UC offense not clicking yet

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Those 263 rushing yards the University of Cincinnati churned out against Indiana State last week left head coach Butch Jones feeling much better about his offense than he did after its 14-point performance in week one.

?I was pleased to see us be able to run the football,? Jones said Monday.
Throwing it is another matter.


Two weeks into Jones? first season as UC?s head coach, the precision passing game that dazzled the Big East the past two seasons has yet to surface.

Junior quarterback Zach Collaros passed for 219 yards against Fresno State, but was sacked eight times. With the running game so effective against Indiana State, he passed only 17 times for 130 yards.

?Last time I checked, we scored 40 points,? Jones said. ?It?s all about winning, whatever it takes to win. We scored 40 points and we ran the ball, which we wanted to do.

?We?re still creating an identity on offense. We have an expectation of how we?re going to play. Now it?s the details of executing our offense.?

Jones has said repeatedly that Collaros is still ?going through the evolution stage of being a starting quarterback.?

But Collaros didn?t seem to need an evolution stage last year when he started four games in place of Tony Pike and lit up the scoreboard, nor did Pike when he took over the offense from Dustin Grutza two years ago.

?When you?re the guy, from a leadership standpoint, from understanding the offense to understanding the strengths of the players around you, there?s a lot of little nuances,? Jones said. ?It is still an adjustment. Four games do not make a season.?

It?s true that there are some new faces on the offense, but there are also three returning offensive linemen, plus returning starters at running back, two wide receiver spots and tight end.

And yet, the offense has played with very little cohesion so far, perhaps because the two missing starters on the line are three-year starting center Chris Jurek and tackle Jeff Linkenbach, who?s now in the NFL.

With the line still getting its footing, tight end Ben Guidugli has been forced to spend more time as a blocker, which has cut down on his receptions in the early going.

?We?re still feeling each other out,? Collaros said. ?But I think we?re still a good offense. We just have to execute and cut down on our missed assignments.?

Jones said Collaros made strides against Indiana State with his decision-making and that the offensive line improved after its debacle vs. Fresno State.

But it?s hard to know what to make of the offensive performance against an Football Championship Subdivision Indiana State team that has gone 3-54 in the last five-plus years.

A better gauge of how much progress the offense has made will come Thursday night in a nationally televised game against 2-0 North Carolina State, which leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in total defense, allowing only 248.5 yards per game and is third in rushing defense at 90.5.

The Wolfpack, which forced five turnovers in its win over Central Florida last week, shows a lot of different looks and blitzes, making preparation more difficult for UC, especially during a short practice week, which will include a day of travel.
?It will be our best test to date,? Jones said.

 

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NC State is pivotal game for UC



No player or coach worth his cliches will ever admit that one game is bigger than the other. Apparently, it violates some kind of code. As you know, it?s one game at a time at all times. That?s just the way it is.

But I?m not bound by that code, so I can go out on the limb and proclaim that Thursday?s game at North Carolina State is huge for UC. If the Bearcats lose, they?ll be 1-2 heading into next week?s game at PBS against No. 7 Oklahoma. Barring a major upset, UC would be 1-3 heading into the Oct. 9 Miami game. Three losses would be just one short of UC?s loss total for the past two years when the Bearcats went 11-3 and 12-1.

In Butch Jones? defense, the UC administration didn?t do him any favors with this schedule. The Bearcats had to open against a good WAC team on the West Coast, then after a breather win last week against Indiana State they have to go on the road against an improving North Carolina State team and then turn around and face the Sooners.

When Jones saw those first four games on the schedule, he said he viewed it as challenge but also a great opportunity.

? Tell me another team in the country that has three games in 12 days and has to go on the West Coast and play in a difficult environment, play in one of the best ACC environments at NC state and then turn around and go play Oklahoma,? he said. ? But it?s a great opportunity for your program. To be able to play on Thursday night, on ESPN, on national televison, that?s great for your program. We just have to take care of business. Our players have played in big games before but just before our jerseys say Cincinnati doesn?t guarantee anything. You get what you earn.?

 

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Quick turnaround irks Wolfpack's O'Brien



After an emotional, 28-21 win Saturday night in the heat and humidity at Central Florida, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien fired barbs at the ACC's schedule makers.

On his postgame show on the Wolfpack Sports Network, O'Brien said the ACC made N.C. State a "sacrificial lamb" by scheduling the team to play Thursday night with Cincinnati, giving the team just four days of preparation.

O'Brien said his team was sluggish during practice Monday morning. He said players still are recovering from Saturday night, when the temperature at kickoff was 87 degrees and humidity was at 69 percent.

"It was pretty hot and muggy on the field, and certainly that takes a lot out of you," O'Brien said. "It drains you physically. It's tough to come back from that. It takes a couple days to get your legs back. And we had a lot of guys play a lot of plays there at the end, and that's my biggest concern."

Cincinnati also played Saturday and has the added complications of having to travel to N.C. State and play in front of the Wolfpack's crowd in a short week. But there's one subtle difference.

The Bearcats defeated Indiana State, a Football Championship Subdivision team, on Saturday. Cincinnati won 40-7 and was able to rest its regulars a bit while N.C. State played a physical, intense game on the road against a Central Florida team that was 8-5 last season and returned a total of 15 starters on offense and defense.

Cincinnati coach Butch Jones said his team didn't start preparing for N.C. State until after the Indiana State game but might have a bit of an advantage because of the extra rest.

"You go in with the mindset of, any team that you play, no matter what level or who they are, all the concentration is on the task at hand," Jones said. "And we did benefit that our starters were basically out going into the fourth quarter. We were able to play a lot of young players and kind of evaluate them. But you still prepare the same. I don't think it's that much of an advantage."

ACC associate commissioner for communications and football operations Michael Kelly said Monday that he was aware of O'Brien's comments. Kelly said the ACC tries to schedule teams for Thursday night games when they're coming off open dates but said it's not always possible.

Kelly said the ACC is contracted for six "special" dates this season on ESPN - two Labor Day games plus four Thursday night games. He said that because this year's calendar dictates that there's only one open date in the college football schedule (in some years there are two), the ACC's scheduling flexibility is limited.

ESPN specifically asked to have the game between Cincinnati (1-1) and N.C. State (2-0) on Thursday, Kelly said.

"We followed all the parameters that all our schools have agreed to in terms of how we can go about trying to schedule games," Kelly said. "We know it's a tough situation, but it's one we know our schools have adjusted to in the past, and in this case we're confident that Coach O'Brien's staff will have everybody ready to play Thursday."

It's one of only three games an ACC team will play on four days' rest this season. In the other two, Maryland and Virginia Tech both played Saturday after playing on Labor Day.

N.C. State linemen Jake Vermiglio and Jeff Rieskamp admitted that the tempo of practice was slow Monday but sounded confident that players will overcome their weariness.

Given the opportunity at his weekly news conference Monday to expand on his comments about the ACC, O'Brien declined. He said the ACC and its TV partners decided N.C. State is playing Thursday, and he doesn't plan to fight about it.

"I'm the guy that's got to coach them and get them back and get them ready to play Thursday night," O'Brien said. "That's who I am."

 

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Bearcats hoping to re-ignite explosive offense vs. Wolfpack





When the University of Cincinnati Bearcats make their first prime-time national TV appearance under first-year head coach Butch Jones tonight, the rest of the Big East will be watching to see if they still have the firepower that made them so entertaining - and tough to beat - the past three seasons.

Right guard Alex Hoffman says quarterback Zach Collaros and the rest of the players on UC's offense are ready to put on a show against North Carolina State.

"They're a big, physical team, but I feel like we're going to score a lot of points," Hoffman said. "This last week in practice and in the Indiana State game in the second half we were clicking on all cylinders and I feel like our offense is finally coming together.

"We're going to protect Zach and he's going to do a great job. Our receiving corps, all three of our running backs are great. I just feel like we can't be stopped."

Jones only can hope Hoffman is right. If Jones didn't fully comprehend what a difficult situation he was walking into when he was hired, he certainly does now.

Not only was he charged with continuing the success of a program that won back-to-back Big East championships, he was handed a non-league schedule that had the Bearcats flying to the West Coast to play in a tough environment to open the season against a Fresno State team that beat them by two touchdowns.

After a breather against Indiana State last Saturday, he's had five days to prepare UC to play North Carolina State (2-0) tonight.

And then it's back home to face No. 7 Oklahoma on Sept. 25.

"Tell me another team in the country that has ... to go on the West Coast and play in a difficult environment, play in one of the best ACC environments at N.C. State, and then turn around and go play Oklahoma," Jones said. "But ... to be able to play on Thursday night, on ESPN, on national television, that's great for your program."

To complicate matters, the Bearcats lost one of their top receivers, Vidal Hazelton, for the season against Fresno State, Collaros has yet to produce the glowing numbers he had in four starts as a backup last year, and replacing all-Big East center Chris Jurek and left tackle Jeff Linkenbach has been more difficult than Jones imagined.

When the Bearcats (1-1) rushed for 263 yards and scored 40 points in their win over Indiana State last week, their performance was largely dismissed because it came against a Football Championship Subdivision team and because UC passed for only 130 yards.

"We just have to take care of business," Jones said. "Our players have played in big games before. Just because our jerseys say Cincinnati doesn't guarantee anything. You get what you earn."

UC will try to unleash the full power of its offense against a Wolfpack team that leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in total defense.

"They're a very sound defense," Collaros said. "They like to blitz you and throw different pressures at you. They're big and they're fast. We're definitely going to have to execute."

That's something the Bearcats haven't done consistently in their two games this season.

With their longest pass play going for 29 yards, they have yet to prove they can stretch opposing defenses the way they did the past three seasons, but Jones says it's not for a lack of trying.

"We threw nine deep balls Saturday," Jones said. "That's a fair share of shots. We have to complete them, and we completed two of them. The big thing about our offense right now if there's one area where we have to have marked improvement, it's our explosive plays."

For UC, tonight would be a good time to light the fuse. The rest of the Big East will be watching.

 

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Bearcats: Wolfpack scouting report


When N.C. State runs

Freshman Dean Haynes, who redshirted last year at safety and moved to halfback two weeks before the season opener, has rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Freshman Mustafa Greene has gained 90 yards on 24 carries, and junior quarterback Russell Wilson has rushed for 658 yards in his career. UC leads the Big East Conference in run defense and ranks 10th nationally, allowing an average of 71 yards per game.

When N.C. State passes

Wilson is a dual threat but passed for only 105 yards last week vs. Central Florida and was sacked three times. Wide receiver Owen Spencer has averaged 23.2 yards per catch in his career and is on pace to set an ACC record.


When UC runs

Sophomore Darrin Williams ran for 117 yards last Saturday and might get his second start tonight if Isaiah Pead, who has swelling in his knee, is unable to go. Junior linebacker Audie Cole, the Wolfpack's leading tackler in 2009, had 12 tackles last week against Central Florida, including a 10-yard sack and two other tackles for loss.

When UC passes

After getting sacked eight times by Fresno State, quarterback Zach Collaros was sacked only twice last week, when he threw only 17 times vs. Indiana State for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The Bearcats will have to handle the Wolfpack's blitz packages.

Special teams

N.C. State kicker Josh Czajkowski has made 81 straight PAT attempts and is 2-for-2 in field goal attempts this season, both from between 20 and 29 yards. UC's Jake Rogers has attempted two field goals, both from 48 yards, and made one. N.C. State's T.J. Graham has returned two kicks for touchdowns in his career. UC's Patrick O'Donnell is averaging 39.8 yards per punt; N.C. State's Jeff Ruiz 35.1.


Game keys

N.C. State is off to its first 2-0 start since 2002 and leads the ACC in total defense. UC ranks 95th nationally in total offense and has not been able to throw the ball downfield, but ran for 263 yards last week against Indiana State. N.C. State forced five turnovers last week against Central Florida and leads the ACC in turnover ratio with six take-aways and no give-aways. UC lost three fumbles in its two games.

 

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Pack eyeing third win

N.C. State has had short week to get ready for Cincinnati


Coach Tom O?Brien feels as if he blinked and N.C. State has another game to play.

Only five days after winning its first road game of the season, the Wolfpack will be back at it, playing Cincinnati at 7:30 tonight at Carter-Finley Stadium.

O?Brien isn?t entirely happy about the situation, but another win will give State a 3-0 record for the first time since 2002. More important, State will have nine days to rest and to prepare for its ACC opener Sept. 25 at Georgia Tech.

N.C. State has been forced to juggle practice schedules and adjust on the run for a Thursday game, but O?Brien is confident that his players have the toughness to grind through.

?I think this is a different football team (from the previous three),? O?Brien said. ?They are more businesslike. They understand a little more what it takes to get ready each and every week, to respect your opponent.

?It doesn?t matter what name is on the (other) jersey. We?ve got only one opportunity now, Thursday night, so they?ll focus in on that one and take care of business the best we can there. We?ll figure out who?s healthy and who can play as we go on from there.?

N.C. State is 2-0 under O?Brien for the first time. Cincinnati is 1-1 under first-year coach Butch Jones, who spent the past three seasons as Central Michigan?s coach.

Some aspects of N.C. State?s play so far have met O?Brien?s demands. Others have not.

The play of quarterback Russell Wilson on short rest will be critical tonight. Wilson, a junior, struggled in Saturday?s 28-21 win at Central Florida and completed only 10 of 30 passes for 105 yards, his lowest total in 13 games. Wilson has maintained a break-neck schedule for three years, shuttling between football and baseball, and O?Brien suspects that Wilson still might be adjusting from a summer of minor-league baseball.

?I think it?s just a product of he?s still feeling his way and getting back into the swing of things,? O?Brien said. ?You can?t give up football in November and pick a ball up in August and think you?re going to be on top of your game.

?Certainly he has to continue to work. Everything, still, is a product of it?s an 11-man game. All 11 guys have got to do their job. Now it?s not all on him, but I?ve been consistent through (saying) that he?s not on top of his game right now.?

The offensive line is stronger with the return of senior tackle Jake Vermiglio, who started at Central Florida after being held out of the opener. Backs Dean Haynes and Mustafa Greene impressed O?Brien at Central Florida with decisive cuts and power running.

The defense held firm in the fourth quarter and fought off Central Florida?s charges. O?Brien believes State will need another strong effort against Cincinnati, which often uses a no-huddle offense. Quarterback Zach Collaros has passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns and has thrown 58 passes without an interception.

?I think we had to find out exactly who and what we are on defense,? O?Brien said. ?Certainly winning the (Central Florida) game at the end on defense the way it was won was a great confidence builder.

?That?s one thing that they needed on defense, to play with some confidence, especially the young kids. Nate (Irving, a linebacker) got into the swing of things, and he can only get better.?

 

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Things To Look For vs. NC State


It is by far the most trite of coaching metaphors, that every game on the schedule is the most important one. That nothing is more important than the game at hand. But for UC this is one of the rare occasions where that is a correct sentiment. A loss here would mean that UC would be an overwhelming favorite to be 1-3 through the first four games, assuming a loss to Oklahoma, for the first time since 2006. Not the start to the Butch Jones era that anyone was expecting. On the other hand a win would mean a chance to split the opening four games of the year which, while not what most people were expecting from this brave new era, would be just fine in my book considering just how poorly the team played the last 40 minutes of the Fresno State game. With game time fast approaching here are some things that we are looking for.



* Zach Collaros running the Football. One of the first things that I have noticed watching the offense this year is that Collaros is very committed to standing in the pocket and trying to make plays that way. He has been urged by Butch Jones and Mike Bajakian to commit to the pocket, go through his progressions and make the throws. But that hasn't been working at all to date. Collaros's numbers to date aren't terrible, 349 yards, 60 per cent completions, 3 TD's, no INT's, but they are a far cry from his four game starting stint last year when he doused Louisville, Syracuse, UConn and WVU in gas and tossed a lit match. NC State is a very stout run defense, they are third in the ACC in the category, so the staples of this offense, the inside and outside zone are unlikely to work very much. I would expect to see a lot of zone read and speed option tonight. The pack struggled with a running QB last week when Jeff Godfrey came off the UCF bench in the third quarter to post around 50 yards rushing and two scores.
* Ben Guidugli in the passing game. This is probably wishful thinking on my part seeing how TE's managed to catch all of 28 balls total in three years of Butch Jones at Central Michigan. To give some context to just how few passes that is for a position group, Ben caught 27 last year all by his lonesome, and Kazeem Alli and Adrian Robinson added 10 and 12 respectively. But when facing a defense like NC States and prefers to stay in base personnel groups and has an aggressive blitz scheme the TE can be a great weapon, especially 19 who has great athletic ability.
* The Offensive Line. From this point forward just assume that this is something to watch for the rest of the year. It merits special mention tonight because NC State likes to blitz, a lot. That didn't really work out well for the O-Line in Fresno.
* DJ Woods to Bounce Back. Woods had a Hammer House of Horror's performance against Indiana State, a drop, two fumbles and he lost his footing on a slip and bubble screen, both of which were primed to be big gainers. He was great in the Fresno State game, so the Indiana State game will be viewed as an outlier.
* Derek Wolfe. Watching interior line play is the farthest thing from sexy imaginable, but big # 95 warrants the attention. He is the primary reason why UC has posted such strong numbers against the run, 10th in the nation to date, and he must continue to be a force in the middle of the defense to keep the Wolfpack offense off the rails.
* The Secondary. Most of the criticism heaped on the team in the wake of the Fresno disaster was directed at the offense, and not without reason. But the unit that let the Bulldogs back into the game was the secondary which allowed a couple of easy TD's with coverage busts in the back end. For me at least, part of that can be attributed to starting two corners, Cam Cheatham and Reuben Johnson, making their first collegiate starts with Dominque Battle nursing an injury from training camp. The secondary should be stabilized with Battle back starting. But that is still just and assumption.


---DowntheDrive