Terrill Byrd is rarin' to go. So is Adam Hoppel.
The University of Cincinnati's starting defensive tackles will be alongside each other Saturday as they were all of last season, and they're eager to make a dent on the Oklahoma offensive line when the Bearcats take on the fourth-ranked Sooners at 3:30 p.m. in Norman.
That's a big deal for a UC defense that will attempt to contain one of the nation's most high-powered offenses and will need Byrd and Hoppel to put pressure on Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.
Byrd did not play last week against Eastern Kentucky because he was serving a one-game suspension.
Hoppel, who has been hampered by a calf injury, got on the field for only about 12 plays against EKU; the UC coaching staff wanted to make sure he was ready for this week.
"I've been looking forward to this game for four or five months," Byrd said. "I think I'm ready. I'm more than ready."
The same goes for Hoppel. UC coach Brian Kelly estimates the Bearcats might be able to get 30 or 40 plays out of him this week, but Hoppel says he will play "as many as I need to for us to win."
Bryd and Hoppel, both seniors and both built along the same lines, make an interesting tandem.
The 6-foot-1, 290-pound Byrd, from Colerain High School, gets more recognition as a second-team All-America pick. The 6-2, 300-pound Hoppel, from Beaver Local High School in Lisbon, Ohio, is the workmanlike player no one ever hears about.
"It doesn't bother me," Hoppel said. "I'm a different kind of player than him. I don't make quite as many plays as him, but I try to do my job and be in my gap on every play. I don't make mistakes very often."
Byrd has been a starter almost since the moment he arrived on the UC campus as a freshman in 2005.
Hoppel had to wait for his time to come. He was redshirted in 2004, played in four games in 2005, then became a starter late in the 2006 season and started all 13 games in 2007.
If you talk to Byrd about his play, he invariably will mention Hoppel's contribution to what he accomplishes.
Said Byrd: "If he sees something, if he sees the other guard is going to pull, he'll let me know, 'Hey, Byrd, the play's coming your way.' He's very football-smart. He keeps me calm when we're out there. He's just got a great presence. Everything he does helps me out there and everything I do helps him."
Despite frequently getting double-teamed, Byrd had 56 tackles last year, leading UC with 17 tackles for loss and finishing second with eight sacks. Hoppel had 38 tackles, 61/2 for loss, and four sacks.
"We work good together," Hoppel said. "Everyone says that he's the quick one and I'm the strong one, but he's as strong as me and I think I'm close to as quick as him."
It's their quickness that makes both players effective. Unlike their backups, John Hughes and Ricardo Mathews, who rely on plugging up things in the middle, Byrd and Hoppel are both adept at getting around blockers.
"They're very similar in that they're very good at movement," said UC coach Brian Kelly. "These guys are always shedding blocks. They're guys that are going to be in the backfield."
Byrd and Hoppel say they're close, even if they don't hang out a lot together off the field. On the field, each takes comfort in knowing the other is lined up next to him.
It's almost as if they are two players who function together as one.
"Who wouldn't want to play on the other side of him?" Hoppel said.
Said Byrd: "I love him. He doesn't get that much recognition, but he's never mad about that. He's always gone out there and played his game."
EL-AMIN GOOD TO GO: Right tackle Khalil El-Amin, who was held out of the Eastern Kentucky game because of mononucleosis, has been cleared to play against Oklahoma. Kelly said he didn't know if El-Amin would start.
The University of Cincinnati's starting defensive tackles will be alongside each other Saturday as they were all of last season, and they're eager to make a dent on the Oklahoma offensive line when the Bearcats take on the fourth-ranked Sooners at 3:30 p.m. in Norman.
That's a big deal for a UC defense that will attempt to contain one of the nation's most high-powered offenses and will need Byrd and Hoppel to put pressure on Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.
Byrd did not play last week against Eastern Kentucky because he was serving a one-game suspension.
Hoppel, who has been hampered by a calf injury, got on the field for only about 12 plays against EKU; the UC coaching staff wanted to make sure he was ready for this week.
"I've been looking forward to this game for four or five months," Byrd said. "I think I'm ready. I'm more than ready."
The same goes for Hoppel. UC coach Brian Kelly estimates the Bearcats might be able to get 30 or 40 plays out of him this week, but Hoppel says he will play "as many as I need to for us to win."
Bryd and Hoppel, both seniors and both built along the same lines, make an interesting tandem.
The 6-foot-1, 290-pound Byrd, from Colerain High School, gets more recognition as a second-team All-America pick. The 6-2, 300-pound Hoppel, from Beaver Local High School in Lisbon, Ohio, is the workmanlike player no one ever hears about.
"It doesn't bother me," Hoppel said. "I'm a different kind of player than him. I don't make quite as many plays as him, but I try to do my job and be in my gap on every play. I don't make mistakes very often."
Byrd has been a starter almost since the moment he arrived on the UC campus as a freshman in 2005.
Hoppel had to wait for his time to come. He was redshirted in 2004, played in four games in 2005, then became a starter late in the 2006 season and started all 13 games in 2007.
If you talk to Byrd about his play, he invariably will mention Hoppel's contribution to what he accomplishes.
Said Byrd: "If he sees something, if he sees the other guard is going to pull, he'll let me know, 'Hey, Byrd, the play's coming your way.' He's very football-smart. He keeps me calm when we're out there. He's just got a great presence. Everything he does helps me out there and everything I do helps him."
Despite frequently getting double-teamed, Byrd had 56 tackles last year, leading UC with 17 tackles for loss and finishing second with eight sacks. Hoppel had 38 tackles, 61/2 for loss, and four sacks.
"We work good together," Hoppel said. "Everyone says that he's the quick one and I'm the strong one, but he's as strong as me and I think I'm close to as quick as him."
It's their quickness that makes both players effective. Unlike their backups, John Hughes and Ricardo Mathews, who rely on plugging up things in the middle, Byrd and Hoppel are both adept at getting around blockers.
"They're very similar in that they're very good at movement," said UC coach Brian Kelly. "These guys are always shedding blocks. They're guys that are going to be in the backfield."
Byrd and Hoppel say they're close, even if they don't hang out a lot together off the field. On the field, each takes comfort in knowing the other is lined up next to him.
It's almost as if they are two players who function together as one.
"Who wouldn't want to play on the other side of him?" Hoppel said.
Said Byrd: "I love him. He doesn't get that much recognition, but he's never mad about that. He's always gone out there and played his game."
EL-AMIN GOOD TO GO: Right tackle Khalil El-Amin, who was held out of the Eastern Kentucky game because of mononucleosis, has been cleared to play against Oklahoma. Kelly said he didn't know if El-Amin would start.
