Indiana State @ Cincinnati preview
Nippert Stadium
The last nine months haven't produced many uplifting moments for the University of Cincinnati football team.
It started with the controversial departure of coach Brian Kelly to Notre Dame. Then the glow of the Bearcats' undefeated season was tarnished by an embarrassing 51-24 loss to Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
Any hope for a quick start to the Butch Jones era ended quickly in the long trip to Fresno State, where the Bearcats were dealt a 28-14 loss last Saturday. Cincinnati jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but did nothing offensively the rest of the game and the defense allowed Bulldogs quarterback Ryan Colburn to throw four touchdown passes.
Cincinnati (0-1) will look to rebound when it hosts Indiana State (1-0) on Saturday in its home opener.
The Bearcats will need to get their offense untracked. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw one touchdown pass and ran for another but was sacked eight times. The running game was non-existent, producing 15 yards rushing on 32 attempts.
Then came more bad news. Receiver and return man Vidal Hazelton suffered a torn ACL in his left knee against the Bulldogs and is out for the season. Hazelton sat out last season after transferring from Southern California and was playing in his first game since 2008.
Hazelton, who caught six passes for 63 yards, was injured early in the fourth quarter when returning a kickoff. The injury leaves Cincinnati without a big part of its offense.
It's probably a good thing the Bearcats won't open the defense of their Big East title until October since so many issues need to be addressed. For now, defending the conference titles they've won the last two seasons, along with the two BCS bowl games they've appeared in, seem a long way off.
The Bearcats hope a visit from an FCS (1-AA) school can cure some of their problems, but Indiana State is coming off a 57-7 win over St. Joseph (Ind.) in its opener. The Sycamores led 23-0 early in the second quarter and cruised to the victory.
Indiana State ran the ball at will, gaining 371 yards on the ground. The Sycamores ran for seven touchdowns, a school record. Darrius Gates (160) and Shakir Bell (133) topped the 100-yard mark, the first time since 2004 Indiana State had two players run for 100 yards in the same game.
Quarterback Ronnie Fouch, making his first start after transferring from the University of Washington, completed 10-of-21 passes for 143 yards.