… making this happen again:
UB Football could get a very nice start to the decade without any breaking news coming from Amherst, NY. The program’s new head coach will be working triple duty as Cincinnati’s head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach against Florida in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
A glorified rehearsal in front of a national audience.
The odds are against Cincinnati in more than one sense. As of now, the Bearcats are 11-point underdogs. More important, the Bearcats lost their head man Brian Kelly and are scrambling to restore player morale and staff stability. They’re going against the former national champions manned by Tim Tebow, college football’s infatuation and ESPN’s favorite Bible reader.
But if we’ve learned anything during this past decade of bowl games, it’s this: the team that comes in most motivated has the advantage. The 2008 Fiesta Bowl comes to mind. A Rich Rodriguez-less West Virginia team came in with an unknown leading the team in Bill Stewart, and as an underdog coming to grips with its coach’s preference to leave it for Michigan.
West Virginia overcame the odds and beat Oklahoma 48-20. Stewart’s 28-point victory gave him the best interview possible, shocking the national audience and landing him the WVU coaching position.
Quinn has already secured the Buffalo job, but this audition will give Bulls fans, players and recruits a rehearsal of what they will see next year.
Back in Buffalo, the UB faithful is temporarily bleeding black and red. Cincy’s interim main headset occupier has received rave reviews from Buffalo fans and beat writers, but a big name won’t keep the fans singing. They want results, and it could be argued that after losing their prized possession in Turner Gill, they need results.
They’re worried about the standout recruiting class Gill put together while his UB Stadium office was occupied. They’re worried that the success they’ve experienced in the past was due solely to Gill.
A Cincinnati win would alleviate these concerns until September. It’ll show that Quinn can rise above and motivate a bunch of lost kids to defeat the defending national champions, impressing potential Bulls that the program’s future is in quality hands.
Kansas got a nice early Christmas gift in Gill, but a Cincinnati win would be a Buffalo stocking stuffer.
