Cincinnati Bearcats
Big East
Cincinnati rebounded very nicely following a disappointing 2010 campaign. The Big East may not have had any great teams, but the Bearcats had a consistent season during Coach Butch Jones’ second year at the helm. This Cincinnati squad has faced some adversity and had a string of come from behind victories in October and November. Solid play on both sides of the ball and creating turnovers has been the reason for their success and that success may continue into bowl season.
2011 Record: 9-3, 5-2
Last Bowl Appearance: 2009 Sugar Bowl vs. Florida (L 24-51)
Big Wins: 10/15 Louisville (25-26), 11/5 at Pittsburgh (26-23)
Bad Losses: 9/10 at Tennessee (23-45), 11/19 at Rutgers (3-20)
Coach: Butch Jones (13-11 at Cincinnati, 40-24 overall)
Bowl Record: 0-0 at Cincinnati, 0-2 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Bajakian
Defensive Coordinator: Tim Banks and John Jancek
Strengths:
The offense is not as prolific as the Cincinnati offense has been in years past, but the unit is very opportunistic and quarterback Zach Collaros does a decent job of avoid turnovers and keeping the offense moving. Collaros has some quality receivers to work with. D.J. Woods was the big name heading into the season, but Anthony McClung and Kenbrell Thompkins are having very good seasons as well. Unfortunately, Collaros missed the better part of the last four games of the regular season with a leg injury and the offense has not been the same under Munchie Legaux. Collaros could return for the bowl game. Isaiah Pead is the workhorse in the backfield. The senior running back averaged nearly 100 yards per game during the regular season and his ability to mix up the passing game with a consistent ground attack makes the offense deceptively difficult to stop. The defense has been the main reason for the turnaround this season. Derek Wolfe is one of the best pass rushing defensive tackles around and a host of others, most notably Dan Giodano and Brandon Mills are very good pass rushers on the line as well. J.K. Schaffer had another great season and is the leader of the defense. The middle linebacker easily led the Bearcats in tackles and also helped the team create a bunch of turnovers.
Weaknesses:
The problem Cincinnati has on defense is stopping the pass. The secondary has been torched on multiple occasions. Even against some average competition and even in games the Bearcats win relatively easily, the secondary can allow quite a few yards. That may catch up to them now. For a team that gets so much pressure on the quarterback, the pass defense should be better. Coach Jones returned a lot of experience to the unit, but they are older, not necessarily better. A season ending injury to cornerback Dominique Battle half way through the season has not helped the situation. Battle started five games and appeared in six, tallying two interceptions before suffering a knee injury. Deven Drane has been able to make some big plays and Camerron Cheatham is a very experienced corner, but if Cincinnati is going to win those two need to be more consistent.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Isaiah Pead, RB, 1,110 yards
Passing: Zach Collaros, QB, 1,860 yards
Receiving: Anthony McClung, WR, 675 yards
Tackles: J.K. Schaffer, LB, 105
Sacks: Derek Wolfe, DT, 9.5
Interceptions: Deven Drane, CB, 3; J.K. Schaffer, LB, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 181.64 (33rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 217.82 (70, 5)
Total Offense: 399.45 (46, 3)
Scoring Offense: 33.36 (28, 2)
Rushing Defense: 100.55 (10, 2)
Pass Defense: 270.45 (104, 7)
Total Defense: 371.00 (49, 6)
Scoring Defense: 19.36 (15, 3)
Turnover Margin: 1.00 (7, 1)
Sacks: 3.36 (3, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 1.55 (44, 2)
