2011 Cincinnati Football Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The Cincinnati Bearcats struggled to live up to expectations in the first year under head coach Butch Jones. After going 23-4 in the last two years under Brian Kelly, which included back-to-back Big East titles, Cincinnati went just 4-8 in 2010, including a 2-5 conference record. It was the Bearcats first losing season since going 4-7 back in 2005.

Another season like 2010 and Jones likely won’t be coaching here much longer. Coaches usually show significant progress in their second season, and that should definitely be the case for Jones, who has 15 starters back from last year. To get a better idea of what the Bearcats are working with in 2011, here is a quick breakdown of both sides of the ball. Plus, my prediction on where they finish the year in the Big East.

Offense:

A big reason why Cincinnati has a great shot at rebounding in 2011, is the fact that they return starting quarterback Zach Collaros, who completed nearly 59% of his passes for 2,902 yards with 26 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions. He was also second on the team with 202 rushing yards and four touchdowns. I think Collaros will have a much better feel for the offense in 2011.

Cincinnati should also feature a strong ground attack with the return of senior running back Isaiah Pead, who led the team with 1,029 yards and six touchdowns. If Pead can stay healthy, I could see him rushing for close to 1,500 yards this season. Freshman Jameel Poteat will likely come into the season as the backup, but doesn’t figure to see a whole lot of action.

The Bearcats will have to do without 2010 leading wide out Armon Binns, who had 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, but they bring back senior D.J. Woods, who had 57 catches for 898 yards and eight touchdowns. Woods figures to be one of the elite receivers in the Big East, but in order for him to reach his full potential the Bearcats need redshirt freshman Dyjuan Lewis and junior college transfer Kenbrell Thompkins to step in and be effective. If Lewis and Thompkins struggle as starters, opposing teams will load up their coverages on Woods.

The biggest concern on this side of the ball comes on the offensive line. Cincinnati has just two starters back in senior left guard Randy Martinez and senior right tackle Alex Hoffman. Heading into the fall it looks like senior Evan Davis will take over at center, sophomore Austen Bujnoch will come in at right guard, and junior Sean Hooey will hold down the opening at left tackle. Just how good the offense is in 2011, will depend a lot on how these three new starters perform up front.

Defense:

Cincinnati really struggled defensively in 2010. They allowed 369 yards of total offense and 28.0 ppg. It was the most points the Bearcats have allowed defensively since giving up 31.4 ppg back in 2005. This year they have 10 starters back, and while that means a lot of the same players who struggled last year are back again, it will be one of the more experienced defenses in the Big East.

All four starters return on the defensive line. Senior defensive tackles John Hughes and Derek Wolfe both come in at 300-plus, which should make it very difficult for opposing teams to run inside. On the outside junior defensive ends Brandon Mills and Dan Giordano combined for 10.5 sacks in 2010, and it will go a long ways if they can improve on their totals in 2011.

At linebacker the Bearcats return one of the top middle linebackers in the conference in senior J.K. Schaffer, who led Cincinnati with 111 tackles in 2010. They also bring back junior weak-side linebacker Maalik Bomar, who was second on the team with 70 tackles. Redshirt freshman Solomon Tentman and true freshman Nick Temple are expected to compete for the other outside linebacker spot.

In the secondary Cincinnati returns two of the top corners in the conference in Reuben Johnson and Dominique Battle, and also bring back junior Camerron Cheatham, who started 10 games after Battle went down with a knee injury. At safety Cincinnati returns junior strong safety Drew Frey and senior free safety Wesley Richardson. While Frey is expected to hold down his starting job, Richardson could lose his to junior college transfer Malcolm Murray. Overall this will be one of the deepest and talented units in the Big East.

2011 Prediction: 2nd Big East – I think the Bearcats are going to surprise a lot of people with how well they play after their horrible 2010 season. The offense should be set with Collaros, Pead, and Wood, while the defense figures to make huge strides with so much talent returning. The key to winning the Big East will be beating Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and USF. That figures to be quite a challenge, considering they go on the road to take on both Pitt and USF.

Big East Football Predictions by Team
Cincinnati Football Predictions	Connecticut Football Predictions
Louisville Football Predictions	Pittsburgh Football Predictions
Rutgers Football Predictions	South Florida Football Predictions
Syracuse Football Predictions	West Virginia Football Predictions

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions	Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions	Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions	SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions	Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions	Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions	WAC Football Predictions

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