Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

[MidnightPyro]

The Cincinnati Bearcats

(Cincinnati, OH) - There's something in the air in Cincinnati. It's not smog, clouds, or air traffic. It's not tension or fear. No, it's excitement. Excitement for the Bengals? No. Excitement for the Reds? They're awful this year. No, it's excitement for college football. Excitement for the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Little Engine that Could, a largely underrated team that hasn't got much attention until the arrival of coach Brian Kelly and their rise last season to the top #25 in the polls. So go on Ohio State fans - you can keep thinking you're the best in the state, but we're almost there. This is where the excitement is. This is Cincinnati. Hop along for the ride.
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Platform: Xbox 360
Settings: 7 minute Quarters - All American
Rosters: Earosters Com named rosters
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-> For all of you familiar with my Bearcats dynasty last year, this will be about the same kind of thing. I dropped the NCAA 08 one when my Xbox bricked, followed by screwing up my wrist and nearly failing a few classes. I was thinking about skipping this year, but I got a good deal on the game, so here I am, ready, and excited. Stay tuned.

[highheatkingsb]

Re: Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

Will be following. Using any sliders?

[superjames1992]

Re: Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

Welcome back! I really enjoyed your dynasty last year with Cincinnati. Go Bearcats!

[Heisman316]

Re: Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

I'm gonna follow. I really think that the Big East could be the most interesting confrence in College Football this season.

[bhurst99]

Re: Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

Catitude! Love it.

[MidnightPyro]

Re: Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

Thanks for all of the replies and interest everyone! Hopefully starting this right near the start of college football season will keep me hyped up for awhile. It's a heck of a lot more fun knowing people are following too.

As for the sliders, I'm using the default ones right now. Are there any recommended ones this season? My plan was to stick with the default ones until I feel tempted to chuck the controller out the window.

Offense
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After QB Ben Mauk's appeal was officially knocked down by the NCAA, the quarterback position became a wide opened issue. Senior Dustin Grutza was rumored to be a lock, but it was confirmed later that Sophomore QB Demetrius Jones, a transfer from Notre Dame, would be given the helm. Jones has a decent arm, and is the fastest QB on the roster.

Junior halfbacks Jabob Ramsey and John Goebel will likely split playing time. Ramsey is a decent speedback and Goebel brings more power to the table, but the Bearcats will be looking to make upgrades at this position in recruiting.

The wide reciever squad is anchored by Dominick Goodman, a senior with plenty of speed and talent. The wide reciever position, while not having any hardcore standouts, has a considerable amount of depth.

The offensive line is anchored on the left side by two seniors, El-Amin and and Canfield. The offensive line could be a weakness for the Bearcats and the lack of pass blocking could give QB Demetrius Jones some trouble.

Defense
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The defensive line features a fair degree of speed, but an entire senior starting squad may leave a gap after this year.

The UC linebackers, anchored by senior OLB Corey Smith, are one of the better ones in the Big East.

The star of the defense though is CB Mike Mickens. A senior and Pre-Season All American selection, Mickens will easily shutdown wide recievers. De'Angelo Smith and Brandon Underwood will provide decent coverage underneath Mickens. Pure speed and acceleration define the corners, and outside of Mickens, they may struggle in coverage situations.

SS Cedric Tolbert leads the safeties into battle. A Senior, Tolbert is considerably fast and is one of the hardest hitting players on the team. Look for the Bearcats to utilize Tolbert's speed in blitzing situations.

UC Starts the Season in Week 2 against the #2 Oklahoma Sooners.

Sat., Sep. 6	at Oklahoma	Norman, OK	3:30 p.m. ET
Sat., Sep. 20	vs. Miami (Oh)	Cincinnati, OH	TBA
Sat., Sep. 27	at Akron	Akron, OH	3:30 p.m. ET
Fri., Oct. 3	at Marshall	Huntington, WV	8:00 p.m. ET
Sat., Oct. 11	vs. Rutgers	Cincinnati, OH	TBA
Sat., Oct. 25	at Connecticut *	East Hartford, CT	TBA
Thu., Oct. 30	vs. USF	Cincinnati, OH	7:30 p.m. ET
Sat., Nov. 8	at West Virginia	Morgantown, WV	TBA
Fri., Nov. 14	at Louisville *	Louisville, KY	8:00 p.m. ET
Sat., Nov. 22	vs. Pittsburgh	Cincinnati, OH	TBA
Sat., Nov. 29	vs. Syracuse *	Cincinnati, OH	12:00 p.m. ET
Sat., Dec. 6	at Hawai'i	Honolulu, HI	TBA

[MidnightPyro]

Re: Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

Game 1: Laters then Sooners
(2008-2009 Season)

Cincinnati (0-0) @ Oklahoma (1-0)
LOSS 24-34


ABOVE: FS Brad Jones intercepts his 2nd pass of the game, providing UC with their biggest defensive play.

(Cincinnati, OH) - In some ways it just wasn't fair. In the Bearcats season opener, they had the "honor" of taking on the #2 team in the nation. The honor was all Oklahoma's though, when they thrashed the Bearcats in a moderately strange game.

How strange, you ask? Well, the Bearcats led the game in every major catagory - more offensive yards, a higher 3rd down conversion percentage, more return yards...except the score.

"We outplayed them nearly everywhere, but we couldn't get it into the endzone. Outplaying doesn't put points on the board." said Coach Brian Kelley, clearly dissapointed. "We need to play good, consistent football. We need to get the ball into the endzone."

QB Demtrius Jones was consistent but not spectacular, complete 54% of his passes for 143 yards, but throwing 2 picks.
"I felt pretty good in the pocket," said Jones, the Bearcats likely starter for the next 3 seasons as a Sophomore.
HB Jacob Ramsey tacked on 102 yards, mostly coming from one 72 yard rush for a TD. QB Jones tacked on additional 60 in the rushing game.

"One big rush doesn't mean anything." said Coach Kelly. "We have to be consistent in the running game."

The Bearcats struggled to get to the QB or provide much pressure. Junior Safety Brad Jones provided the Bearcats defensive sparks with 2 interceptions.

"We need to get some momentum going," said Coach Kelly. "We definitely had some promising potential, but we have to finish what we start."

The Bearcats drop to #24 in the polls with the loss, but with a Bye in Week 3, and a date with Miami University (Redhawks) in Week 4, the Bearcats hope to dominate their rival and build momentum.

WR Charley Howard (4th WR) - Broken Ribs, 6 weeks

CB Mike Micken - Pre-Season All American

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UC Stats Leaders

Passing
Name	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Rating
D. Jones	18	33	143	1	2	88.8
Rushing
Name	Att	Yards	AVG	TD	Fumbles
J. Ramsey	16	102	6.3	1	2
J. Goebel	12	25	2	1	0
D. Jones	1-	60	6.0	0	0
Receiving
Name	Rec	Yards	AVG	TD
K. Alli	4	32	8.0	1
J. Gilyard	3	16	5.3	0
O. Woodward	2	22	11	0
B. Guidulgi	2	10	5	0
Defensive
Name	Tackles	Sacks	INT	F.Fumbles	F.Recovery	Deflections
A. Revels	8	0	0	0	0	0
B. Jones	6	0	2	0	0	0
R. Manalac	4	0	0	0	0	1
T. Byrd	4	0	0	0	0	0
A. Hoppel	3	0	0	0	0	0

Big East Standings

Rnk	Team	Record
1	Connecticut	2-0
2	Rutgers	1-0
3	Louisville	2-0
4	West Virginia	2-0
5	Pittsburgh	2-0
6	USF	2-0
7	Syracuse	1-1
8	Cincinnati	0-1

National College Poll

Rnk	Name of School
1	Georgia
2	Oklahoma
3	Ohio State
4	USC
5	Florida
6	LSU
7	Missouri
8	West Virginia
9	Wisconsin
10	Texas
24	Cincinnati

[superjames1992]

Re: Cincinnati Bearcats: Back with Catitude (NCAA 09)

Overall, that was still not a bad start to the season. Of course you'd like to win the game, but it's still quite impressive to go into Norman and not only lose by 10, but also dominate every statistical category. You should be able to thrash Miami I would think.