TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – To fans of the University of Cincinnati football program the Bearcats' 3-7 record probably seems every bit as bad as last year's 4-8 record. Maybe worse.
UC coach Luke Fickell doesn't see it that way and he hopes his players don't either.
"I'm not talking about the record," Fickell said. "I'm talking about the feel that you get every single day when you walk in here, the feel that you get when you walk onto that practice field, the feel that you get when you go into meetings with your coaches. It's probably the same things for fans, that you've got to look at it and say, hey, what do I see?"
The wins haven't come as frequently as he hoped they would in his first year as the Bearcats' head coach, but Fickell says the Bearcats have made important strides in changing the culture of the program, pointing it in the right direction for the future.
UC (3-7 overall, 1-5 in the American Athletic Conference) will play at East Carolina (2-8, 1-5) at noon Saturday in its next to last game of the regular season.
Even though Fickell was being gently nudged towards talking about next year and the future of the program at his weekly press conference Tuesday, he insisted that he's more focused on finishing the season on a strong note and doing the right thing by his seniors.
"We've got to make strides in these last two weeks," Fickell said. "I'm not focused on next year. I don't want people to lose confidence. I'm not going to lose confidence. Our players aren't going to lose confidence. I've told these older guys that unfortunately they've been in some not so good situations in the last two years. My most important thing is that this doesn't feel the same to them.
"They've got to look at the same things. Is there energy out there? Or does it remind them of the past? I hope every guy in our program that has been here says there's nothing that reminds them of the last couple years."
Those fans who have paid close attention and are able to see beyond UC's poor record might have noticed that unlike last season under coach Tommy Tuberville, when the Bearcats were generally overwhelmed in the second half of their losses, this team continues to play hard. That's little consolation for a fan base that has now suffered through two straight losing seasons for the first time since 1998 and 1999, but it's important to Fickell and his players.
"It's way different," said senior linebacker Jaylyin Minor. "I don't like to dwell on the past, but the way we lost games in the past it didn't hurt as much or it didn't seem like we fought as hard throughout the whole game no matter how bad or how good the game was going. (The program) is a lot different from the way we go about things and the way we handle things from the losses that we've taken all year. It's a different feeling and a different program."
Minor said he and his fellow seniors appreciate the fact that Fickell hasn't given up on the season – and in effect on them – with two games remaining.
"It means a lot," Minor said, "because I've been in a program before where your seniors are about to get out of there and then toward the end of the year, when the season didn't go as planned, they focus on getting the guys ready for next year instead of keep playing for the seniors. These are our last games for us that we have guaranteed. Everybody's not going to be able to go on to the NFL and keep playing, so he's going to keep doing what he can for us and make it the best he can for us. I really appreciate that a lot."
In the meantime, Fickell and his staff continue to work on recruiting as they try to improve the talent level to go with the culture change. According to Rivals.com, the Bearcats have 19 commitments for the class of 2018 and rank 45th nationally. Only Houston's and South Florida's classes rank higher in the AAC. According to 247 Sports, UC's class ranks 46th, behind only Central Florida's in the conference.
"We're going to be not just the top of the league," Fickell said, "we're going to continue to push this thing. I know recruiting doesn't amount to Ws right now, but anything that's going to be worth something is probably going to take a little bit of time. Anything that's going to withstand the test of time, it means that you can do it on a consistent basis.
"It's not just luck. There's a reason for it. What are we selling? Well, I'm not sitting there saying that we're playing in the championship game this year. No, we're selling us. We're selling our program. We're selling who we are as men and coaches and what we can do for them. They've got to put their faith and belief in us."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January, 2015.
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI – To fans of the University of Cincinnati football program the Bearcats' 3-7 record probably seems every bit as bad as last year's 4-8 record. Maybe worse.
UC coach Luke Fickell doesn't see it that way and he hopes his players don't either.
"I'm not talking about the record," Fickell said. "I'm talking about the feel that you get every single day when you walk in here, the feel that you get when you walk onto that practice field, the feel that you get when you go into meetings with your coaches. It's probably the same things for fans, that you've got to look at it and say, hey, what do I see?"
The wins haven't come as frequently as he hoped they would in his first year as the Bearcats' head coach, but Fickell says the Bearcats have made important strides in changing the culture of the program, pointing it in the right direction for the future.
UC (3-7 overall, 1-5 in the American Athletic Conference) will play at East Carolina (2-8, 1-5) at noon Saturday in its next to last game of the regular season.
Even though Fickell was being gently nudged towards talking about next year and the future of the program at his weekly press conference Tuesday, he insisted that he's more focused on finishing the season on a strong note and doing the right thing by his seniors.
"We've got to make strides in these last two weeks," Fickell said. "I'm not focused on next year. I don't want people to lose confidence. I'm not going to lose confidence. Our players aren't going to lose confidence. I've told these older guys that unfortunately they've been in some not so good situations in the last two years. My most important thing is that this doesn't feel the same to them.
"They've got to look at the same things. Is there energy out there? Or does it remind them of the past? I hope every guy in our program that has been here says there's nothing that reminds them of the last couple years."
Those fans who have paid close attention and are able to see beyond UC's poor record might have noticed that unlike last season under coach Tommy Tuberville, when the Bearcats were generally overwhelmed in the second half of their losses, this team continues to play hard. That's little consolation for a fan base that has now suffered through two straight losing seasons for the first time since 1998 and 1999, but it's important to Fickell and his players.
"It's way different," said senior linebacker Jaylyin Minor. "I don't like to dwell on the past, but the way we lost games in the past it didn't hurt as much or it didn't seem like we fought as hard throughout the whole game no matter how bad or how good the game was going. (The program) is a lot different from the way we go about things and the way we handle things from the losses that we've taken all year. It's a different feeling and a different program."
Minor said he and his fellow seniors appreciate the fact that Fickell hasn't given up on the season – and in effect on them – with two games remaining.
"It means a lot," Minor said, "because I've been in a program before where your seniors are about to get out of there and then toward the end of the year, when the season didn't go as planned, they focus on getting the guys ready for next year instead of keep playing for the seniors. These are our last games for us that we have guaranteed. Everybody's not going to be able to go on to the NFL and keep playing, so he's going to keep doing what he can for us and make it the best he can for us. I really appreciate that a lot."
In the meantime, Fickell and his staff continue to work on recruiting as they try to improve the talent level to go with the culture change. According to Rivals.com, the Bearcats have 19 commitments for the class of 2018 and rank 45th nationally. Only Houston's and South Florida's classes rank higher in the AAC. According to 247 Sports, UC's class ranks 46th, behind only Central Florida's in the conference.
"We're going to be not just the top of the league," Fickell said, "we're going to continue to push this thing. I know recruiting doesn't amount to Ws right now, but anything that's going to be worth something is probably going to take a little bit of time. Anything that's going to withstand the test of time, it means that you can do it on a consistent basis.
"It's not just luck. There's a reason for it. What are we selling? Well, I'm not sitting there saying that we're playing in the championship game this year. No, we're selling us. We're selling our program. We're selling who we are as men and coaches and what we can do for them. They've got to put their faith and belief in us."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January, 2015.