Will quarterback Zach Collaros really be able to play in the Liberty Bowl only 49 days after breaking his right ankle?

My first attempt at getting the inside scoop was from Zach's former housemate Derek Wolfe.

"I'm not going to comment on that right now, because I don't want to put anything out there that I shouldn't," said Wolfe.

Alright, how about Zach's fellow team captain JK Schaffer?

"It's not really my business to talk about," said Schaffer.  "I don't know any of the medical stuff and I try to stay out of that.  It's his business and he has enough people asking him about it."

So much for that idea.  Let's go straight to the source.

"If it's up to me I'll play," said Collaros.  "What it comes down to is what Coach Jones wants and what (trainer) Bob Mangine and Dr. Colosimo say."  

Not exactly the definitive answer I was hoping for.

But just when I thought that I was going to leave practice thinking that Zach's status for the bowl was still 50-50, head coach Butch Jones provided the strongest indication yet that Collaros will take the field in Memphis on December 31^st.

"I would say right now it's 65 to 70 percent likely that he'll play," Coach Jones told me.  "We have one more practice on Thursday and then we're off for a couple of days, so we'll see when we report to Memphis how he feels.  But you can see that he's getting better every day.  That's obviously very encouraging."

Zach's ankle now includes a plate and two screws that were surgically attached on November 14^th, and while he has taken most of the snaps at practice this week, the senior quarterback isn't finished with the rehab process.

"I spend about an hour in the morning doing rehab before practice," said Collaros.  "Then we have practice and after that, it's anywhere from an hour-and-a-half to three more hours.  When I get home, it's not like I'm doing rehab at my house, but I'm definitely icing it and following Bob's rules.

"The past couple of days - especially yesterday - I felt really good.  Today I was pretty sore after three straight days of practice, but I just have keep doing what I have to do in the training room and at home.  Hopefully, I'll be ready in 10 days."

I'll be honest.  When Zach was taken off the field on a cart after being hit by West Virginia's Bruce Irvin, I assumed his college career was finished.  Even after being told that there was a chance that he could recover in time for a bowl game, I remained skeptical.

But his teammates and coaches figured that if anyone could make it back that quickly, it was Zach Collaros.

"I thought it was a legitimate possibility because of how competitive that he is and how important this is to him," said Coach Jones.  "This football game means everything to him.  Anything that he puts his mind to, he usually accomplishes."

"Even from the beginning, I knew that he would play in a bowl game," said Schaffer.  "Knowing Zach, there is no way that they'll keep him off the field.  Nothing will keep him off."

"I miss playing," Collaros told me.  "It's been a hard five weeks just sitting around and watching.  I'm very competitive and I want to be out there.  It's important to me and it's important to help my teammates get a win.  And I don't want my last play to be the play that it was."  

It sounds increasingly likely that it won't be.

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It was roughly 90 minutes before tipoff.  As the Bearcats warmed up at the Cintas Center, a grown man dressed in Xavier gear - I would guess in his mid-30's - stood as close to the court as he possibly could and taunted Yancy Gates.  It wasn't good-natured fun.  For 10 to 15 minutes, the man barked out a string of insulting remarks in hopes of getting under Yancy's skin.

Trust me, I am not trying to explain or defend Yancy's behavior on Saturday.  It was indefensible.  And I am not suggesting that Xavier fans are any different than UC fans.  But it's time to inject some badly-needed civility into the nation's best intracity rivalry.  On the court and off of it.    

What happened on Saturday has been building for years and both sides are guilty.  In the first Shootout that I ever attended (the Lenny Brown game), Danny Fortson got into a skirmish with T.J. Johnson and there have been pushes, shoves, head-butts, and punches thrown in nearly every game since.  The trash talk and taunting was nothing new either.  Long before Xavier's Tu Holloway made references to body bags, my all-time favorite UC basketball player - Melvin Levett - did a throat-slash gesture near the end of a Bearcat win over the Musketeers.

Before last Saturday's brawl, that kind of behavior may not have been encouraged, but it certainly wasn't condoned.

Cincinnati plays hotly-contested, physical games every year against Louisville and West Virginia and I can't remember any fights.  Ditto for Xavier's annual games against Dayton and Temple.

The volatility between UC and XU is not limited to the players.  The rhetoric between the two fan bases has grown increasingly harsh in recent years.  And frankly, since Saturday's fight, I still don't like what I'm hearing.  While the players and coaches seem genuinely remorseful, too many fans are still arguing over everything from what side started the fight to which school acted properly in the aftermath.

Enough already.

I love the Crosstown Shootout and consider it an incredible privilege to broadcast the game.   I hope that I'll have the opportunity to do many more.

I've always thought that the UC/XU game didn't get enough nation attention for being one of the top rivalries in the country.  Well, the two schools are certainly in the spotlight now.  Next year's game - assuming it happens - will receive enormous national scrutiny.

There's an opportunity going forward to celebrate the fact that we have two of the best college basketball programs in the county in our city.  There's no reason why they can't play a basketball game every year without the hostility.  And there's no reason why any of us can't support one school without feeling the need to blast the other. 

Isn't it time we emphasized the "Cross-town" instead of the "Shootout?"

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It was 3-0 Syracuse in the second quarter when the Orange dropped back to punt from their own 40 yard line.  I'll admit to being surprised when I saw Isaiah Pead on the other end of the field waiting to return it.  After all, the senior from Columbus had not return a punt since...

"Eastmoor Academy -- my senior year of high school," Pead told me after the game.  "It's something that I've been asking for since I've been here.  I guess they finally decided to pull the trigger."

It was more like lighting a fuse.

Pead caught Jonathan Fisher's 50-yard punt at the 10 yard line and broke several tackles on a 34-yard return.  It helped set up a game-tying field goal that sparked the Bearcats in their 30-13 win at the Carrier Dome.

"He's been in my ear all season and our players have great confidence in him," said head coach Butch Jones.  "When he went back there it really energized our team and I thought it switched the momentum."

It was one of 28 "touches" in the game for Isaiah as he rushed 17 times for 80 yards, caught 9 passes for 112 yards, and returned 2 punts for 54 yards.  That's 246 badly-needed yards when the Bearcats were playing without injured quarterback Zach Collaros.   

"That's what you play the game for," said Pead.  "I just did what I could to help the team.  Our captain is down right now and the team has to lift his spirits.  It starts with me.  I'm a senior running back and I think I did what I could today."

The decision to allow Pead to return punts was made early in the week.

"After the disappointing loss at Rutgers, Coach Jones came into the team meeting and said, 'Pead -- you're going to be returning punts this week,' Isaiah told me.  "I embraced it.  I started watching more film and started taking care of my body more.  The players were up for it -- they like blocking for me."

In case you're wondering why Pead hasn't returned punts before at UC, consider the first skill required in performing the job. 

"Catching a punt with 10 guys running down at you full speed is not a very easy skill to perform," said Coach Jones.  "He's really worked hard at that skill.   I'll tell you what, the progress that he's made from last year to this year in the skill of catching punts is a tribute to his work ethic.  He's been practicing all year and waiting for this opportunity."

And while Pead relished the opportunity, he downplayed his role in the victory.

"Coach told me at the beginning of the week that it was on me," said Pead.  "I said, 'It's not on me.  I'm going to play my role like I always do -- just a little bit more.'  I think it all worked out great.  The offensive line did good, the receivers were great blocking on the edge, and it was a great team victory."

"We fed #23 and he played a great game," said Coach Jones.

This week, Isaiah will be one of 21 Bearcats honored on Senior Day at Nippert Stadium.  The 25th-ranked Bearcats host UConn at noon for a share of the Big East championship.  If USF beats West Virginia on Thursday night, the Bearcats will play in a BCS bowl game for the third time in four years if they beat the Huskies.

"It's going to be a great challenge," said Coach Jones.  "I can't tell you how excited our kids are to get back and play in Nippert Stadium.  We're going to need the 12th man on Saturday because they are extremely physical.  We're playing in a Big East championship game and we need everyone -- there's absolutely no reason why Nippert shouldn't be sold out."

Come early.  Be loud.  And wear black.  

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Let's see if any of this sounds familiar.

It's late in the season.  The UC football team loses its starting quarterback to injury and has to turn to an inexperienced backup before a key game with major bowl implications.  Sure enough, the second-stringer not only comes through in that game, but in the weeks to come.

You know who I'm talking about right?

No, not Zach Collaros...or Tony Pike...or Dustin Grutza...or Chazz Anderson.

Does the name Nick Davila ring a bell?

If any fan base in college football should realize that losing your starting quarterback doesn't necessarily spell doom, it is Cincinnati Bearcat fans.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Cincinnati's starter will miss at least one start due to injury.

Here's how the team has done:

2006:  Dustin Grutza is unable to start the next-to-last game of the regular season and Davila throws for 277 yards as the Bearcats stun previously unbeaten and 7^th-ranked Rutgers 30-11.  The following week, Davila comes off the bench to lead Cincinnati to two scoring drives in the last 4:00 as the Bearcats beat UConn 26-23.  New head coach Brian Kelly then picks Davila to start the International Bowl and he leads the 'Cats to a 27-24 win.

2007:  Ben Mauk misses two starts due to shoulder woes and Grutza leads the Bearcats to wins over Miami and Marshall.

2008:  Grutza breaks his leg in week two at Oklahoma, and Tony Pike is the starter in wins over Miami and Akron before breaking his arm against the Zips (with Zach Collaros coming off the bench to lead the team to a game-winning field goal).  Chazz Anderson then gets the call and leads the 'Cats to wins over Marshall and Rutgers before Pike returns to start the final eight games of the season.  When Tony was knocked woozy in a pair of late-season games, Grutza answers the bell on a gimpy leg to rally UC to second half comebacks at Louisville and Hawaii.

2009:  Pike is being mentioned as a Heisman candidate before breaking his forearm at USF.  No big deal.  Collaros rushes for a career-high 132 yards to led the 'Cats to a win in that game, before starting in victories over Louisville, Syracuse, UConn, and West Virginia.

2010:  Collaros misses the Syracuse game with a knee injury, and Anderson struggles in a 31-7 loss to Syracuse.

By my count, over the last five years when forced to start a backup quarterback (I am not including Davila in the International Bowl, or Pike in the second half of 2008 because Grutza available in both cases), the UC Bearcats are 11-1.

Now Benton "Munchie" Legaux will try to add his name to the list.

The 20-year-old from New Orleans passed for 144 yards and rushed for 77 after Collaros broke his ankle last Saturday vs. West Virginia.  In the second half, Legaux (pronounced leh-GO) led Cincinnati to a pair of touchdown drives to turn a 10-point deficit into a 21-17 lead in the 4^th quarter.  Then after WVU pulled back in front 24-21, Munchie started a drive at his own 30-yard line with 1:09 remaining, and calmly drove the 'Cats to the Mountaineers' 14-yard line before West Virginia blocked a game-tying field goal attempt.   

"He actually provided the spark," said head coach Butch Jones.  "He provided the big plays and got us into a rhythm offensively.  The way we practice, our number two quarterback gets the same amount of reps as our number one quarterback.  So he's had the repetitions and as we know, repetition is the mother of all learning.  So he's had that - now it's a matter of being able to do it at game speed."

He faces a serious challenge this week since Rutgers lead the Big East in scoring defense (18.2), total defense (322 yards), and interceptions (16).

"The big thing for Munchie is to be able to practice this week at game speed and make quick decisions with the football," said Coach Jones.  "As the backup quarterback you're always one snap away, but sometimes, you're sitting there and it's very difficult to prepare during the week because every week you're preparing but your time doesn't come.  Now all of the sudden you're forced into it and I thought he did a great job (against WVU).  That just builds that confidence that our team has in Munchie."

On Saturday, it will be exactly five years and one day since Davila came off the bench to lead the Bearcats past the Scarlet Knights.  Can Legaux do the same?

As investment advisors always point out, past performance does not necessarily predict future results.

But it's nice to know it can be done isn't it? 

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As a play-by-play announcer, I'm often asked, "What's the best game that you've ever called?"

Easiest question ever.

Cincinnati 45 Pitt 44

Perhaps my answer will eventually change, but I seriously doubt it.  It was the game that had everything.

For starters, the stakes were astronomically high as the Bearcats were 11-0, ranked fifth in the country, and still in contention for a national championship.  With a win, Cincinnati was going to a BCS bowl for the 2^nd straight year.  If UC lost, Pitt would have been the Big East champ and the Bearcats would have wound up in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Then you have the atmosphere.  It was a frigid and snowy December afternoon with 63,387 fans in attendance - including the largest contingent of Bearcat fans to ever travel to a regular season road game. 

And finally, there was the game itself.

I'll admit it; I thought the Bearcats were toast when they fell behind 31-10 in the second quarter.  But when Mardy Gilyard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown with 70 seconds left in the first half, the 'Cats - like Frankenstein's monster - were ALIVE (you can watch Mardy's return here).

"Obviously when you get down by 21, panic starts to set it," said safety Drew Frey.  "That's when you have to rely on each other.  There were still more than 30 minutes left in the game and to be honest, it had everything to do with momentum.  When Mardy ran that kick back before halftime, we were able to slowly shift the momentum and things just went from there."

"We never felt like we were out of it," said wide receiver Armon Binns.  "We just felt like we were shooting ourselves in the foot, but we knew that we could get it right."

"We were down by a lot of points and nobody panicked," said running back Isaiah Pead.  "We felt like our brotherhood was so tight that it couldn't be broken."

Still, the Bearcats never had a lead until there were 33 seconds to go when Tony Pike hit Armon Binns with a 29-yard touchdown pass that tied the score and gave Jake Rogers the opportunity to kick the game-winning extra point (you can watch Pike to Binns here).

Cincinnati 45 Pitt 44

"I can't remember the name of the play," Pike told me this week.  "We went up and checked the play at the line of scrimmage and they went into a man-to-man defense.  The safety had been cheating toward Mardy's side all day and as a quarterback and receiver, that's the kind of thing that you talk about on the sideline.  Once we saw them single up into man-to-man, I made eye contact with Armon and he checked his route into a simple fade.  He did a great job beating his guy off the line of scrimmage and I just kind of put it out there for him."

"Every time I watch it, I kind of get chills," said Binns.  "I just remember all of the feelings from that game.  I remember how excited we were and I can remember that whole play so vividly."

The Pike-to-Binns touchdown pass has to rank as the greatest moment in UC football history.

"Being from Cincinnati my whole life and going down to the games with my grandpa and family growing up, to have your name associated with a play of that caliber is something special and something that I'm going to carry with me for the rest of my life," said Pike.

"It's a blessing to know that I was able to make my mark and that I'll be remembered at the school for a long time," said Binns.

So yes, it's the best game that I've ever had the privlege to broadcast - but what about the Bearcats?  Best game you've ever played in?

"Easily," said Drew Frey.  "No question.  I don't think words can describe it.  That's all I can say." 

"It's not only the best one that I've been a part of - I think it's the best one that I remember seeing since I've been watching sports," said Tony Pike.  "With everything on the line and the way the game played out, it was definitely the biggest and best that I've even been a part of.

"It had everything that you love in a great football game," said Armon Binns.  "I actually was sitting back in my house watching some highlights this week.  They've got a bunch of stuff on YouTube with the 'Cats celebrating after the game.  It was a crazy, crazy day."

Cincinnati 45 Pitt 44

* * * * *

I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@bengals.nfl.net

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

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Enjoy this week's photo of young Sam displaying his soccer skills.

I have exciting news for Mick Cronin:  I've found him a big man recruit.

OK, there's a catch - Mick is going to have to wait 18 years to sign him, but Jason Maxiell is about to become a dad in the next few weeks and he's already referring to his unborn son as a "future Bearcat."

"Yes I am," Maxiell told me with a grin.  "I am on eBay every-other-night looking for baby stuff with a UC logo on it."

On Wednesday night, Maxiell will be inducted into UC's James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame as part of a stellar class than includes baseball legend Sandy Koufax, Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Jonathan Ruffin, UC swimming and diving coach Monty Hopkins, and the 1960-61 national championship basketball team.

Maxiell learned about the honor in a phone call from Mick Cronin, who did much of the legwork in recruiting him to Cincinnati as an assistant under Bob Huggins.

"Mick did most of the flying to Dallas to come and see me - it was pretty much all Mick," said Maxiell.  "Just to see him now in the role of head coach as I get picked for the UC Hall of Fame - it's an accomplishment for both of us."

Maxiell is certainly deserving of his Hall of Fame induction as he ranks 12^th on Cincinnati's career scoring list and 3^rd in blocked shots.  He also earned his degree before being selected in the first round of the 2005 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons.

"UC made me more outgoing and more responsible," said Maxiell.  "I came to Cincinnati as a shy guy and playing under Huggs broke my shell."

Assuming the NBA lockout eventually ends, Maxiell will be entering his seventh year with the Pistons.  He has two years remaining on a 4-year, $20 million contract.

"It seems like it's flown by," Jason told me.  "I wish I could slow it down a little bit so I could get to the point where my son-to-be could see me play."

He and his wife Brandi plan to name their son Jason II and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he grew up to be a Bearcat.  Jason is a proud supporter of his Alma mater and was thrilled when Coach Cronin led UC back to the NCAA Tournament last year.

"Now I can go in the Pistons locker room and brag about the Bearcats again," said Maxiell.  "That was my top priority.  As soon as they beat certain ranked teams, I was in the locker room plastering things all over the place."

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By now, you've probably read or heard a few things about the University of Cincinnati's new Director of Athletics, Whit Babcock. 

He comes to UC after spending the last five years at the University of Missouri and made such a favorable impression there, that seven members of Mizzou's athletic department, including AD Mike Alden, traveled to Cincinnati to attend Babcock's introductory news conference.

Babcock previously worked at Auburn and West Virginia, and graduated from James Madison University where he was the captain of the baseball team.

After answering a variety of questions about his vision for Bearcat athletics at his news conference on Monday, Whit was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me discussing his background.

Where did you grow up and what is it known for?

My hometown is Harrisonburg, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley.  It's the home of James Madison University - it may be known for that - but there are also a lot of poultry farms around there.  In the summer baseball leagues, if you hit a home run, they usually award a butterball turkey to a lucky fan.  How about that?  But it's probably most known for James Madison University and Civil War history.

What did your folks do for a living?

My dad was the baseball coach there at James Madison and took JMU to the College World Series in 1983.  They lost to Texas and Stanford, but still, I'm proud of him for that.  That was a great experience for me - growing up in the home of a successful head coach.  My dad certainly taught me work ethic and discipline, and my summer jobs were in the equipment room and buildings and grounds over on campus.  My mom was a homemaker and really taught me manners, history, and the importance of education. 

How long was your father the baseball coach at James Madison?

He was the baseball coach for nearly 17 years.  He announced his retirement to go into athletic administration, and his last year of coaching was my freshman year of playing.  I was quite an average player.  I heard a guy say that the Latin definition of athletic director is that you couldn't play and you can't coach.  I'm sure I fit that quite well.

Did you father coach anyone that we would recognize?

He had one year where seven of his nine position players were drafted - that was probably the best year.  He had a player named Billy Sample who played for the Rangers and he had a guy named Dana Allison who pitched for the A's for a little while.  A lot of his players made it to minors but only a few advanced to the show.

Since your father coached there, did you always dream of attending James Madison?

I was really intent on getting out of town and I really loved basketball.  But I was probably a Division II or Division III basketball player, so I decided to stay there and go to school and play baseball.  I did move out of the house and live in the dorms - I did not want to live at home any longer like most of us at the age of 18.  In hindsight, that student-athlete experience was A-plus and taught me how to deal with so many things.  It also prepared me to be around an athletic department where things financially weren't easy.  If the only school I had been at was Auburn - that was a great experience too - but can you truly relate to the places where you have to make nickels look like quarters?

What posters of athletes did you have on your bedroom wall as a kid?

Dr. J was one of them.  I remember that foul line dunk poster was on my wall.  I think I liked the afro and the fact that he played for the 76ers.  But he was such a dynamic figure there and brought some style to the game in the 70's.  I was a big Boston Red Sox fan so I liked Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice too.

Before looking into the job, what did you know about the University of Cincinnati?

The few times that I was here with West Virginia for football, it was one of the coldest, windiest places that I remember.  But I've heard a lot about it since then and when Mike Thomas resigned I thought, 'Man - that's a good one.'  I've really bought into the vision that Dr. Williams has put forth, and to be a part of something that's on the rise academically and athletically is really exciting.  From the outside looking in, I think it's a program on the rise and one that will be fun to build and take to the next level.

You knew Butch Jones from when you both worked at West Virginia.  Did you call him right away when you heard that the job was open?

It was pretty darn quick.  Just to say, "Tell me about it.  Tell me everything about Cincinnati.'  It was really exciting to get the job last Saturday and then watch the football team beat South Florida.  (UC's Sports Information Director) Doug Mosley put me on the phone with Butch right there in the locker room after the game.  His voice was cracking with emotion and man, he's a special coach.  I'm sure we have a number of special coaches - I don't know them yet - but to hear his voice cracking with emotion...I can see why his players want to run through a wall for him.  I'm a big fan of Butch Jones.

Is Whit your full name or is that short for something?

My full name is Bradley Whitney Babcock, and I should have a lot more family money with a name like that.  It sounds like aristocracy, but I am the son of a coach and a phys ed teacher and a homemaker mom.  It's a family name and my dad is Brad so I go by Whit.

Describe the perfect day?

The perfect day?  It has to have my family in it and my faith in it.  But the perfect day on this campus would be to spend some time with our student-athletes - maybe one or two in particular that as freshman, came in a bit immature or came from a rough background and then to see them as seniors and how they've grown and become young men and women.  If they can graduate and beat Louisville on the same day, that would be a pretty good day.

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According to UC offensive lineman Alex Hoffman, his roommate Zach Collaros is the most competitive player in college football.

"I know that I'm a little biased and that sounds ridiculous to say, but I honestly believe that,' Hoffman said.

"I don't like losing at anything - I don't care what it is," said Collaros.  "Especially an argument with him."

The Bearcat quarterback's competitive side was never more obvious than in Saturday's dramatic 37-34 win at USF.  When the Bulls scored a touchdown with 1:27 left to take a four point lead, Zach was excited.

"I've never really had an opportunity to go down and win a game like that," said Collaros.  "It's what you always dream of, you know?  There was no panic at all on the sideline and I really didn't have to say anything.  Everybody was locked in and we knew what we had to do."

"We face Zach in the two minute drill in practice all of the time," said defensive end Dan Giordano.  "It was nice to watch him run it from the sideline for a change."

The Bearcats began the winning drive at their own 30-yard line with 1:22 on the clock and two time outs to work with.

"The two time outs were huge because we didn't have to force the ball downfield," said Collaros.  "I was able to throw a check-down to Isaiah Pead for a few yards and I threw a drag to Kenbrell Thompkins that he turned into a 40-yard gain." 

"I told Zach that the mark of a great quarterback is going on the road and leading your team to victory in the two-minute drill," said head coach Butch Jones.  "We executed flawlessly."

On the final drive, Collaros was 4-6 for 69 yards and he hit 3 different receivers.  The senior from Steubenville, OH scored the game-winning touchdown on a 2-yard run with 12 seconds remaining.

"He responded like great players respond," said Coach Jones.  "He's extremely competitive and he led us to victory." 

"That showed character and determination," said Isaiah Pead.  "I felt like we overcame a lot of adversity today and that's what it's going to come down to down the stretch."

"I created some of that adversity myself," said Collaros.  "On that second quarter interception, I was trying to throw the ball out of bounds - you have to believe me on that.  I was not throwing a backhand 20-yard pass.  That was supposed to go out of bounds."

Zach more than made up for the ugliest of the 711 passes he has thrown at UC, finishing 26-41 for 389 yards and 3 touchdowns passing, and 21 yards and 2 touchdowns running.  His friend B.J. Daniels posted similar numbers for USF, passing for a career-high 409 yards and 3 scores. 

"B.J. is a great competitor and I love watching him play," said Collaros.  "I find myself sometimes on the sideline watching him instead of doing what I'm supposed to be doing.  He played a heck of a game, but luckily there were only 12 seconds left when he got the ball back at the end."

With the win, the Bearcats are alone in first place in the Big East at 2-0.  They are also already bowl-eligible at 6-1 overall.

"I'm excited to get this program back to a bowl," said Coach Jones.  "But we're not satisfied - absolutely not.  The season is still relatively young, and our team has great confidence.  This bye week is going to serve a purpose and we have to do a great job.  I think you've seen a number of teams across the country have been sluggish coming off their bye week, so this is a very big week for us."

"This team has an edge about itself and we refuse to lose," said Pead.  "Every game is a championship game right now because the Big East is wide-open."

"Great character teams and teams with great leadership win games on the road, and to win the conference, you have to win games on the road," said Collaros.  "It's a great win for us.  We're going to celebrate tonight, get into the bye week, and recover health-wise."

He'll probably manage to turn that into a competition.

* * * * *

I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@bengals.nfl.net

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Speaking of young Sam, enjoy this week's photo as he proudly displays his Zach Collaros jersey...and his trusty sword.

As recently as two weeks ago, the USF Bulls were ranked 14^th in the USA Today poll, and 16^th in the AP Poll. 

Back-to-back road losses at Pitt and UConn knocked USF from the polls, but UC head coach Butch Jones says the Bulls are loaded.

"I think they're one or two in the Big East in raw talent," said Jones.  "When you look at their defensive front and their secondary, they're very explosive.  Then you have B.J. Daniels at quarterback and a great one-two punch at running back between 240-pound Darrell Scott and Demetris Murray.  They're number one in the Big East in rushing offense (215.2 yards per game)."

USF's offense revolves around Daniels who ranks second in the league in passing yards (243 per game) and eighth in rushing yards (53.7 per game).  While it seems - at least to me - that B.J. has been the Bulls quarterback for a decade, he's actually only a redshirt junior.  Daniels was brilliant in last year's USF win at Nippert Stadium, as he passed for 286 yards and a pair of touchdowns and ran for two more.

"You have to keep him in check," said Coach Jones.  "B.J. presents so many problems because he can throw the football and you can't let him set his feet.  We have to do a great job of staying in coverage when he scrambles and then rally to the football.  It's going to test our eye discipline in our secondary.  They're going to spread us out and throw some perimeter screens and then they'll throw the ball deep and test our corners."

While the Bulls rank first in the Big East in rushing offense, they are at the bottom of the league in rushing defense at 125.5 yards a game.  A big chunk of those yards came in USF's 44-17 loss at Pitt when Ray Graham ran for 226 yards on 26 carries.  Cincinnati's offensive line will try to give Isaiah Pead similar opportunities.   

"The things that he does are amazing," said senior guard Randy Martinez.  "The passion that he brings to the game makes you want to play that much harder.  If you hold your block for a little bit longer, he'll break an 80-yard run.  If you just give a little extra effort, he'll do amazing things."

"Isaiah just needs to relax and trust his run reads," said Coach Jones.  "The big thing is to make four yards first and then look to make the big play.  That's what he did in the second half of the Louisville game and it paid off with the 50-yard touchdown run."

The Bearcats have won the last two times they've played at Raymond James Stadium, and will need to play well on Saturday to extend that streak to three.

"USF is a great home team," said Coach Jones.  "They're averaging 53 points at home and 16 points on the road.  They're a great football team.  We're going to have to play our best and we're going to have to play physical.  It's going to be a great challenge for us."

* * * * *

After several days of non-stop rain in Ohio (I'm convinced those exotic animals in Zanesville were searching for Noah's Ark), it was great to step off the plane in Tampa under sunny skies with the temperature in the mid-70's.

Fortunately, the Bearcats were not impacted by the lousy weather all week back home thanks to the indoor practice field at the Sheakley Athletics Center.  The bubble was inflated earlier than scheduled this year, and the team was able to practice indoors. 

"The indoor practice bubble paid big dividends, and hats off to our administration and (Director of Facilities) Brendan Fouracre for everything they did in getting it up early," said Coach Jones.  "It was critical.  We could simulate the elements in terms of temperature, and we didn't have to practice in the driving rain storms."

* * * * * 

As the team boarded its Delta charter on Friday morning, I thought it was telling that the seniors were seated in first class while the coaches - including Butch Jones - were seated in coach.

A little thing perhaps, but more proof that the players come first at UC.

I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@bengals.nfl.net

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I'm on Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

So what's wrong with Cincinnati's passing game?

Nothing. 

"It's a team game," said receiver Kenbrell Thompkins.  "Our whole thing is that winning takes care of everything.  As long as we're winning, it doesn't matter how many receiving yards or catches we have, we just want to win."

Still, it appears that we've been so spoiled by UC's aerial pyrotechnics over the last few seasons that we are no longer dazzled by a quarterback who is completing 63% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions after five games.

In truth, the Bearcat passing attack has been very good, but there is room for improvement.

"We've had our moments where we've been in a good rhythm, but we're nowhere near where we could be," said quarterback Zach Collaros. 

"It's not just one thing," said receiver DJ Woods.  "It's receivers running the right routes, it's the blocking by the lineman, it's the reads by the quarterback - everybody is a part of it.  But it is our job as receivers to get open for Zach and make plays."

They'll get that chance on Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium.

In recent years, the Louisville Cardinals have been uber-aggressive on defense and challenged opponents to beat them with downfield passing plays. 

"They have a lot of confidence in their defensive backs," said Woods.  "They play a lot of Cover 1, so we have to beat man coverage.  It's nothing too special - we have to do the same thing that we did last year and make plays when it's one-on-one."

"They're an attacking defense and they like to play man-to-man coverage," said Collaros.  "The thing about man-to-man coverage is that you have to win one-on-one battles.  So it's our O-line vs. their defensive ends, and it's our receivers and tight ends vs. their cornerbacks.  If you win those matchups, you're going to win the game."

The Bearcats have won three straight in the rivalry and two of Zach's biggest games have come against the Cardinals.

In 2009 in his first college start, Collaros was 15-17 for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns, posting a perfect NFL quarterback rating of 158.3.  Last year, he passed for 275 yards and a career-high 5 touchdowns.

"Last year they actually ended up playing a little more zone than we expected," said Collaros.  "Especially toward the end of the game because we had burned them a couple of times.  So we're not exactly positive what they're going do against us this year, but through their first five games they've played a lot of man-to-man."

Perhaps Louisville will drastically alter its defensive strategy for Saturday's game, but one thing never changes in the annual Battle for the Keg of Nails:  It will be hard-hitting and hostile.

"Four quarters of smash-mouth football," said Thompkins.  "If you're not expecting to get hit, you're in the wrong sport."

"It's always going to be like that," said Woods.  "Louisville doesn't like us, and we sure don't like them."

* * * * *

I hope you'll join Coach Jones, Jim Kelly, and me for the "Butch Jones Show" on Wednesday night from 8 to 9 at the Original Montgomery Inn. 

I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@bengals.nfl.net

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard

And I'm on Facebook.  Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.

Speaking of Sam, enjoy this week's action photo.