Cincinnati Bearcats Football

Friday night against South Florida will mark the final home game of the season for the Cincinnati Bearcats as the team will honor the 24 seniors on the roster.

The group includes some key players who have helped develop Cincinnati into a perennial top-25 program.

There are names on the roster who have spent extended time in Cincinnati. While there are 24 who will be saying goodbye, most of that talent is on the defensive side of the ball.

Sixth-year senior Drew Frey has been a starter at free safety for the better part of the past four seasons, despite missing two years with injuries.

Fifth-year defensive back Dominique Battle has been through more in his Cincinnati career than anybody on the roster. He saw action in every game during the 2008 Orange Bowl season as a true freshman and also was a starter the following year on the Sugar Bowl team.

Battle has been through multiple knee injuries. Just seeing him on the field this season is nothing short of miraculous after three knee surgeries, including a torn ACL as recently as spring practice.

The defensive line also features a lot of experience. Three fifth-year seniors, including Brandon Mills, Dan Giordano and Walter Stewart will be playing their final game. Stewart has been out since Week 5 because of a neck injury.

Linebacker Maalik Bomar and cornerbacks Camerron Cheatham and Chris Williams are also playing their final home game in the red and black.

On offense, quarterback Brendon Kay along with running back George Winn, tight end Travis Kelce, wide receivers Kenbrell Thompkins, Danny Milligan and Damion Julian, and offensive lineman Sean Hooey will be honored. 

This group may not be quite as talented as last year's seniors, but it is a much deeper class and will likely be missed more than those from a year ago.

Winning the final home game of the season is not only a must for bowl purposes, but will be the perfect way to send off a senior class that has won multiple conference championships and played in two BCS bowl games.

Most of these players have had a significant impact on the program, helping boost Cincinnati to the top of the Big East and putting it in the national spotlight. A place it would love to stay.

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Even though the Cincinnati Bearcats played their worst game of the season on the offensive side of the ball in a 10-3 home loss against Rutgers last Saturday, the season is not completely over.

This is the exact same position Cincinnati was in last season, and with two games remaining, the Bearcats still have an excellent chance to finish 9-3 and participate in a lucrative bowl game.

South Florida comes to town on Friday night. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN and is also the home finale.

Cincinnati will say goodbye to a talented group of seniors, particularly on the defense. Without question, there will be a lot on the seniors' minds, but what will be at the forefront will be winning their final home game.

Victories over South Florida this week and Connecticut in the final game of the season along with a win in a bowl game and Cincinnati will post another 10-win season.

That would be the fifth 10-win season in the past six years, something which very few schools can claim.

For Cincinnati to be successful the rest of the way, it is going to need much better play from the quarterback position.

Munchie Legaux was the starter for most of the season, but fifth-year senior Brendon Kay stepped in two weeks ago.

While Kay was very impressive in his appearances leading up to the Rutgers game, he did not look good against the Scarlet Knights.

The status of Kay for Friday is up in the air due to an elbow injury. 

If he can not go, Legaux will likely step in. No matter who the quarterback is, Cincinnati is going to need to get more production from the running back position.

If that happens, two wins will be in order to end the regular season.

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It's a Big East game between two teams both struggling to find their identity when the Cincinnati Bears (7-3, 3-2) play host to the South Florida Bulls (3-7, 1-4 on Friday night.

South Florida's season wasn't going all that well when they were healthy, but with starting QB B.J. Daniels and dynamic RB Lindsey Lamar both on the shelf, things have gotten ugly fast in Tampa.

 Cincinnati, on the other hand, continues to play musical chairs with its QB spot and continues to get mixed results. Neither Munchie Legaux or Brendon Kay has been able to establish themselves as the unquestioned starter.

Here's everything you need to know heading into a rather mundane Friday night of Big East action.

When: Friday, November 17 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3

Radio: 98.7 FM The Fan (South Florida), 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati)

Betting Line: Cincinnati -14, Over/Under (via Covers.com)

Cincinnati scores nearly 14 points more per game than it surrenders, and South Florida is playing without its best player and starting quarterback, B.J. Daniels.

Coupled with the fact that the Bulls are allowing nearly 30 points per game to the opposition, take the Bearcats giving 14.

Who Might Not Play for South Florida (via USA Today)

DB Jon Lejiste (Leg): Questionable

TE Evan Landi (Ankle): Questionable

WR Derrick Hopkins (Leg): Questionable

RB Willie Davis (Ankle): Questionable

QB B.J. Daniels (Ankle): Out for Season

DB Chris Bivins Jr. (Knee): Out for Season

RB Lindsey Lamar (Collarbone): Out for Season'

WR Sterling Griffin (Knee): Out for Season

T Mark Popek (Ankle): Out Indefinitely

WR Chris Dunkley (Suspension): Out Indefinitely

Who Might Not Play For Cincinnati (via USA Today)

DB Trenier Orr (Undisclosed): Questionable

DL Walter Stewart (Upper Body): Out Indefinitely

BCS/Top-25 Implications

Neither team figures into the national picture—Cincinnati received one vote in the latest USA Today Coaches' Poll—but the Bearcats are hoping to improve their chances for a quality bowl game by winning out to end the season.

A loss to South Florida would pretty much crush any chances the Bearcats had of jumping over Syracuse in the Big East standings and getting into a more prestigious bowl game than the Belk Bowl, which is where ESPN currently has Cincinnati headed.

South Florida Player to Watch: Matt Floyd, QB

This isn't how the Bulls planned on transitioning from B.J. Daniels to Matt Floyd, but with Daniels out, Floyd is going to get invaluable experience at the end of the 2012 season that they hope will speed up his development as a college QB.

While Floyd completed  57 percent of his passes in his first collegiate start against the Miami Hurricanes last week, he only threw for 175 yards—a five-yard average per completion—while being intercepted twice without finding the end zone.

While South Florida's chances to beat the Bearcats rest on his shoulders, this is more about looking for positive signs moving forward than winning right now. 

UCLA Player to Watch: Brendon Kay, QB

Senior Brendon Kay, starting in place of the struggling Munchie Legaux (who might have the coolest name in all of college football), struggled himself last week against Rutgers, throwing for 251 yards and two interceptions.

With Kay under center again, the Bearcats will be looking for a much stronger performance against a defense that allows opposing quarterbacks to complete 68 percent of their passes for 263 yards and a touchdown per game.

Prediction: Cincinnati 28, South Florida 3

Cincinnati is simply too talented on both sides of the ball for a deflated and destructing South Florida squad to hang with.

Were B.J. Daniels playing, this would be a completely different game. Without him under center, though, the Bulls will be thoroughly thrashed by the Bearcats.

With the Louisville loss at Syracuse over the weekend, the Cincinnati Bearcats are now right back in contention for the Big East title.

If Butch Jones and his squad have any plans of winning the conference crown, they are going to need to knock off Rutgers on Saturday.

The Scarlet Knights come to town ranked No. 22 in the latest BCS Standings. Rutgers boasts an 8-1 record and is undefeated in conference play. 

Rutgers is the only Big East team still undefeated in the league and a win by Cincinnati would force a three-way tie atop the standings.

One of the keys to the game will be the talented Cincinnati offense against the stout Rutgers defense.

Cincinnati is averaging over 34 points a game, but Rutgers has one of the best defenses in the country, only allowing 13.4 points a contest. That number ranks fifth in the country. The Scarlet Knights have only allowed over 15 points two times all year.

While Rutgers does struggle a little bit on offense, it more than makes up for it with one of the nation's best defenses, led by linebacker Khaseem Greene.

The play of newly named starter Brendon Kay will be interesting for Cincinnati. This is the first time he has gone up against a very talented defense in his college career.

Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the game, and what could decide the outcome will come from the running back position.

Without question, the two best running backs in the Big East will be featured in this one, as George Winn from Cincinnati will go up against Jawan Jamison from Rutgers.

Winn currently leads the Big East with 980 yards. He has done it on only 173 carries. He also has nine rushing touchdowns on the season.

Jamison has rushed for 953 yards on 214 carries. He only has four touchdowns, but is by far the biggest offensive threat for the Scarlet Knights. Jamison is also a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield with 308 receiving yards and two scores.

As always with any two relatively evenly matched college football teams, it is likely going to come down to who can win the turnover battle.

Now that Kay is running the show for Cincinnati, the edge might go to the Bearcats in this category. If that happens, the Bearcats will also likely have the edge when it comes to the final score.

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Coming into the 2012 season, there were plenty of questions marks surrounding the Cincinnati Bearcats football team, but there was perhaps no area of greater concern than running back. 

While there were a lot of seniors to replace, nobody was expected to be missed more than running back Isaiah Pead.

Pead was the Big East offensive player of the year last season, and vaulted to the NFL as a second-round selection.

Before the season began, Cincinnati had a few likely candidates, including fifth-year senior George Winn and speedy sophomore Ralhy David Abernathy IV.

Even the ultimate optimist didn't expect the running back combination to have near the success it has so far.

It was certainly not possible for somebody to exceed the numbers of Pead. At least that was the thinking coming into the season.

But, for as good as Pead was during his four seasons at Cincinnati, Winn and Abernathy are allowing Bearcats fans to forget about him.

So far this season, Winn has proven to be the best running back in the Big East. The senior leads the conference in rushing with 897 yards on only 153 carries. He is averaging nearly six yards a carry and has also rushed for seven touchdowns on the year.

Winn is the perfect north-south runner and he is joined Abernathy, one of the fastest players in the conference.

There are not many players with big play capability like Abernathy. The 5'7" running back can do a little bit of everything with the ball in his hands.

After two consecutive losses at Toledo and Louisville, Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones made it a point that Abernathy would get more touches in the following weeks.

Those touches began during a 35-24 victory over Syracuse on Saturday. Abernathy carried the ball six times and also caught four passes out of the backfield. He is averaging 5.7 yards a carry on the season with three rushing and three receiving touchdowns.

What is so unique about Abernathy is his ability to go the distance every time the ball is in his hands, including on kickoff returns.

These two running backs are the ultimate combination, and no nickname would be more appropriate than "Thunder and Lightning."

While there is still a long way to go in the season, the Big East title is not out of reach. It is very possible for Cincinnati to win its fourth conference crown in five seasons. If that happens, it will likely be on the backs of these two very talented runners.

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When news broke earlier in the week that Cincinnati defensive end Walter Stewart would not only be out for the season, but more than likely never play football again, it came as a huge shock to the Cincinnati Bearcats family.

Stewart was not only the best player on the team and somebody with first-round NFL talent, but he was also the vocal team leader.

Even though he will probably never play again, as it looks right now, the future is still very bright for Stewart.

The fifth-year senior was a three-year starter and a stalwart along the defensive line. He had already totaled five sacks on the season before being injured on the fourth play of the Fordham game Oct. 13.

The injury was originally diagnosed as an upper body injury, but on Monday it was revealed that Stewart was born without a posterior c1 arch in his neck. It was also discovered that he had an acute fracture of the front part of the arch.

Even though he may never play again, head coach Butch Jones has already offered him a spot on his coaching staff.

Jones has nothing but good things to say about Stewart, calling him the heart and soul of the team and a leader like nobody he has ever coached. 

Even though Stewart was born without a posterior c1 arch, he was born with a little something extra when it comes to the leadership department.

While he likely would have had a very successful NFL career, this injury could be a blessing in disguise for Stewart, as he now has the opportunity to go into coaching if he so desires.

Judging by his actions on the sidelines that might be just what he is born to do. Since his injury, these leadership qualities have become more evident. He holds the attention of his teammates and they rally around him.

The Bearcats were 5-0 before the injury to Stewart and 0-2 since he went down. That is no coincidence, as Stewart could do a little bit of everything from the defensive end position. Simply put, he was a game-changer for Cincinnati.

All is not lost for Stewart and the Bearcats as the Big East title is still within reach. If that is going to happen, Cincinnati is going to have to turn it around on the field and Stewart is going to have to continue what he is doing off it.

Whether he believes it or not, the impact he can make the rest of the season and in years to come off the field will be greater than he could ever imagine.

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Syracuse will take a two-game winning streak into Cincinnati as they try to all but end the Bearcats' chances at a Big East title. 

This is a dramatic reversal of where these teams were two weeks ago. Cincinnati was undefeated and climbing up the rankings, but they picked up two straight losses and they are now just 1-1 in the Big East.

Meanwhile, the Orange are flying high after a huge comeback against South Florida last week pushed them to 3-1 in the Big East, and to .500 on the season, which is not bad considering their 1-4 start. 

Where: Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio 

When: Saturday, November 3 at 12 p.m. ET

Watch: Big East Network

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Listen: List of Syracuse radio networks, list of Cincinnati radio networks

Betting Line: Cincinnati -5 (according to Bet Online on Oct. 30)

Who Might Not Play for Syracuse

*Injury information according to USA Today on Oct. 30. Click the link for updated info. 

Questionable: Ashton Brolyd, RB (undisclosed), Ritchy Desir, CB (undisclosed)

Out: Kyle Foster, WR (lower body), Ryan Sloan, DT (lower body), Myles Davis, FB (lower body), Kristofer Curtis, T (undisclosed) 

Who Might Not Play for Cincinnati 

*Injury information according to the USA Today on Oct. 30. Click the link for updated info. 

Questionable: Chris Williams, DB (head)

Out: Walter Stewart, DL (upper body)

Key Storyline: Munchie Legaux's deteriorating play

After a great start to the season, junior quarterback Munchie Legaux is struggling. He has thrown five interceptions in the last two games, and appears to be getting worse by the play. 

In an overtime loss to Louisville last week, he lobbed an ill-advised late pass into the end zone that had no chance of being completed and it was picked off. He needs to get better. 

What They're Saying 

Syracuse is rolling, but don't expect coach Doug Marrone to start doing backflips over it. The Community and Press Recorder's Bill Koch helps explain why. 

You can understand why Syracuse coach Doug Marrone is reluctant to declare the Orange’s come-from-behind victory over South Florida on Saturday as the turning point for a program that has been trying to get back to its glory days for over a decade.

There have been other potentially significant games in recent years, but the Orange still aren’t where they want to be.

“A lot of people write about that stuff, but I’m trying to have a significant season,” Marrone said Monday. “It’s very difficult to do that. We’ve taken one step forward at times and then we take a few steps back. Our goal is to become more of a consistent team and program. I don’t put a lot into one game. That’s been done before in the past and I think it’s hurt us a little bit.”

Syracuse Player to Watch: Ryan Nassib, QB

Senior quarterback Ryan Nassib is coming off a spectacular second half as he rallied the Orange to a 20-point, second-half comeback victory last week. 

With three seconds remaining, he found Alec Lemon on a one-yard touchdown to set up the 37-36 win over South Florida. For just the half, Nassib went 18-for-224 with 258 yards and four touchdowns.

This was undoubtedly his season's highlight, and he has had a fine season. He is the Big East's leading passer and is hitting 65.5 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns to eight interceptions. 

Cincinnati Player to Watch: George Winn, RB

This senior running back is shredding defenses. He has 732 yards on the season gained at an average of 6.0 yards per carry—an impressive number to be sure, but what really catches the eye is his consistency. 

He has gained at least 75 yards in each game, and he hasn't had a game where he's averaged under 4.5 per carry. 

Key Matchup: Cincinnati's Rush Offense vs. Syracuse's Rush Defense

We just got done singing the praises of the Bearcats running back Winn. So it should be clear that he is capable of taking a game over. 

Syracuse cannot let this happen. They have to put the pressure on the struggling Legaux, and not let Cincinnati dictate the action by consistently churning out positive yards on the ground. 

This is not going to be easy for the Orange. Their rush defense is far from dominant. They've allowed 1,180 rushing yards at 4.1 per carry and eight rushing touchdowns on the season. 

Prediction: Cincinnati 24, Syracuse 20

That key matchup we just discussed? The Orange will not fare so well in that department. Their rush defense is soft, and Cincinnati will be running with a purpose as they try to right the ship. 

After a gut-wrenching 34-31 overtime loss at No. 10 Louisville, the Cincinnati Bearcats are looking for answers, particularly from the quarterback position.

Junior starter Munchie Legaux has struggled in recent weeks. Even though he has a world of potential, he continues to throw the ball to the other team which has cost Cincinnati immensely in consecutive road losses.

Cincinnati has plenty of talent everywhere on the field to win the Big East and play in a BCS bowl game. There is no question that Cincinnati was the more talented of the two teams on Friday night, but turnovers kept Louisville in the game, eventually leading to the Cardinals victory. 

Legaux has now thrown eight interceptions on the season and five in the past two games. His completion percentage is another issue, as it has now dropped under 53 percent for the season.

He had not been bad all season and did lead the Bearcats to a dramatic victory over Virginia Tech a month ago. Legaux is still the most talented of the quarterbacks on the roster, but something has to change if the Bearcats are going to win their remaining games. 

One option for Cincinnati would be to throw in a few packages for a more polished passer. Fifth-year senior Brandon Kay could be that guy. He has shown potential to be an excellent passer and could play a series in each half to switch things up.

The senior has been through multiple knee injuries during his time in Cincinnati, and has often been considered the best pure passer on the team.

Another option for Cincinnati would be to put in junior Jordan Luallen and run the wildcat once in a while. The Georgia Tech transfer played sparingly last season in the wildcat for Cincinnati and did see action at the beginning of this season.

Luallen spent some time on the defensive side of the ball this season, but was switched back to offense and has also seen some action at wide receiver.

These two options would not only make opposing defenses plan for more than one quarterback, but also give Legaux a breather.

The play calling is also something that could be improved upon. Allowing Legaux to use his feet more might be beneficial to the 6'5" quarterback and the Cincinnati offense. 

Cincinnati needs to do a better job of playing to the strength of Legaux and using the run to supplement the passing game.

While the season is not completely lost, Cincinnati is going to need to change something as far as quarterback is concerned in order to win its fourth Big East title in five years.

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