I have been asked by the fine folks at BCI to be their resident prognosticator for the ’07 season and dare I say ’08 Bowl game. Although I take this charge seriously, you should not. PLEASE do not go out and wager the farm and or any and all animals and implements on said farm based on this or any other prediction. This is for entertainment purposes only; any other use would be viewed as unwise and a down right act of desperation.
All righty then, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s look at this week’s game pitting out beloved Bearcats against the team formerly known as the Redskins of Miami.
There is no question that Brian Kelly brings a Bearcat squad into Oxford that is healthy, hungry and on a roll. The virtual dismantling of SEMOST was expected while the ass beaten’ our defense put on Oregon State and the convincing victory that ensured over a PAC 10 opponent some would say and did say, was not. There are obviously still some questions regarding the Cats on the offensive side of the ball. However, it is my feeling that there are less this week while preparing for Miami than there were prior to the contest with Oregon State.
I fully expect the Bearcat offense to continue to gain more confidence versus a Miami club whose defense gave up a cool 41 last week to the Golden Gophers, albeit 14 in OT. Minnesota is NOT good, hell; they are the Syracuse of the BIG 11 with an exponent next to them.
Our friends from Miami, in my opinion, come into this game reeling. Shane Montgomery’s Redhawks are coming off a heart breaking triple overtime loss to Minnesota and a less than convincing victory the previous week over Ball State by scoring in the last 17 seconds for a 14-13 win. Add to that the loss of starting senior running back and tri-captain Brandon Murphy, probably for the year with a knee injury, and it goes a long way in justifying my argument that this team is in search of some answers.
Speaking of answers, Coach Montgomery is apparently questioning his much ballyhooed 5th year senior QB Mike Kokal, inserting sophomore signal caller Daniel Raudabaugh into the lineup last week to rally the Redhawks from a 16 point deficit with 8:35 to go in the game to force overtime. If you don’t think that causes upheaval in a program’s stability, you would be sadly mistaken. College athletics differ from the professional game greatly when it comes to overcoming adversity, and it is far more susceptible to the emotion associated with such changes and injuries. DO NOT underestimate this fact when you put up the title to the combine for this game.
On the defensive side of the ball, it appears that junior linebacker and tri-captain Joey Hudson will be out due to an injury sustained at Minnesota. Let’s see that’s 2 of the 3 captains out due to injury leaving only Kokal, the lone remaining healthy captain, who may possibly be viewing the game holding a clipboard from the sideline. Are you smellin’ what I’m cookin’????
Let’s break this game down a little farther in an effort to predict the outcome of this Battle for the Bell. Here is what to expect when the Cats are on defense…..PAIN, and lots of it. The heart and soul of this Bearcat squad is that of their defense. Miami, whose offensive line is just that, will get drilled by the likes of Byrd and Hoppel. Back-up running back Andre Bratton should find the rushing yards very hard to come by. I would have taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of Yvenson Bernard’s highlight reel from last week, but it is non-existent because there were none!!! The lack of a ground game will force the Skins (I mean RedHawks) into attempting to chuck the ball down field and that will be when the blood bath begins.
I hope Kokal and Raudabaugh have been working on their scrambling techniques this week in practice. If not, the Skins are going to have to hold an impromptu election at halftime to appoint still another captain to replace Kokal. Even if one of the aforementioned QB’s are able to get it downfield, I am very confident Haruki and Mr. Mickens and company will be able to shut down sophomore Dustin Woods and true frosh Chris Givens out of Chillicothe who will realize he isn’t lining up against a team from Big Walnut but rather the Bearcats of Cincinnati. The double vision and ringing in the ears will be a sure indicator for the young man.
Here is what you can expect when the Cats are on the offense….SCORING, and lots of it. I cannot see Miami’s “D” line having much success stopping our running or passing attack. Our four-headed monster of Butler Benton, Bradley Glatthaar, Greg Moore and my main man Jacob Ramsey will run rough shod over a Miami line that has shown little improvement over an abysmal ’06 campaign. Ben Mauk should have little problem dissecting the Miami secondary as they will be hard pressed to keep up with the speed of Gilyard and Barnett. Don’t be surprised and there certainly is no reason to be worried if Tony Pike’s playing time increases dramatically in Oxford. The only guy who should be worried is Ben Mauk, as Mr. Pike may just be our Moses, delivering us to the Land of the Bearcat Air Attack, which hasn’t been seen since the Troy Bodine era!
Now that I discussed this upcoming contest with the utmost impartiality, here is the SKINNY………..
The early line had the Bearcats as 8 point favorites. However, the side has now been bet up to 9 and as high as 9.5 at most books. The over/under has been set at 48.5.
THE PLAY……….
I know it is a rivalry game, and we haven’t won in Oxford in this millennium. I also know that this isn’t your father’s Miami Redskins, Lay the 9.5 in a big fashion and play over 48.5 as the Cats will come close to covering that number themselves! How confident am I? Well, I’m going out of town next week, and I’m wagering the keys to the wife’s chastity belt!!!!!!!!!! Always remember “Gamblin’ money’s got no home” and GO CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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