Cincinnati: The Week That Was
Cincinnati was fortunate to complete a
perfect regular season on Dec. 5. In
Brian Kelly’s last game as the
Bearcats’ head coach, UC erased a 31-10
first-half deficit and then responded to
a late Pittsburgh touchdown to stun the
Panthers, 45-44, at Heinz Field.
The outlook was bleak when the
Panthers went up by 21 in the second
quarter, but a kickoff return for a
touchdown by Mardy Gilyard enabled
Cincinnati to slowly work its way back
into the game. After Pitt scored a
tie-breaking touchdown but missed the
extra point kick with 1:36 left in the
fourth quarter, UC quarterback Tony Pike
hit teammate Armon Binns on a 29-yard
scoring strike with 33 seconds
remaining. The PAT was good, and the
Bearcats prevailed.
Florida: The Week That Was
The Gators – perfect through 12 games
– found 13 to be an unlucky number in
the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 5. The
defending SEC and National Champions
lost both crowns in a humbling 32-13
loss to Alabama.
In light of everything that’s
happened with Florida coach Urban Meyer
over the past week, it’s even more
understandable that the Gators just
didn’t look right in Atlanta’s Georgia
Dome. Florida’s staff didn’t make
adjustments. A defense that lost lineman
Carlos Dunlap due to a one-game
suspension got overpowered by Bama’s
imposing offensive front. Crimson Tide
running back Mark Ingram won the Heisman
Trophy on the basis of his performance
against Florida. The sophomore buried
the Gators with 189 all-purpose yards
and three touchdowns.
The Week That Is:
The 2010 Sugar Bowl might as well be
called the Coaching Craziness Bowl.
Cincinnati lost its regular head coach,
Brian Kelly, in the period leading up to
this game, and then hired Butch Jones
from Central Michigan to lead the team
next season. In the meantime, however,
assistant coach Jeff Quinn – not Jones
– will coach the Bearcats on Friday
night in New Orleans. Such a dynamic
figures to leave the Bearcats in a state
of disarray.
Florida’s coaching situation has also
experienced a series of wild and
unpredictable events in recent days.
Meyer – a two-time national champion in
Gainesville, Fla. – resigned on
Saturday, Dec. 26, and stressed the need
to get healthy. However, less than 24
hours after making that decision to UF
Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, Meyer
said he’d take a leave of absence and
attempt to be on the sidelines at the
beginning of the 2010 season. And yes,
Meyer will be coaching Friday’s game as
well.
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