Bearcats Rally Back To Be Cards

Bearcat players celebrate with the Keg Of Nails Trophy after beating Louisville 

By:  Coop


The Cincinnati Bearcats were hosting the Louisville Cardinals at Paul Brown Stadium.  The 'Cats were looking to improve to 5-1, while L'Ville was trying to get back to .500 at 3-3.  At first it looked like the Cardinals were going to win the Keg Of Nails, but it was a tale of two halves.  Cincy had a great 2nd half, and rallied back to beat the Cards, 25-16, here is how.


In the 1st quarter, the Cardinals kicker, Chris Philpott kicked two field goals, one from 42 yards out, and the other from 51 yards out.  Louisville had a 6-0 leading going into the 2nd.


The Bearcats would take the lead when Zach Collaros connected with DJ Woods for a 26 yard touchdown, 7-6 the score.  


The Cardinals would retake the lead when Philpott added another field goal, this time from 18 yards out, it was 9-7.  Then, with just 6 seconds left before the half, Mike Evans picked off Collaros' pass, and took it to the house for a 63 yard pick 6.  16-7 would be the score heading into the locker rooms.


As I said, it was a tale of two halves.  Good thing for Cincinnati.


In the 3rd quarter, the 'Cats shortened the lead when Collaros ran it in from 1 yard out, it was now 16-14.  That would be the only score of the 3rd quarter.  So only a 2 point game with a quarter left.


Early in the 4th, Isaiah Pead ran for a 50 yard touchdown, big play for Cincinnati! That made it 20-16.  Then the kicker, Tony Miliano was not on the field for some reason.  The Bearcats were forced to go for two. Well it worked out because Collaros connected with Robinson for the deuce, it was 22-16.


The nails were put into the keg when Miliano kicked a 21 yard field goal to put UC up by 9.  25-16 the final score.


Collaros looked pretty good, he threw for 152 yards, had 1 TD, and 1 INT.


Pead did very good, he had 20 carries, good for 150 yards and 1 TD.


UC is now 5-1 and will take on USF in Florida next week, that game will be on the Big East Network. 

Bearcats Destroy Austin Peay In Opener

Zach Collaros made the best
of the 2 quarters he played
as he passed for 4
touchdowns in UC's
72-10 win, Saturday

CINCINNATI -- Isaiah Pead ran for Cincinnati's first two touchdowns Saturday night, and Zach Collaros threw for the next four -- all in the first half -- leading the Bearcats to a 72-10 victory over Austin Peay.

The Bearcats dominated an Ohio Valley Conference team that has only eight seniors, scoring the third-most points in their history.

Cincinnati scored on six of its seven first-half possessions against a defense that features one senior starter. Pead ran 40 yards for a touchdown on the Bearcats' first play. He also scored on a 13-yard run and finished with 87 yards.

Collaros, the Big East's top returning passer, played only the first half and was 12 of 19 for 134 yards. His 34-yard pass to D.J. Woods completed a 95-yard drive in the second quarter. Collaros also threw a pair of touchdown passes toAnthony McClung in the last 39 seconds of the first half for a 41-0 lead.

Austin Peay is coming off a 2-9 season and has dropped its last nine games overall.

Cincinnati is coming off a 4-8 season that took much of the buzz out of the football program. After Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame, the Bearcats went back to losing games in front of small home crowds.

Their opener in coach Butch Jones' second season was much better, though played in front of a crowd of 23,282. Last year, they went to Fresno State and got beat 28-14 in 94-degree heat, wearing down as the game went along. No such problems on Saturday in 93-degree weather against an overmatched opponent.

Austin Peay has only 18 winning seasons in its 74 years of football. This one started badly.

Cincinnati won the coin toss, and freshman Ralph David Abernathy IV returned the kickoff 60 yards. On the Bearcats' first play, Collaros handed off to Pead and threw a downfield block on safety Amius Smith, opening the way for the Big East's top returning runner to go 40 yards untouched.

The Bearcats had a 14-play, 95-yard drive in the second quarter that left the Governors' defense running on fumes. Collaros threw a 34-yard pass to D.J. Woods, who ran past cornerback Sheldon Wade to make the catch for a 27-0 lead.

The half also ended badly for Austin Peay.

Collaros threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to McClung with 39 seconds left, and Cincinnati recovered a fumble on the kickoff. Austin Peay dropped seven defenders into pass coverage, but Collaros found McClung wide open in the middle of the field for a 29-yard touchdown that made it 41-0.

Cincinnati went with its reserves in the second half.

Austin Peay's Jake Ryan was 16 of 23 for 150 yards with two sacks, a fumble and two interceptions that went off his receivers' hands.

Bearcats Eliminated

By:  Cooper Ledford


The 6th seeded Cincinnati Bearcats were taking on 3rd seeded Connecticut Huskies in Washington, DC.  Both teams were looking to advance to the Sweet 16 and avoid packing up and heading home.  UC is going home, while UC is celebrating their trip to the Sweet 16, but unfortunately the UC going home is the one whose mascot is a Bearcat.  Connecticut beat Cincinnati, 69-58.


The Bearcats did play a game with Kemba Walker and UConn though, for a while the game was going back-and-forth, but Kemba Walker shined at the end of the game, which allowed the Huskies to to have a comfortable lead and eventually win.


But, fellow Bearcat fans, we cannot hang our heads.  Cincinnati had a great season, a huge improvement from last season, and it looks as if they are back on track.  Expect great things from them in the near future, this is not the last we will see of the NCAA Tournament.


Rashad Bishop was the leading scorer for the 'Cats, as he had 22 points.  Behind him was Yancy Gates who had 11.  Those were the only Bearcats in double-figures, and neither one scored all that much, and that is one reason why they lost.


Kemba Walker, who I think is the best player in all of college basketball, had 33 points, a huge reason why the Huskies won this game.


So the Bearcats head back to the Queen City, as a team that lost in the 3rd round, but in my book, they are winners for having such a great season.

What The Games Mean This Weekend

By:  Cooper Ledford

Kentucky vs. Florida (SAT, 4 PM ET, CBS)- The Wildcats are a very weak team on the road, but at home, they look like last year's team, as they look like the best team in the country no matter who they are playing.  UK has not lost at the Comfy Confines of Rupp Arena, but Florida is a good team.  Last time the Gators and Wildcats met up, UK lost by 2.  This time, I expect them to win the game for only 1 reason-it's a home game.

Cincinnati vs. Connecticut (SUN, NOON ET, ESPNU)- The Bearcats looked very good in their last game @ Georgetown, and now they play another good team in the Huskies.  The Huskies will be favored to win, but this is a home game for the 'Cats.  If UC can beat G'Town on the road, I think they could beat UCONN at home.  But, this is Big East Basketball, and nothing is for sure in that league.  If the Bearcats win, look for them to be ranked in the next polls.

Xavier @ Dayton (SUN, 1 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN2)- The Musketeers and Flyers will meet up, Sunday, as the A-10's most heated rivalry continues.  Dayton is having a down season, while Xavier is having a great season, but, as I just said, this is a rivalry game.  Dayton will have the fans behind them, and will be playing better than usual, as they would love to take down the top team in the A-10, the Xavier Musketeers.  But, Xavier has won other tough road games, like @ Richmond, and have played, and beaten, better teams than Dayton.  XU has already beaten UD once this year, back in January, as they won 81-76.  That was a close game at the Cintas Center.  So, by reading this paragraph, it sounds like Dayton might win, well yeah, they might, but I am picking the Muskies in a close game, like 5 or less.  That is just because they are an overall better team.

Ohio State vs. Indiana (SUN, 4 PM ET, CBS)- The Buckeyes are coming off of a nice win over Illinois, and are looking like they are back on track--well, if they ever really went off the track-- and should beat Indiana Sunday.  Indiana is not a very good team, as they are 10th place in the Big Ten, and have won only 12 games this season.  The Hoosiers could upset the Bucks, but I highly doubt that.  This is a home game for Ohio State, and they are a much better team than than Indiana, so they should definitely take down the Hoosiers.

UC Picks Up OT Win Over Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Rashad Bishop scored a career-high 23 points as theCincinnati Bearcats beat the Providence Friars in overtime 93-81 Saturday night.

Yancy Gates added 21 points and eight rebounds, and Dion Dixon managed 16 points, including 14 in the first half. A 14-4 run by the Bearcats (21-6, 8-6 Big East) midway through the second half, keyed by two Sean Kilpatrick 3-pointers, created a 16-point lead.

The Friars (14-13, 3-11) then put together an 19-5 run of their own, marked by an emphatic, two-handed dunk by Ron Giplaye and punctuated by a Vincent Council 3-pointer to bring the margin down to two with just under 3 minutes to play.

With a minute left, a Marshon Brooks floater gave the Friars their first lead, 73-72, but Bishop hit a free throw to tie it, and a 3-point miss by Brooks kept the score tied at the end of regulation.

Cincinnati scored 10 unanswered points to start overtime, and Providence was unable to respond. Cincinnati shot a perfect 7 for 7 in the extra period.

Providence's free-throw shooting played a major role, as it finished the night 9 for 20, while the Bearcats shot 73 percent from the stripe (19 for 26). The Friars shot 25 percent from 3-point range (6 for 24).

Brooks paced Providence with 27 points and six rebounds, but also led his team in turnovers with five. This marked his ninth consecutive game with at least 20 points. Freshman Kadeem Batts contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Cincinnati's substitutes put up 50 points while the Friar bench only contributed 11.

Gerard Coleman, a Providence freshman who started the first 24 games of the season, was not in the starting lineup for the third consecutive game, and only played 12 minutes.

Yesterday's Crosstown Shootout Declared ESPN Instant Classic

By: Cooper Ledford

CINCINNATI, OH- The Xavier Musketeers (6-3) were hosting the Cincinnati Bearcats (6-2) in the annual Crosstown Shootout. This was great game, X went on to win in double overtime, 83-79.



"Xavier has now won three straight over its crosstown rivals, six of the last eight meetings, eight of the last 11 and 10 of the last 14.
ESPN Classic will air the game on Monday evening at 10:00 p.m. EST, while ESPNU will air the contest at 3:30 a.m. EST Tuesday morning. Jim Barbar and Fran Fraschilla called the action.
Xavier will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 19, when it visits No. 22 Butler. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Brent Musburger and Bob Knight are the broadcasters this Saturday from historic Hinkle Fieldhouse." Goxavier.com



Here is how the game went. Xavier had as much as a 10 point lead, but UC caught on and tied it up and the game was a close one until the end of regulation, it was tied up. Into overtime, it was more of a defensive game and not many points for either team, at the end of the 1st overtime, it was tied up once again. The game was going into a 2nd overtime. The two teams entered the second OT tied at 74 and Cincinnati once again took an early lead, 79-76, after Yancey Gates connected on a short jumper at the three-minute mark. But in the theme of the night, XU once again answered the bell. Jordan Crawford made one free throw on the ensuing possession and then Holloway made a big play on the defensive end by taking a charge to force a turnover.
Jason Love then slipped the screen, took a feed from Crawford and converted on the open layup. UC's Steve Toyloy missed both of his attempts from the free throw line on the next possession and Love took advantage by making another big shot to give XU the lead for good, 81-79, with 40-seconds to go.
XU held UC without a field goal for the final three-minutes of the second overtime to clinch the win.

The player of the game was Terrell Holloway who had a career-high 26 points, and played a big part in Xavier's win. Jason Love showed some last minute heroics, making the last two buckets in the second overtime.

As for the Bearcats, Lance Stephenson had a career-high 22 points and had help from Yancy Gates who had 18 points.

Cincinnati will play next at UAB in a 7 p.m. game on Dec. 16 in Birmingham, Alabama. The game will be televised on CBS College Sports.

Next Xavier will travel to Indianapolis to take on a tough Butler team, that game will be on 19th, at 2:00 PM ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

Picture: Terrell Holloway in Xavier double overtime win against rivals, Cincinnati.

Bearcats remain perfect

By: Javier Lopez

The Cincinnati Bearcats were trying to remain undefeated as they were hosting the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Bearcats won this game in a very high scoring game, 49-36. Here is how.

To start things off, Juice Williams connected 21 yards with Sykes for a touchdown, after the PAT it was 7-0 Illinois. The Bearcats would answer back on the nect play, the kickoff, Mardy Gilyard returned it 90 yards and we were tied at 7. Later on, still in the 1st, Ben Guidugli got a 59 yard touchdown reception from Tony Pike and UC had a 14-0 lead. They were not done in that quarter, Pike connected with D.J. Woods 6 yards out for a TD it was now 21-7 going into the 2nd quarter. In the 2nd UC started out the scoring with a 2 yard touchdown pass from Pike to Guidugli once agian, it was 28-7 Bearcats on top. Illinois would get right back in this one when Williams connected with Chris Duvalt 19 yards out it was 28-14 Illinois still trailing. About 5 game minutes later, Illinois running back, Derek Dimke kicked a 39 yard FG, the score was 28-17. Illinois would no longer have any unanswered points when Gilyard caught an 11 yard TD pass it was 35-17. After that Illinois would get a field goal to make it 35-20 going into the half. To start things out in the 3rd, Pike got Armon Binns in the endzone from 10 yards away, UC had a 42-20 lead. Illinois would get another FG before the 3rd quarter was over to make it 42-23. In the 4th, Juice Williams ran for a 2 yard touchdown run, it was 42-30 UC on top. Cincinnati would make their lead bigger when Pike and Gilyard connected once again, this one from 21 yards out and the Bearcats had a 49-30 lead. The Fighting Illini would manage to get 6 more points when Williams got it to Sykes one more time, the 2 pointer was failed and UC wins 49-36. UC is now 11-0 and they will face #9 Pittsburgh next week.

Pike did great, he was 32/46 with 399 yards passing, 6 TD passes and no INTS.

Bearcats 10-0 for first time in school history.

By: Cooper Ledford

The Cincinnati Bearcats now have their best start to a season in school history.  UC is now 10-0 after beating West Virgina last night.  Here is how.

After a good start for Zach Collaros, the Bearcats were in the red zone and in came Tony Pike to play under center.  Pike connected with Armon Binns for a 10 yard touchdown and UC had a 7-0 lead.  The Mountaineers would answer back after a fumble recovery and a Jarrett Brown 8 yard touchdown run and the game was tied at 7.  WVU would take the lead in the 2nd quarter when Ryan Clarke had a nice 37 yard touchdown run and it was 14-7 WVU.  Cincinnati would tie it up when Pead ran it in 2 yards for a touchdown, but fumbled it at the goal line, the play would be reviewd, it was reversed, 6 for UC.  Later on in the 3rd, UC would bring in Tony Pike once again in the redzone.  Pike threw a 6-pointer to D.J. Woods and Cincy was on top 21-14 into the 4th.  There was no scoring early in the 4th until Cincy got a field goal with 2:08 to go and they were on top 24-14.  West Virginia was trying to come back and win, they needed 10 points, so they got the 7 when Brown connected to Bradley Starks and it was a touchdown, it was now a 3 point game, 24-21.  The Mountaineers had to try for the onside kick, but UC recovered to seal their win.  UC will take on Illinois next week.

Above:  UC running back Isaih Pead reaching the ball over the goal line to tie the game up at 14 in Cincinnati's 21-21 win Friday.