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Archdeacon: UC Bearcats better team than OSU

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By Tom Archdeacon, Staff Writer Updated 8:20 AM Monday, October 5, 2009

OXFORD — The Cincinnati Bearcats had just beaten Miami for the fourth straight year and as UC players Mardy Gilyard, Alex Daniels and Marcus Barnett carried the Victory Bell along the sideline to the dressing room, you sensed you were watching the delivery of a totem whose most glorious time was in the past.

After UC’s 37-13 victory Saturday, Oct. 3, at Yager Stadium, some Bearcats players already had departed the field before their teammates arrived with the spoils.

The bell once was the biggest bauble in Cincinnati’s football season — since 1888, the two schools have the oldest nonconference rivalry in the U.S. — but UC now has bigger fish to fry. It played in a BCS bowl game last season and is 5-0 and ranked No. 10 in the nation.

The Bearcats are the biggest surprise in college football, have the hottest coach in Division I and, I think, they probably have the best team in the state.

Ohio State is ranked No. 9 and has a better defense, but I’d give Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike — who’s beginning to draw some Heisman consideration — and his offensive mates the nod over their OSU counterparts.

Both teams have a good head coach, but when it comes to moxie, imagination and making something out of nothing, UC’s Brian Kelly is unrivaled.

Nippert Stadium barely seats 35,000 and the Bearcats have no practice field, yet in the 2½ seasons Kelly’s been at UC, his teams are 26-6.

UC lost 10 defensive starters from last year, but rather than be plagued by inexperience, Kelly moved several seasoned offensive players to defense, including former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones, now a starting linebacker.

Although Miami — 0-5 this season and riding a 10-game losing streak — isn’t the best barometer, UC’s defense held the RedHawks to just 30 rushing yards and sacked talented redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert 10 times.

Kelly’s most imaginative move Saturday — facilitated by an injury — was making Barnett, a stalwart at cornerback last weekend, the starting wide receiver. The junior ended with six catches for 57 yards.

Keeping Kelly will be a problem for UC. There’s a provision in his contract that makes opting out early a lot easier if facility upgrades are not made quickly.

That could mean he might not be there when UC and OSU meet in three years. The game was supposed to be at Paul Brown Stadium — where the Bucks nearly lost to UC in 2002 — but last year Ohio State gave UC $1 million to move that 2012 game to OSU.

OSU will do what it has to do to try to ensure its dominance in the state. Miami once used to muscle Cincinnati as well — in fact, the RedHawks still hold the advantage in the series at 58-48-7 — but that’s not the case these days.

And that may better explain that message Barnett wrote on the black patches beneath his eyes: “Ding ... Ding.”

Some may say that’s a tribute to the Victory Bell, but it well could be the sound of the UC train leaving the station on this quaint rivalry.

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Medbuck is usually spot on

rp BUCKmurphy
10:16 PM, 10/7/2009

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For you mentally challenged uc fans, I'm going to talk about sos which means strength of schedule for the weakminded uc fans....uc's sos is 109...Ohio State's is 31..so shutup about Ohio State not playing anyone you ignorant know nothing sissy boys.

Silverback
9:57 PM, 10/7/2009

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As a 1973 alum of UC, and a long-time Buckeye fan, I call this debate a win-win. I still remember UC playing U of Houston around 1971 when Houston had Robert Newhouse, who must have had 400 yards rushing that night. They've come a long, long way since then.

Buckfan69
9:39 PM, 10/7/2009

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I wouldn't get too excited about comparing Pryor to Pike. Pike is listed 5th in Heisman rankings and Pryor barely #19...thats not world class quarterbacking in today's collegiate world. OSU does get more opportunities to recruit top athletes because of being in the State Capitol and tons of money spent by boosters but the ranking is for THIS year not the Past.

mark
9:04 AM, 10/7/2009

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Certainly Ohio State has a long, proud, (though boring) football tradition.
Just look at the last 10 DDN stories about Buckeye football, the eight stories that do not mention the Bearcats have a total of 8 comments, the two stories that mention UC have 140 comments. Playing in Columbus is a great deal, it pays about 4 times what the PaPa Johns Toilet Bowl paid. I'm just glad that UC got into a BCS (Big Cash for big Schools) conference, even if some Bearcats have let it go to their head.

Roll Bearcats
9:41 PM, 10/6/2009

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