Well I guess that answers that question. The Cincinnati Bearcats did not belong in the National Championship game. In Friday Night's Sugar Bowl against the Florida Gators, the Bearcats came out wearing all white and seemed to be waiving the white flag from the opening kickoff. Granted, UC came in without their Southbend bound coach Brian Kelly, and with an interim coach Jeff Quinn who, now that the Bearcats game is over, is leaving to be the next headcoach at Buffalo. However, the apparent difference in talent level between Cincinnati and Florida surely was enough to cover the challenges of not having a coach to prepare for the game. It was all but over by halftime, with the Gators going into the locker room with a 30-3 lead and ultimately winning 51-24.Playing in his final game, Tim Tebow appeared to be matched up against a high school defense completing 31/35 passes and breaking Vince Young's BCS Bowl Game record for all purpose total yards with 533. Finally, Planet Earth can resume spinning on it's axis with Tim Tebow exiting collegiate athletics (he will soon be a faded memory of us all after a brief but very unsuccessful NFL career).
It was also potentially Florida head coach Urban Meyer's last game pending an indefinite leave of absence for health related reasons. However, during the postgame trophy presentation ceremony, when asked what his future plans were, Urban responded "to be the head coach and Florida."
The embarrassing loss for the Cincinnati Bearcats, their second BCS bowl loss in consecutive years, will certainly not help to bolster the reputation of a program desperately trying to make a name for itself. The question must be asked, did Brian Kelly foresee this game unfolding how it did against an all around better team in Florida and that influenced his decision to jump ship for Notre Dame? Or did Kelly's farewell send the Cincinnati program into a tailspin that culminated in the embarrassing events in tonight's game?
It's a tough way for the Cincinnati senior class to go out. The offense could never get stud WR Mardy Gilyard going, finishing with only 7 catches for 41 yards. Senior QB Tony Pike also struggled, spending most of the game running for his life and on his rear as the undersized UC O-line was no match for the beefy, athletic Florida front seven.
The first half was a bit chippy between both teams, but it seemed Cincinnati had decided to come out playing as dirty as possible, hitting the Gators with cheap shots throughout the first half, receiving multiple personal foul penalties, and getting away with multiple more moronic displays that should have been personal foul penalties. It appears without Brian Kelly, the Bearcats returned to their legacy stereotype as a bunch of thugs. Maybe they knew they were in the process of getting horribly embarrassed in front of the entire country and instead of persevering through adversity, they took the moronic, thug, "lets late hit after every play and throw punches cuz my nuts are bigger than yours" approach. Real classy.
Now that the game is over, interim coach Jeff Quinn heads off to start his new life in Buffalo, and new coach Butch Jones will start his reign in Cincinnati. It is unclear at this point the caliber of team UC will be expecting to have in 2010. Though losing their most prolific offensive threats in Pike and Gilyard, backup QB Zac Collaros has shined when given the opportunity this year. Meanwhile, the defense surely can't be any worse than it has been all this year. Good luck in the recruiting season Coach Jones, better get some stud defensive players!
-Greg "Seriously Bowl games have as much meaning as NFL preseason games. Agree? There's no point to any of them besides 1 game. GET A PLAYOFF SYSTEM!!" Richter
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