Cincinnati @ West Virginia preview
Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 13, 2009 ) West Virginia 21, Cincinnati 24
The return of quarterback Zach Collaros is the good news Cincinnati has been waiting to hear.
Collaros, who hasn't played since suffering a bruised left knee against South Florida last month, is expected to be back for Saturday's Big East Conference road game at West Virginia, a contest featuring teams who are tied for last place in the league.
The Bearcats (3-5, 1-2 Big East) need something positive to happen. Cincinnati has lost its last two games, falling to South Florida and Syracuse. The Bearcats need to win three of their last four games to become bowl eligible.
While the two-time defending Big East champions were expected to slip back a bit in their first year under coach Butch Jones, the season has been a disappointment to date.
There's no doubt Collaros is the player who makes Cincinnati's offense go. The Bearcats aren't the same team when he's not behind center. Collaros' absence showed against Syracuse on Oct. 30. Backup Chazz Anderson struggled and the Bearcats had problems in all phases of the game, losing 31-7.
Cincinnati's offense averages 425 yards a game and has topped the 500-yard mark twice with Collaros at the wheel. The streak of gaining at least 450 yards in four straight games was snapped in the loss to the Orange, showing how much the Bearcats rely on Collaros to operate their quick-strike offense.
West Virginia's defense has allowed nine touchdowns all season so it's obvious Cincinnati needs Collaros, the conference's top-rated passer, back in action.
The Mountaineers (5-3, 1-2) come into the game with their own set of problems. West Virginia has also lost two straight, falling to Syracuse and Connecticut.
An inability to hang on to the ball has been the biggest problem. Quarterback Geno Smith was intercepted three times in the loss to Syracuse. West Virginia lost four fumbles in an overtime defeat at UConn.
West Virginia's struggling offense will be glad to see Cincinnati's defense, which hasn’t been able to stop anybody all season and has allowed 24.4 points a game. The defense has given up 354.5 yards per game and has been brutal against the pass. The Bearcats are 100th in pass defense efficiency and give up 244.4 yards passing per game.
Both teams have had extra time to prepare for the game. The Bearcats haven't played since Oct. 30 while the Mountaineers' last game was Oct. 29. The layoff helped Collaros to heal, while West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said he will make some offensive tweaks for the game.