one mistake to another by hitting Hogan late out of bounds.

West Virginia took over at the Bearcats’ 6 and Smith, waiting for Sanders to get open, found him for a 6-yard scoring toss in the back of the end zone for a 28-0 lead.

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart conducted a top-to-bottom examination of his offense after an overtime loss at Connecticut two weeks ago. Against Cincinnati, Stewart alternated Noel Devine, Shawn Alston and fullback Ryan Clarke with success.

Devine did all the work himself on West Virginia’s first series of the third quarter, carrying five times for 35 yards, including breaking a tackle and going 13 yards into the end zone for the final margin.

Alston got 10 carries on West Virginia’s next series, which ended when Clarke was stopped for no gain on fourth down at the Cincinnati 1.

That was about the only thing that went wrong for the Mountaineers. They made it an unhappy return to Morgantown for Cincinnati first-year coach Butch Jones, who was a West Virginia assistant coach under Rich Rodriguez in 2005 and 2006.

Things went wrong for the Bearcats from the start. D.J. Woods dropped a punt after the first series of the game and West Virginia recovered at the Cincinnati 32. Smith then found a wide-open Austin in the end zone on the next play.

Austin caught a 10-yard TD toss late in the period when he slipped past safety Drew Frey, one of eight sophomore starters on Cincinnati’s defense.

Sanders got his first score when he broke two tackles on a short pass and went 48 yards into the end zone midway through the second quarter.

Cincinnati’s only touchdown came when Isaiah Pead went 53 yards on fourth down on Cincinnati’s first series of the third quarter to make it 30-10.

Cincinnati punted eight times and the most penalized team in the Big East was flagged 10 times for 96 yards.

Devine finished with 77 yards on 18 carries and Alston, who entered the game with six carries the entire season, had 17 carries for 75 yards.

Kentucky storms past Vanderbilt 38-20

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:09:52 +0000

Associated Press

Randall Cobb #18 of the Kentucky Wildcats runs with the ball while defended by Sean Richardson #21 of the Vanderbilt Commodores during the game at Commonwealth Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 38-20.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randall Cobb ran for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns as Kentucky surged past Vanderbilt 38-20 on Saturday.

Cobb had touchdown runs of 5 and 73 yards to help the Wildcats (6-5, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) become bowl eligible for the fifth straight season. He finished with 279 total yards, breaking the school record for all-purpose yards in a single season in the process.

Derrick Locke ran for 145 yards and two scores in his first game in a month and quarterback Mike Hartline threw for 232 yards and a touchdown in his final home game.

Kennard Reeves rushed for a career-high 105 yards for the Commodores (2-8, 1-6), but Vanderbilt couldn’t make a 13-10 halftime lead stand up.

Cobb made sure of that. The junior said earlier in the week he’ll gauge his NFL prospects before deciding whether to return to school next fall.

He made a pretty compelling case for the pro scouts in attendance, showcasing why he’s become one of the nation’s most versatile and valuable players.

The Wildcats certainly needed it after slogging through another uninspired first half.

The defense struggled to keep the SEC’s worst offense in check and the offense looked sporadic even with Locke’s return to the lineup after missing four games with a shoulder injury.

Vanderbilt had no such problems. The Commodores rolled 242 yards in the first 30 minutes, heady territory for a team that averages just 267 yards a game.

Reeves, thrust into a starting role due to a myriad of injuries, found gaping holes to run through and wide receiver Jonathan Krause made a couple of big plays to keep the Wildcats on their heels.

Yet Kentucky, as it has done most of the season, gathered itself at halftime and turned to Cobb to get things moving in the right direction.

He lined up at quarterback in the WildCobb formation on Kentucky’s first possession of the half, took the snap, ran to his left then cut back to his right to race 73 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats the lead.

Cobb was at it again two possessions later, taking the snap and retreating 10 yards before somehow weaving his way through the Vanderbilt defense for a 52-yard gain.

Locke’s 1-yard touchdown dive four plays later put Kentucky up 24-13, and the Wildcats poured it on.

Hartline hit a wide-open Chris Matthews for a 55-yard score and Locke finished the Commodores off with an 83-yard touchdown run.

The victory takes some of the pressure off the Wildcats heading into their season finale at Tennessee in two weeks. Kentucky hasn’t beaten the Volunteers in more than a quarter century, and coach Joker Phillips acknowledged it was important for his team to become bowl eligible before heading to Knoxville.

Kentucky outgained Vanderbilt 370-158 in the second half to beat the Commodores for the sixth time in the last seven meetings.

The rivalry has been one-sided in recent years, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been heated. This time was no different. The team combined for 16 penalties and a handful of skirmishes. Kentucky cornerback Martavius Neloms and Vanderbilt’s Udom Umoh were ejected in the fourth quarter after trading punches.

South Florida tops Louisville 24-21 in OT

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:02:43 +0000

Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — South Florida is making a habit of winning by a hair. The Bulls rallied in a nail-biter against Louisville, erasing a two-score deficit as they notched a 24-21 win in overtime on Saturday.

Sophomore kicker Maikon Bonani, who missed what would have been the game-winning field goal in regulation, hit a 37-yard field goal to give South Florida (6-3, 3-2 Big East) bowl eligibility for the sixth straight season.

The Bulls struggled early, falling behind 14-3 in the first half.

But Louisville’s mistakes on offense and special teams allowed South Florida to get back into it.

With the game tied at 21 with two seconds left, the Bulls had a chance at victory on a 52-yard Bonani field goal. Louisville coach Charlie Strong twice called time out to ice Bonani, the second time just as he booted one that would have been successful, but was immediately waved off by the officials. Bonani’s next attempt was wide to the left.

In the first overtime series, Louisville made it as far as the 4-yard line. With a fourth-and-inches situation, the Cardinals opted to try for the first down instead of a field goal but failed to convert on a quarterback sneak.

After the Bulls’ offense ran the ball to the 20-yard line, Bonani easily hit his field goal for the win.

South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels threw for 87 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Demetris Murray added 106 yards rushing.

Louisville reserve quarterback Justin Burke threw for 146 yards and three touchdowns, while senior running back Bilal Powell added 140 yards on the ground — his sixth triple-digit rushing game this season.

Louisville (5-5, 2-3) saw its first-half lead vanish after the Bulls capitalized on a botched punt and interception.

Kentucky breezes past Western Kentucky 63-28

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:10:23 +0000

Associated Press

Western's Jared Clendenin, left, and Quanterus Smith, right, pressure Kentucky back-up quarterback Morgan Newton during the fourth quarter of their football game in Lexington.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randall Cobb did it all, accounting for three touchdowns to lead Kentucky to a 63-28 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday night.

The junior wide receiver caught a score, threw for another and returned a punt 50 yards to the end zone as the Wildcats (2-0) outclassed the Hilltoppers to post their 17th straight regular season nonconference win.

Quarterback Mike Hartline completed 16 of 20 passes for 213 yards and tied a career-high with three touchdowns. Derrick Locke ran for 102 yards and a score as Kentucky overpowered the Hilltoppers (0-2) when it mattered.

Bobby Rainey ran for 184 yards and two touchdowns for Western Kentucky but couldn’t stop the Hilltoppers from dropping their 22nd straight game, the longest active losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Kentucky’s point total was its highest in a regulation game since scoring 77 against UTEP in 2002.

Western Kentucky coach Willie Taggart had hoped the Hilltoppers could show the Wildcats that “little brother” is starting to grow up.

Though Western Kentucky played much better than it did in a 41-3 loss at Commonwealth Stadium two years ago, the program, which is in its second season as a full-fledged member of the BCS, couldn’t match Kentucky’s depth.

And the Hilltoppers certainly couldn’t match Cobb. Or catch him, for that matter.

Cobb, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection a year ago, showcased his many talents against the Hilltoppers and did it with his typical ease.

He converted a fourth-and-1 on Kentucky’s first drive to set up a touchdown, then later put Kentucky up 21-7 with a scintillating punt return. He caught the ball at midfield, shook a couple of defenders then sprinted down the right sideline for the score.

Cobb wasn’t done. The former starting quarterback tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to fullback Moncell Allen out of the “WildCobb” formation and completed his rare triple crown with a ridiculously easy 35-yard touchdown reception from Hartline that put the Wildcats up 49-21 in the third quarter.

Cobb finished with 191 total yards as part of an efficient — if not always spectacular — Wildcat offense. Kentucky racked up 482 yards and did whatever it wanted against an overmatched Hilltoppers defense.

Yet the Wildcats were hardly perfect. Rainey became the first Western Kentucky back in 11 years to top 150 yards in consecutive weeks. He put up 155 yards in a loss to Nebraska in the season-opener and was even better against Kentucky.

He darted down the sideline on the game’s third play for a 59-yard score and never really stopped. He later added a 1-yard plunge as the Hilltoppers continued to fight despite a nightmarish stretch in the first half when they allowed the Wildcats to reel off 35 straight points.

Kentucky allowed Western Kentucky to put together a pair of 80-yard scoring drives in the second half, not exactly the kind of performance coach Joker Phillips is looking for with a trip to Gainesville, Fla., looming in two weeks.

Even so, the Wildcats were never in any real danger. Not with Cobb and Locke doing what they do. Taggart said during the week his advice to his players when trying to tackle Kentucky’s dynamic duo was simple: “Hold on and wait for help.”

It didn’t come often enough for the Hilltoppers to end their miserable streak. They’ll try to snap it next week at home against Indiana while Kentucky will try to improve to 3-0 for the third time in the last four years against Akron.

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Louisville starts strong, tops E. Kentucky 23-13

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:38:56 +0000

Associated Press

Louisville's Adam Froman looks to pass while trying to elude the Colonel defense. (By Matt Stone, The Courier-Journal) Sept. 11, 2010

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville senior quarterback Adam Froman passed for 219 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals beat Eastern Kentucky 23-13 on Saturday.

Froman threw for 190 of his yards in the first half, including the touchdown to Doug Beaumont, who had 83 yards on four catches.

It was the first win for the Cardinals (1-1) under first-year coach Charlie Strong. They lost their opener 23-16 to Kentucky.

Louisville, donning special helmets adorned with stars and stripes to mark the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nine years ago, outlasted the Colonels (0-2) after scoring all of its points in the second quarter.

The teams combined for 25 penalties and 197 penalty yards.

Louisville went three-and-out on its first two possessions, but Froman supplied a spark late in the first quarter by scrambling for 30 yards and throwing two 20-yard passes before running back Bilal Powell ran 2 yards for the first score early in the second quarter.

Three series later, with the Colonels pinned in their own end zone, a holding penalty against Eastern Kentucky freshman tight end Nathan Watts gave Louisville a safety.

With Louisville’s offense already clicking, Froman threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Beaumont. It was the senior receiver’s first touchdown reception as a Cardinal. Powell added a rushing touchdown before halftime on the following series for a 23-0 lead.

A blowout seemed to be brewing, but Louisville’s offense never regained rhythm after halftime.

Eastern Kentucky managed to get on the board late in the third quarter when junior linebacker Jeremy Caldwell intercepted Froman and ran 80 yards for a touchdown. The Colonels scored again with only 2:28 left in the game, missing a two-point conversion attempt.

The Colonels never threatened to pull off the same kind of mid-major upset potential that fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State did in beating Mississippi last Saturday.

Eastern Kentucky quarterback T.J. Pryor, a Louisville native, threw for 315 yards in the Colonels’ opening game loss against Missouri State but managed only 91 yards in three quarters against the Cardinals.

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Cincinnati surges to 40-7 win over Indiana St.

admin — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:30:30 +0000

Associated Press

UC quarterback Zach Collaros runs against Indiana State.

CINCINNATI — Zach Collaros threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Cincinnati’s wobbly offense finally found its legs in the second half Saturday, pulling away to a 40-7 victory over Indiana State.

The Bearcats (1-1) heard boos at halftime after struggling to a 12-7 lead, their spread offense going nowhere for a second straight game. Collaros directed Cincinnati to touchdowns on all four of its drives in the third quarter.

The two-time defending Big East champions improved to 13-0 at home over the last three seasons, two shy of the school record for consecutive home wins.

Cincinnati’s spread offense, expected to score a lot of points in coach Butch Jones’ first season after replacing Brian Kelly, evaporated during a 28-14 loss at Fresno State last week. Collaros was sacked eight times in that game, prompting Jones to change his starting left guard.

They acknowledged they needed to get some confidence and get it right against Indiana State (1-1), which is 3-55 over the last six seasons. Cincinnati’s next two games are at North Carolina State, then against Oklahoma at Paul Brown Stadium.

In the second half, it finally came together.

Collaros finished 11 of 17 for 130 yards. He also scrambled for 32 yards as Cincinnati’s running game got on track. Sophomore Darrin Williams started in place of Isaiah Pead, out with a sore knee, and ran for 117 yards. John Goebel had two short touchdown runs in the third quarter.

Indiana State was coming off a 57-7 win over St. Joseph’s of Indiana — its first season-opening victory in 14 years. The Sycamores haven’t won back-to-back games since 2004, and were hoping to stay close until the fourth quarter and have a chance at the upset.

At halftime, they were living the dream.

Cincinnati lost only two fumbles last season, the fewest in the country. Receiver D.J. Woods lost two in the first half on Saturday, including one after a catch that set up Indiana State’s touchdown. Ronnie Fouch’s 18-yard pass to tight end Alex Jones cut it to 12-7 late in the second quarter.

Not at all what the Bearcats wanted.

Collaros had more time to throw but still struggled to complete anything more than a short pass in the first half, when he went 8 of 13 for 70 yards with one sack.

There were a few boos as the Bearcats headed for the locker room at halftime up 12-7. They’d managed only 150 yards, and two of their points came on a safety.

It was Cincinnati’s first game without receiver Vidal Hazelton, who tore up his left knee at Fresno State. Hazelton was one of Cincinnati’s best downfield threats, expected to replace the departed Mardy Gilyard as a playmaker.

Something was missing.

Collaros put a spark in the offense by doing a lot of it himself. He scrambled for three straight first downs, then hit Armon Binns down the left sideline for a 29-yard touchdown that made it 26-7. The Sycamores helped Cincinnati pull away, fumbling at their own 10-yard line to set up another score.

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UC Football Season Tickets Selling At Record Pace

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:18:40 +0000

Courtesy: gobearcats.com

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics is enjoying another record-breaking season ticket sales pace that has surpassed the 20,000 mark for the first time ever, setting the stage for a possible preseason sellout of available season tickets for Bearcats Football this fall.

Nipper Stadium

Cincinnati has established program attendance standards over the last four seasons. The Bearcats drew a total of 181,477 fans in 2007 before setting back-to-back regular season average records with program-best 191,788 and 203,741 clips in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The increases have been a reflection of season ticket success at the box office in the last four years and have shown a growth from the 2009 season until the 2010 season of 17%, another UC record.

“It’s truly impressive how the Cincinnati area has embraced our football program” says Director of Athletics Mike Thomas. “The atmosphere around Bearcats Football is outstanding and our fans are a big reason why we have won back to back BIG EAST Championships. I cannot wait to feel the pulse of the crowd when we open the home part of the 2010 season on September 11.”

UC has enjoyed sell-out crowds in eight of the last 18 regular season contests over the last three years and has logged 9 of the top 10 crowds in school history since a crowd of 35,097 saw the Bearcats defeat Marshall on September 22, 2007. That game saw an overflow mass of fans gather in the area immediately south of the stadium to watch the game, with some patrons actually climbing trees to see the action between the Bearcats and Thundering Herd.

With a little over two months to go until its opener against Indiana State on Saturday, Sept. 11, UC is currently 4,300 season ticket sales ahead of its 2009 rate according to year-to-date comparisons. The goal is for the 2010 season to be SOLD OUT by the home opener, save for tickets that must be held back for BIG EAST opponents and other non-conference teams per contract.

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Withrow High DT Brandon Mitchell commits to UC

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:51:37 +0000

By Roger Hudson, Staff Writer

CINCINNATI — Brandon Mitchell a Withrow High senior defensive tackle orally committed to University of Cincinnati on June 17th.

Mitchell, listed at 6-2, 300 lbs, also had offers from Ball State, Western Kentucky, Ohio University, Akron, Western Michigan, Kent State and Bowling Green.

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Bearcat Caravan Hits Northern Kentucky Tonight

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:48:26 +0000

Courtesy: gobearcats.com

CINCINNATI — Join fellow UC alumni, friends and fans tonight at Barelycorns in Lakeside Park, Kentucky for the fourth stop of the 2010 BEARCAT CARAVAN, coordinated through the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association and the UC Athletics Department.

Scheduled to headline this stop will be…

* Head Football Coach Butch Jones
* Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mick Cronin
* Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jamelle Elliott
* Director of Athletics Mike Thomas

The evening will begin with a reception at 6:00 p.m. where you can speak informally with the coaches and other UC Athletics personnel followed by a short program starting at about 7:30 p.m. Please join us and REPRESENT THE C as Cincinnati Athletics hits Northern Kentucky for what promises to be a fun-filled evening, Bearcats style!

BEARCAT CARAVAN 2010 – Northern Kentucky

When: Tuesday, June 8, 6:00-8:30 p.m.

Where: Barleycorn’s – Five Mile House, 2642 Dixie Highway, Lakeside Park, Kentucky 41017

Cost: There is no cost to attend this event – all food & beverages purchased are on an individual basis.

RSVP: Please contact Katie Pavel toll-free at 1-877-55-UCATS (877-558-2287) or Katie.Pavel@UC.ed
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Bearcat Caravan Heads To Cleveland On Thursday, June 3

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:28:57 +0000

Courtesy: gobearcats.com

CINCINNATI – Join University of Cincinnati alumni, friends and fans at the Winking Lizard in Lakewood, Ohio this coming Thursday, June 3, 2010 for the third stop of the 2010 BEARCAT CARAVAN, coordinated through the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association and the UC Athletics Department.

Head Football Coach Butch Jones

Head Football Coach Butch Jones is the featured speaker at this event, which will begin with a reception at 6:00 p.m. where you can speak informally with the Coach Jones and other UC Athletics personnel followed by a short program starting at about 7:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend the event.

“Cleveland is as strong a football town as there is anywhere in the nation and a big part of our recruiting strategy in making a name for Cincinnati Football all over Ohio” says Jones. “Our BEARCATS CARAVAN has already been to Columbus and now we are taking our message of winning championships and strong academics to Cleveland. I am looking forward to meeting folks and letting them know that Cincinnati Bearcats Football is a Championship brand, on and off the field and in the classroom.

BEARCAT CARAVAN 2010 – CLEVELAND

When: Thursday, June 3, 6:00-8:30 p.m.

Where: Winking Lizard Tavern

14018 Detroit Ave.
Lakewood, OH 44107-4522
Phone: 216.226.6693

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