The list of reasons for the University of Cincinnati?s lackluster 3-4 record includes inexperience on defense, too many turnovers and a difficult non-league schedule.
Defensive tackle Derek Wolfe would add one more.
?We came into the season arrogant,? Wolfe said.
Perhaps that?s understandable considering the Bearcats entered the season with back-to-back Big East championships, having completed a perfect 12-0 regular season in 2009.
But the UC team that plays Syracuse (5-2 overall, 2-1 in the Big East) in a homecoming game at noon Saturday at Nippert Stadium has nothing to be arrogant about.
The Bearcats (1-1 in the conference) have put themselves in a position where they will probably have to win all of their remaining five games to repeat as Big East champs. They need three wins in their last five games simply to become bowl eligible.
The Orange, meanwhile, are in the midst of a resurgence after winning only four Big East games in the past five years.
?If you think about it, the position we?re in right now, Syracuse has been in that position for a long time and they?ve got a little chip on their shoulder now,? Wolfe said.
?They had to deal with it. We?re getting a little taste of what it feels like. Maybe it?s good for us. We were kind of getting a little arrogant. It?s kind of a wakeup call, losing a couple of games. It changes your whole mindset. It gets you to work harder.?
The Bearcats might have to play Saturday without quarterback Zach Collaros, the Big East passing leader whose availability will be a game-time decision.
Collaros suffered a bruised left knee in UC?s loss to South Florida last week and was replaced with 3:25 remaining by junior Chazz Anderson, who drove the Bearcats from their own 29 to the USF 16 before the drive fizzled out.
Jones says UC?s offense will not change with Anderson in charge but there?s no dismissing the disparity in experience between the two.
Anderson began the season having thrown 51 career passes, two fewer than Collaros threw last week against USF.
?We trust Chazz back there,? said offensive tackle Alex Hoffman, who returns to the lineup after missing two games with a knee injury of his own. ?We hope Zach can play but if he can?t play, Chazz will come in and do a good job. He can make the throws. He can make the handoffs to (Isaiah) Pead. He can do everything.?
Facing a Syracuse defense designed to confuse the quarterback with different coverages and blitz schemes, Anderson could be at a disadvantage, although he says he?s prepared to handle anything the Orange throw at him.
?If you don?t see the coverage, if you don?t know what the coverage is and you don?t know where their pressure is coming from, you stick with your progressions,? Anderson said. ?If you can do that, on any level, on any team, you?re going to put yourself in a position to be successful.?
Jones has spent the week praising Syracuse for its physical toughness, calling the Orange ?one of the most physical teams I?ve scouted watching them on film? and holding them up as an example for his team to emulate.
?When I envision our football team playing with a hard edge, which we talk about, that?s their hard edge,? Jones said. ?You can see that they?ve paid their dues.?
The Bearcats are hoping for a resurgence of their own this week, especially on defense, where they have been vulnerable to the big play for most of the season.
?You get accustomed to the lifestyle of not losing,? Wolfe said. ?It?s really frustrating. But I think we?re playing really hard. We?re not going to give up. The Big East is still wide open. We?re going to be just fine.?
Defensive tackle Derek Wolfe would add one more.
?We came into the season arrogant,? Wolfe said.
Perhaps that?s understandable considering the Bearcats entered the season with back-to-back Big East championships, having completed a perfect 12-0 regular season in 2009.
But the UC team that plays Syracuse (5-2 overall, 2-1 in the Big East) in a homecoming game at noon Saturday at Nippert Stadium has nothing to be arrogant about.
The Bearcats (1-1 in the conference) have put themselves in a position where they will probably have to win all of their remaining five games to repeat as Big East champs. They need three wins in their last five games simply to become bowl eligible.
The Orange, meanwhile, are in the midst of a resurgence after winning only four Big East games in the past five years.
?If you think about it, the position we?re in right now, Syracuse has been in that position for a long time and they?ve got a little chip on their shoulder now,? Wolfe said.
?They had to deal with it. We?re getting a little taste of what it feels like. Maybe it?s good for us. We were kind of getting a little arrogant. It?s kind of a wakeup call, losing a couple of games. It changes your whole mindset. It gets you to work harder.?
The Bearcats might have to play Saturday without quarterback Zach Collaros, the Big East passing leader whose availability will be a game-time decision.
Collaros suffered a bruised left knee in UC?s loss to South Florida last week and was replaced with 3:25 remaining by junior Chazz Anderson, who drove the Bearcats from their own 29 to the USF 16 before the drive fizzled out.
Jones says UC?s offense will not change with Anderson in charge but there?s no dismissing the disparity in experience between the two.
Anderson began the season having thrown 51 career passes, two fewer than Collaros threw last week against USF.
?We trust Chazz back there,? said offensive tackle Alex Hoffman, who returns to the lineup after missing two games with a knee injury of his own. ?We hope Zach can play but if he can?t play, Chazz will come in and do a good job. He can make the throws. He can make the handoffs to (Isaiah) Pead. He can do everything.?
Facing a Syracuse defense designed to confuse the quarterback with different coverages and blitz schemes, Anderson could be at a disadvantage, although he says he?s prepared to handle anything the Orange throw at him.
?If you don?t see the coverage, if you don?t know what the coverage is and you don?t know where their pressure is coming from, you stick with your progressions,? Anderson said. ?If you can do that, on any level, on any team, you?re going to put yourself in a position to be successful.?
Jones has spent the week praising Syracuse for its physical toughness, calling the Orange ?one of the most physical teams I?ve scouted watching them on film? and holding them up as an example for his team to emulate.
?When I envision our football team playing with a hard edge, which we talk about, that?s their hard edge,? Jones said. ?You can see that they?ve paid their dues.?
The Bearcats are hoping for a resurgence of their own this week, especially on defense, where they have been vulnerable to the big play for most of the season.
?You get accustomed to the lifestyle of not losing,? Wolfe said. ?It?s really frustrating. But I think we?re playing really hard. We?re not going to give up. The Big East is still wide open. We?re going to be just fine.?
