Aug. 26, 2009

(10:43 a.m.): WEST HARRISON, Ind. – That’s what I think anyway. The knock you no doubt have heard about UC’s football team – one of the major reasons the Bearcats aren’t ranked in either preseason poll – is because they lost 10 defensive starters from last season.

I don’t buy the premise that this will be a huge problem. The season before last, UC had to replace about half of its defensive starters – while adding a defensive end in Connor Barwin who had spent his college career playing tight end, a safety in Brandon Underwood who had flamed out at Ohio State and a linebacker in Torry Cornett who previously had played basketball at Prairie View A&M – and the Bearcats were just fine.*

*Just to note, the Bearcats this year will play defense with at least three former offensive players – Demetrius Jones, Marcus Waugh and Marcus Barnett (sometimes at least).

They were more than fine, in fact. In total defense and scoring defense, they ranked in the top quarter of the country’s squads, and they led the Big East in sacks.

Yes, 10 is a ton of starters to replace. But that statistic is a misnomer. And Andre Revels is the prime example why I feel that way.

In his Bearcats career, he’s played 33 games. He’s started only three (all three came in 2007), but while backing up Ryan Manalac the past two seasons, he’s combined for 125 tackles, an interception, five pass breaks ups and two forced fumbles. Most importantly, he’s gained the experience and game knowhow that will lead him as he starts this season at linebacker.

Ten starters to replace, but, because of Revels and players like Ricardo Matthews, Craig Carey, Brad Jones and Drew Frey (safety Aaron Webster is the only returning starter), it’s not an accurate reflection of how the defense expects itself to perform.

“People can take it any way they want to,” Revels said. “Coach Kelly’s next-man-in system has a lot of guys in that rotation and a lot of guys getting playing time. It doesn’t really matter who starts the game. You can be a starter, play one play and not play the rest of the game. Can you say that person is your ‘starter?’ See, it’s all about the team. It doesn’t matter who starts the game. It’s who’s in the game and that you’re doing the best you can, so we can, as a whole, be successful.”

Revels wants to do whatever he can to back up the last seven words of his quote. It’s why he’s focused on playing two positions this year. He doesn’t care to elaborate much on that experience – “You just have to DYJ,” he said. “Do Your Job.” – but his expertise and willingness to expand his role has caught the attention of BK.

“We’re dual teaching him the Mike and Will (linebacker) positions, which is hard to do and he’s done a great job,” BK said. “He’s been a consistent leader for us all summer and through preseason camp. He’s proven to be a very stabilizing person on our defense, because we have a lot of new players on there.

“He’s made as much improvement as any player in this program in the last year – physically, mentally, all of those things. It’s been nice to see.”

The reason BK and the coaching staff put Revels in this position? Simply put, he can handle it.

“We just put Marcus Waugh in there (at middle linebacker), and he’s got enough to learn with one position,” BK said. “And J.K. (Schaffer) is still a young kid. With Andre having some Big East experience, we needed somebody who could play both.”

It’ll help with a defense which won’t be quite as experienced as BK would like.** But look to last year to see how the Bearcats will try to deal with the issue this season.

**I realize this, on the face of the statement, contradicts with what I just wrote up top, but players like John Hughes, Schaffer, Waugh, Frey and Dominique Battle will be thrown into the fire without having much game experience.

“(Last year), we were physically mature,” BK said. It’s going to be the same thing now. We have physically mature bodies to plug into those 10 positions. Do we have the experience of a Mike Mickens or a DeAngelo (Smith)? Eh, probably not. But we have physical ability.”

And an attitude that allows the Bearcats to believe they can be a force.

“The defensive staff has a great plan,” linebacker Craig Carey said. “They’re going to get people in position to make plays. I think our defense is going to do surprisingly well. Everybody thinks we lost everybody, but we have people to fill in every single role.”