USA Today put out their annual report on the revenues and expenses of all public institutions and it doesn't exactly look great for the Bearcats. The revenue shortfall this year was just under a million dollars, which is actually a big improvement ...
Let's put one final bow on the spring with a look at five top breakout players. JaQuez Jenkins, safety, USF. With starting strong safety Jon Lejiste out for the spring because of injury, Jenkins made his presence immediately felt in the defensive ...
Interested In Sports Blogging? Don't Miss This Week's Classes I know the last thing you want to do is give a Syracuse grad money, BUT, if you're interested in starting your own blog or growing your current blog's audience, I wanted to invite you to ...
Source: The News Record by Sam Weinbrg
When people think of the game polo, they probably think of rich Englishmen decked out in cardigan polos, frolicking around on horses, laughing and talking with accents thicker than honey.Source: The News Record by Joshua Miller
Junior guard Cashmere Wright and assistant coach Darren Savino represented the University of Cincinnati men’s basketball program at a reception at Gov.Source: The News Record by James Sprague
I could just imagine the reaction throughout the Tri-State as I heard the news on the radio Monday morning while driving to campus.Source: The News Record by Michael Wylie
The University of Cincinnati baseball team will conclude its regular season with a three-game series against Georgetown University, beginning Thursday evening at Marge Schott Stadium.
Source: Cincinnati Official Site
Cincinnati will conclude the 2012 season with a three-game BIG EAST Conference series against Georgetown University Thursday through Saturday at Marge Schott Stadium.
Source: Yahoo! NCAAB
UC honored by Ohio Governor.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
Former UC men's basketball great Phil Wheeler passed away at the age of 78 on Saturday, May 14.
Source: Big East Football Blog
Welcome to your mid-week Big East mailblog. Let's get to some questions. Andrew in New York writes: Hi Andrea, Regarding the move by Gov. Dan Malloy - his peace plea to BC may also be due to UConn's interest in joining the Hockey East (as the 12th member after they recently added Notre Dame), with an invite possibly coming in June. Naturally, another block by BC would be a giant blow to the schools repairing relations and would also further prevent UConn from any ties with ND, who could be looking for a home in the ACC (with rivals Cuse, BC and Miami and where they would likely have the best shot at going 12-0 in football) if the BE collapses.
Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
The enigmatic one is in full effect. Jacob Rodgers split opinion pretty evenly for most of his career. He was wildly inconsistent as a Freshman famously, or infamously, missing the first two PAT's of his career as a Freshman against Southeast Missouri State in 2007 and for the first three games he hit on just 50 per cent of his field goal attempts.
The watershed moment was against Oregon State in that 2007 season. It was only a week after his disastrous start against the SEMO Redhawks. But Rodgers put that behind him and had arguably his best game as a Bearcat hitting all four extra points and going two for two on Field Goals including
Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
One of the more difficult things about putting together this list is figuring out the right context for the most recent Bearcats. The last five years are without question the golden age of Cincinnati Bearcat Football and thus the players from this era having a little something extra in their ledger. At the same time there is a tendency to overrate the present at the extent of the past.
I really struggled on those issues placing John Hughes on this list. As half of the best Defensive Tackle duo in the history of the program Hughes deserves a spot. But at the same time Hughes individual production was not that great
Source: Big East Football Blog
Our regularly scheduled Big East chat for this afternoon has been canceled, as I head home from the ACC spring meetings. As always, you can send in your questions to the mailbag, with posts set for this afternoon and Friday. The Big East chat is scheduled to return next Thursday, May 24, after I return from the Big East spring meetings. Hope to see you after an eventful two weeks!Source: Big East Football Blog
So I don't think Pitt fans are too happy about the Sunseri news. Understatement? Cincinnati linebacker JK Schaffer was tabbed Mr. Bearcat, the first student-athlete in the last 20 years to win the award. UConn is the first to offer prep quarterback Richard Lagow of Plano, Texas. A look at Kentucky vs. Louisville financially. Here is a Pitt preview. Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti is flattered, but he isn't thinking about becoming the next Big East commissioner.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
A pair of Bearcats legends will be enshrined in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on May 19 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Dick Dallmer, a member of the UC Athletics Hall of Fame and 1,000 point club, and Laurie Pirtle, the all-time winningest coach in UC women's basketball history, will join a class of 16 current and former players and coaches whose noteworthy contributions to the sport will be honored.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
A pair of Bearcats legends will be enshrined in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on May 19 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Dick Dallmer, a member of the UC Athletics Hall of Fame and 1,000 point club, and Laurie Pirtle, the all-time winningest coach in UC women's basketball history, will join a class of 16 current and former players and coaches whose noteworthy contributions to the sport will be honored.Source: Big East Football Blog
USF coach Skip Holtz set the conversation on building an on-campus stadium off and rolling last year when he said in a national interview he would be in favor of one if done the right way. Since then, Bulls fans have waited in anticipation to see if anything would actually happen. Athletic director Doug Woolard was recently asked the same question in an interview with WUSF-TV after renovations to the basketball arena were completed. This is what he said: "It's something I know are in some long-range plans.Source: Cincinnati.com by Nick Hurm
From UC:
COLUMBUS – University of Cincinnati junior guard Cashmere Wright and assistant coach Darren Savino represented the Bearcats Tuesday at a reception at Governor John Kasich’s residence to honor the successes of numerous Ohio collegiate basketball programs at recent postseason tournaments.
Schools honored at the event along with UC included Ohio University, Ohio State, Xavier, Wittenburg University and the College of Wooster as well as the women’s teams from Ashland University and University of Mount Union.
UC compiled a 26-11 record during the 2011-12 season, beating a school-record eight ranked teams while advancing to the BIG EAST Championship title game and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The Bearcats’ regional semifinal appearance was their first since 2001.
This past basketball season Ohio made NCAA tournament history when it became the first state to advance four teams to the Sweet 16, sending UC, Ohio, Ohio State and Xavier.
“Placing four Ohio teams into the Sweet 16 was amazing and the success of the smaller division schools was special as well,” Kasich told the group. “You helped spark the state and 11 million Ohioans are proud of you.”
Wright met Kasich, received a certificate of recognition and toured the residence. Wright later teamed with Ohio State guard Aaron Craft to defeat the governor and CBS Sports commentator Clark Kellogg in a best-of-three games competition of H-O-R-S-E.
“(Today’s visit) is an accomplishment of sorts,” Wright said. “Not many people get to experience what I did today. I am very blessed to have the opportunity.”
“It was a great experience,” Savino said. “The governor was a gracious host. He showed us he’s been working on his jump shot. It was my first time to visit the governor’s residence which made it special for me and I’m sure for Cashmere as well.”
Source: Cincinnati Official Site
UC junior guard Cashmere Wright and assistant coach Darren Savino represented the Bearcats Tuesday at a reception at Governor John Kasich's residence.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
UC junior guard Cashmere Wright and assistant coach Darren Savino represented the Bearcats Tuesday at a reception at Governor John Kasich's residence.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
The University of Cincinnati football team is excited to announce the inaugural Open House event for all fans, donors, season ticket holders and friends. Fans are encouraged to join head coach Butch Jones, Director of Athletics Whit Babcock, football student-athletes, and members of the department's External Relations Team on Tuesday, June 5th from 6-8pm at the Richard E. Lindner Center for an inside look at Bearcats Football and information on 2012 ticket opportunities.Source: Big East Football Blog
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Pitt and Syracuse are caught in a bit of no man's land right now. With one foot out of the Big East door and one foot in the ACC door, the two schools had their representatives at the ACC spring meetings this week. It may seem strange or awkward, but the programs are persona non grata at the Big East, after announcing their defections last September. They will not be at the Big East spring meetings next week, and are trying to move forward with their eyes to the ACC future.Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
Pic of the Day: Deontey Kenner
Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
How does a guy who played in 12 games with only 2 starts get a spot on the list of the 125 best slash most important players in the history of the Cincinnati program? Simple, you cause this to happen. Nick Davila only started two games for the Bearcats, but he sure made the most of his chances.
He was told only minutes before the game that he would be starting against the #7 ranked Scarket Knights of Rutgers in front of a national audience on Senior Night. Davila took the field, promptly fumbled his first snap ever as a collegiate starter and was effectively
Source: Big East Football Blog
USA Today has come out with its thorough annual study into expenses and revenues at every single Division I public school, and the results are not all that surprising. Only 22 schools among all Division I public schools operate in the black, generating enough revenue to cover all athletics expenses. UConn and Louisville are the only two Big East schools that fit that category among the six public league schools that provided information to the news organization.Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
Bob Hynes found his way onto this list for one reason. Well two reasons. In the long history of Bearcats Football (125 years in case you aren't paying attention) Hynes set two single game records that have yet to be bettered.
Hynes only played one season for the Bearcats, 1923. UC went 6-3 in that year, a record that proved to be the high water mark of the five year tenure of George W. McClaren. But Hynes was the unquestioned star of those teams. He excelled as a back on both sides of the ball.
On November 10th the Bearcats played host to Ohio Northern. It was a harrowing 15-7 win over the Polar Bears, Hynes 4 Interceptions
Source: Big East Football Blog
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Pitt coach Paul Chryst came right out and said what had become obvious this spring -- Tino Sunseri is his starting quarterback going into fall practice. Chryst said Tuesday during the ACC spring meetings, "He was the best quarterback we had out of spring. That's why he's the starter." Sunseri had been competing with Mark Myers and Trey Anderson for the starting job after a pretty brutal 2011 season. The truth is that Sunseri was not really a match for the spread offense under former coach Todd Graham.Source: Big East Football Blog
Before he became one of the most successful wide receivers in NFL history, Art Monk was a collegiate running back. Monk, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday, looked like he might follow in the footsteps of great Syracuse running backs like Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. He rushed for more than 560 yards as a sophomore and a junior. But Monk eventually proved even more valuable as a receiver, where he became an All-American as a senior in 1979.Source: Big East Football Blog
Serving up your links. ... Cincinnati was the only Big East team to finish in the top 25 in the ESPN "College GameDay" contest. Former UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway will take over at Hofstra. Without Howard Schnellenberger, the College Football Hall of Fame class lacks fire. Video: former Louisville defensive end Greg Scruggs doesn't like the term "turf toe." Pitt's lawsuit against the Big East will most likely benefit the Panthers.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
The University of Cincinnati Baseball team will host Georgetown for the final home series of the season at Marge Schott Stadium this weekend. Game times are slated for Thursday at 6:30p.m., Friday at 6:30p.m., and Saturday at 1:00p.m.Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
JK Schaffer has been named Mr. Bearcat a fitting end to his illustrious career. J.K. is the first athlete to be named Mr. Bearcat in 20 years.
"I'm honored to be the 2012 Mr. Bearcat award winner," Schaffer said. "I am a Cincinnati guy who always dreamed of playing for the University of Cincinnati. I love being in this city and just doing what I can to make the city proud and the university proud. UC will forever be a part of my life and my families' lives. This is very special to me because I know of so many deserving men on this campus who could have very easily received this award, and I will forever be proud of being Mr.
Source: Cincinnati Official Site
Tickets for the 125th season of the University of Cincinnati football program are on sale to the general public, the department of athletics announced Tuesday.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
Tickets for the 125th season of the University of Cincinnati football program are on sale to the general public, the department of athletics announced Tuesday.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
Former University of Cincinnati linebacker J.K. Schaffer was named the recipient of the 2012 Mr. Bearcat Award at All-University Recognition Ceremony on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at the Tangeman University Center.Source: Big East Football Blog
Every once in a while, it is important to remember that there is a reason players at every single university in America are called student-athletes. Because, you know, they are on campus to get that all-important degree. While everybody is familiar with what football players do on Saturday, every athlete you root for has an overloaded schedule filled with classes, study hall, home work, practice and film study. So I felt it is important to recognize two Big East schools that have made some serious strides with their academic reputations this last semester.
Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF
The Cincinnati Bearcats had four players selected in the 2012 NFL draft, one of which will have a much better rookie season than the others.
The four players selected were taken in the first four rounds of the draft, a testament to what an incredible job head coach Butch Jones has done with the program since taking over in 2009.
Defensive tackle Derek Wolfe and running back Isaiah Pead were pegged as early-round selections thanks to their productive careers at Cincinnati, and that’s exactly what happened to both.
Wolfe was selected with overall pick No. 36 by the Denver Broncos. He was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the Big East in 2011 and had an impressive season with 70 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
Wolfe will play his way into the defensive line rotation for the Broncos because he is versatile enough to play any position on the defensive line. He has enough strength and athleticism to be efficient in rushing the passer or plugging the run. He’ll share snaps with Ty Warren, Kevin Vickerson and Justin Bannan.
Pead was selected a few picks later with the No. 50 overall selection by the St. Louis Rams. He was the 2011 Big East Offensive Player of the Year with 1,259 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 319 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Pead will be the spell back in St. Louis to none other than Steven Jackson. Pead is an effective change-of-pace back for the Rams that can run with power up the middle or catch passes with ease. He’s a dual-threat running back that could make a big difference for the Rams next season.
While Wolfe and Pead were expected to be taken high in the draft, the next two Bearcats off the board weren’t expected to be selected anywhere close to where they ended up.
Defensive tackle John Hughes was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 80 overall selection in the draft. Hughes had a solid 2011 campaign that saw him rack up 51 tackles and five sacks.
Hughes will find himself with more playing time than initially expected now that Browns starting defensive tackle Phil Taylor is out for the season with a torn pectoral. Hughes is very effective against the run, which is a perfect fit for Cleveland in the AFC North.
Finally, tight end Adrien Robinson was selected by the Super Bowl champion New York Giants with pick No. 127. Robinson caught 12 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns in 2011.
Robinson is going to struggle to make the Giants roster because of the players in front of him on the depth chart like Jake Ballard, Martellus Bennett, Bear Pascoe and Travis Beckum. He’s a great candidate for the practice squad.
Which former player will have the best rookie NFL season?
While Wolfe and Hughes will be part of a deep rotation, they aren’t likely to have flashy statistics. Robinson might not make the Giants’ roster, so he’s out of consideration.
That only leaves one candidate: Isaiah Pead.
Pead landed in the absolute best situation possible. He’s not a starting back just yet, and he won’t be asked to take that role in St. Louis. He also didn’t land with a team that will bury him on the depth chart.
Instead, Pead is the second running back on the depth chart to one of the best running backs in the league in Steven Jackson. Pead is fortunate enough to come in after Jackson has worn down the opposing defense and take advantage.
Pead will likely put up great numbers as the back behind Jackson. His combination of legitimate running and pass-catching skills will allow him to put up better numbers than most of the rookie running backs that were taken in the draft.
Pead will have the best rookie season out of any former Bearcat taken in the draft, and he could have the best career as well. The Rams have openly said they view Pead as the successor to Jackson, and he certainly has the skills to make that impact quickly.
Read more Cincinnati Bearcats Football news on BleacherReport.com
Source: The News Record by Madison Schmidt
University of Cincinnati basketball players were accused of assaulting a bouncer at PLAY nightclub downtown Sunday night. While the nightclub’s management did not want to comment, bouncer Brian McLucas said one of the players punched him in the eye soon after McLucas asked the group of players to leave the VIP booth they took from other patrons. Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said on Monday that, as of now, there have been no charges filed — only accusations. “We will invoke disciplinary action if any of our student-athletes acted in an inappropriate manner, said Babcock.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
Senior Josefin Wede (Landskrona, Sweden/Gripenskolan/Auburn ) and sophomore Joe Scherperberg (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) of the University of Cincinnati swimming teams competed last weekend at the USA Swimming Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix at Mecklenburg County Aquatic CenterSource: Big East Football Blog
USF has set a program record in the classroom, the school announced Monday. Thirty-seven student-athletes posted a grade-point average of 3.0 or better this spring. USF also set a new record for semester GPA, as the team combined for a mark of 2.76. That bettered the previous program record of 2.64, set in the fall 2011. "It speaks volumes for these players and the way that they have bought in. I'm seeing the culture change," coach Skip Holtz told the Bulls' athletic department website.
Source: Bearcats Blog
Better late than never in covering a story, so here is this. As the twitter world found out at some point last night, a group of Cincinnati basketball players were allegedly involved in a fight with a bouncer at PLAY. Let's run through a few burning questions as it relates to this story.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
The spring season has come down to just baseball as they close out the season at home.Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
This is a refrain that will be repeated with some regularity as this list rolls on but Danny Barrett was a bright spot during a very dark era of Cincinnati Football. He joined the Bearcats in 1979 under coach Ralph Staub out of Boynton Beach, Florida. UC went 2-9 in 1979 and again in 1980. Staub was promptly fired and replaced with Mike Gottfried for the 1981 season.
Barrett was the starter as a Sophomore in Staub's last year. But he was inconsistent for most of his career. He threw for decent yardage in each of his first two seasons (2074 yards in total), but the decision making wasn't there. In those two seasons
Source: Big East Football Blog
Time to move along to Week 8 in my ultimate Big East road trip. For those just tuning in, I am selecting the games I would choose to see each and every week this season. My editors usually do that for me. But if the scheduling were up to me, this is where I would want to go. Here is the Week 8 schedule: Fri., Oct. 19 UConn at Syracuse Sat., Oct. 20 Cincinnati at Toledo USF at Louisville Pittsburgh at Buffalo Rutgers at Temple My choice: Rutgers at Temple Why: The easy choice would be to take UConn at Syracuse, since the game is on a Friday night and the Orange seem to do well on weeknight national television games.Source: Cincinnati Official Site
This week's Bearcat Friday Winner is the UC Alumni Association! The Bearcat took at trip downtown to Great American Ballpark last Friday night for the 4th Annual Bearcats at the Ballpark event. UC students, alumni, faculty, staff and fans were encouraged to come out to the game and watch the Cincinnati Reds take on the Washington Nationals. There was also a pre-game event at the Holy Grail with the opportunity for UC fans to win prizes.Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
From the initial article on the matter.
"Right now we are working to gather information and facts," said Babcock. "While we certainly don't want to rush to judgment and will allow for due process, we also want to strongly emphasize that we hold all of our student-athletes to a high standard for their behavior in the community. It is a privilege to play for and represent UC, it is not a right. We have made great strides in our program and this type situation is not what UC athletics is about or will be about. As of now, to my understanding, there are no charges filed, only
Source: Big East Football Blog
Better late than never ... Adrien Robinson is the Jason Pierre-Paul of tight ends, says Giants general manager Jerry Reese. Cincinnati leads the way with early enrollees. Memories of UConn's Memorial Stadium. Silence is the right choice for Louisville. Joe Martinek made a mark at Giants rookie camp. USF coach Skip Holtz opens up about what he learned from his mom. Philadelphia officially signs Syracuse safety Phillip Thomas. Temple nears completion on its practice facility.Source: Cincinnati.com by Nick Hurm
Fox 19 is reporting that members of the University of Cincinnati basketball team are being accused of assaulting a bouncer from a local night club.
Brian McLucas, a bouncer at PLAY night club, says he was punched and kicked by members of the team.
According to the report:
The PLAY bouncer said the players sat down at someone else’s VIP table. “I’m asking you guys to get up. You’re drinking her alcohol,” said McLucas. “And I said, you guys are making rude racial remarks towards her. And I said you guys need to get up.”
The players apparently refused to move and became rather vocal at that point. “I said you guys need to calm down. And whenever I did that I looked to the right of me and right as I looked to the right of me I seen the dude take three quick steps and punch me in the eye,” said McLucas.
This morning, UC Athletic Director Whit Babcock released the following statement regarding the altercation.
“Right now we are working to gather information and facts,” said Babcock. “While we certainly don’t want to rush to judgment and will allow for due process, we also want to strongly emphasize that we hold all of our student-athletes to a high standard for their behavior in the community. It is a privilege to play for and represent UC, it is not a right. We have made great strides in our program and this type situation is not what UC athletics is about or will be about. As of now, to my understanding, there are no charges filed, only accusations. We will next comment after we have had time to gather facts and our process moves along or is completed. We will invoke disciplinary action if any of our student-athletes acted in an inappropriate manner.”
Source: Cincinnati Official Site
Former University of Cincinnati linebacker J.K. Schaffer was named the recipient of the 2012 Mr. Bearcat Award at All-University Recognition Ceremony on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at the Tangeman University Center.Source: Down The Drive by Matt Opper
Over the last couple of days you might have noticed a lack of posting here at Down The Drive, and that is with good reason. As you may or may not know this coming season is the 125th season of Bearcat Football. In recognition of that we here at Down The Drive have compiled a list of the 125 best, most important and memorable Bearcats in the history of the program and will be counting them down leading up to the September 6th Season Opener with Pitt. This is no end all be all list, just one take on it intended more to start a conversation than end it. So without further adieu lets start the proceedings.
It only
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