2007 Cincinnati Bearcats College Football Picks & Predictions


June 5, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

Brian Kelly takes over as head coach for Mike Dantonio after he left for Michigan State in 2007. Kelly seems to be well suited for the job, too. He built winning programs at Grand Valley State and Central Michigan while earing a reputation for offensive prowess and his charismatic ability to sell his programs to fans, businesses and recruits. With the return of the top eight rushers and 11 of the 13 leading receivers, the Bearcats are not short on playmakers for Kelley’s spread offense.

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Tailbacks Greg Moore, Butler Benton and Bradley Glatthaar have different skill sets, giving Kelley his options depending on what type of play he wants to run. Seniors Ernest Jackson and Antwaun Giddens lead the way at receiver. Juniors Dominick Goodman and Derrick Stewart bring proven experience to the passing game as well. Goodman led the Bearcats with 40 receptions in the fall and is alegitimate all-conference candidate. The passing game will benefit from Mike Daniels moving from tailback to receiver, and Doug Jones from fullback to tight end.

The return of both offensive tackles along with starting right guard, Trevor Canfield, should give the line a strong foundation. The other spots should be filled by players with at least some experience also. Then there is only one big question for this offense. Will junior Dustin Grutza to what it takes to beat out Wake Forest transfer Ben Mauk for the starting quarterback job? Grutza had his share of ups and downs last year but played well in the spring. Grutza finished up completing 16 of 22 passes in the spring game.

The defense features two junior All-American candidates in defensive lineman Terrill Byrd and cornerback Mike Mickens. They lead a defense that held its opponents to 19.6 poings and 309.2 yards per game last season. Byrd is one of four returning starters on the line. Ends Trevor Anderson and Anthony Hoke provide a strong rush and will be very tough to beat up front. The defense will need a strong foundation when looking for replacements for its two top tacklers. The Bearcats can count on returning outside linebackers Leo Morgan and Corey Smith to put up big numbers. The secondary wwill be led by Mickens and rugged senior safety Haruki Nakumara. Mickens finished up with 3 interceptions and an amazing 15 pass breakups last season.

Kelly will waste no time in making Cincinnati a Big East contender at some point in the near future. With so many returning players, that could happen soon rather than later. The problem is that the Bearcats must get better play from the quarterback position and make progress on special teams. The defense is stacked, and the offense is very talented, so we should see a couple upsets throughout the season from Cincinnati and probably a bowl bid as well.

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