Aug. 20, 2009

 

(1:38 p.m.): WEST HARRISON, Ind. – This year’s UC football camp has been just a bit different. It’s been a little faster, a little more frenetic with just a little more energy. That’s the way it’s had to be. The Bearcats, after all, aren’t opening the season against a Southeast Missouri State squad or an Eastern Kentucky team or some other Division I-AA opponent who’s looking for a nice paycheck.

No, Rutgers is first on the list in a nationally-televised game, and nobody here is underestimating the importance of the season-opener.

But before I get into this topic, of course, I need to plug my big kickoff/big signing at Joseph-Beth tonight at 7. Former QBs Don McMillan and Dustin Grutza will be on hand to sign books as well. Don’t you dare miss it.

Senior receiver Mardy “With a ‘D’” Gilyard certainly isn’t going to look past anybody.

“We’re getting antsy,” Gilyard said. “The coaches are running us into the ground. We knew the coaches were going to run us into the ground, so we had to adjust to that.”

The Rutgers game certainly doesn’t make life easy for the Bearcats coaching staff. BK wasn’t happy when he heard about the game. He wasn’t pleased about it during today’s Media Day either. But is there anything good that can come of this for UC?

“You’d have to ask ESPN that,” BK said. “It is for them now. It’s a marquee matchup for the Big East. It’s a television spot. Other than that, I couldn’t have given you a list of great things that come from the head coach at the University of Cincinnati.”

But the Bearcats have adjusted. The entire camp has been different from years past. More focus, less tolerance for mistakes, more drive.

“Immediately, we had to change the way we practice in the preseason,” BK said. “You really have to spend more time on your opponent leading up to an opener like that. A lot more film study for our players. Each practice has some form of component in it relative to Rutgers. That’s a little bit different. (Normally) at this point, we’d still be spending time with our younger players, where now we have to spend more time with Rutgers.”

Said senior quarterback Tony Pike: “It’s definitely been different. We’re been going long every day, and we’ve been doing everything we can to get ready. We understand what we have to do. We knew that we had to change the mindset of camp.”

As difficult as the preseason has been – and as much as BK might want to avoid this game so early in the schedule – the Bearcats have avoided sulking or complaining about the ledger.

They realize that a win on the road against a conference opponent would be an awfully nice way for them to open the season. A loss would not break the season most likely, but still, it’s not the way the team wants begin defense of its Big East title. That’s why this camp has been just a bit different than normal.

“It’s moving way faster,” senior safety Aaron Webster said. “Most of the time, you want to get everybody settled into that first game. Now, we’re having to do that in practice. We have to do all that camp. There’s no testing the waters. We have to come out right of the gate and win that game.”