January 15, 2026 • 12 mins
Mo talks with Chad Brendel about the Bearcats' first win of 2026 and the UC football team's new coordinators.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, fourteen from four. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
My name is Meager. Thank you for listening. I feel
like the start of the show has been hectic. I
feel like the show all week long has been hectic.
But you know what got a little bounce of my step.
You see one last night Bearcats played like a really
(00:20):
good thirty minutes thirty two minutes maybe against Colorado last night,
picking up their first big twelve win. I thought it
was awesome that as the game went on, the focus
became what was happening on the floor. Chad Brendle, Bearcat
journal dot com has all that covered and the new
offensive coordinator situation that you see covered as well. And
(00:43):
even though we've sort of bounced around when we're gonna
have Chad on today, he's with us now, Hi Chad?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Hi, Mo? How's it going.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The Bearcats won a game last night.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
So I don't know if this had anything to do
with it, But slept so well last night after that win.
Yeah that I slept straight through my alarm, woke up
at nine thirty and my daughter was two hours later school.
(01:17):
That really happened.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Father of the Year, as far as I'm concerned. See
I would have once have got to nine thirty. I
would have said, you know what, day off for everybody?
But that's just me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, probably, But I woke up No, I mean I
wake up at six thirty every morning. I woke up
and it was daylight, and I was like, uh, oh,
this is bad.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
All right, Well do you do you think Wes Miller
slept any better last night?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I hope so, I hope. So it's been Look, it
would be one thing if I I know it's been brutal.
I know things have not been. I imagine it's even worse.
Losing three Big Twelve, your first three Big Twelve games
five grand total of what ten points? Like, I imagine
(02:11):
that's even more unsettling than if you got blown out
every game, especially the way they've lost the three games
that they lost, so being able to hang on. Look,
they got to five and then Dade Thomas goes on
that that you know, makes the three in a layup
five blah, Miller scores. It's back to twelve. You think,
all right, they stem the tide. It's gonna be all right.
(02:34):
You blink aight, Oh run Colorado, it's back to four.
Oh my god, they're gonna lose this game, like they're
really gonna lose this game. And tudos to the Bearcats
for making free throws down the stretch and getting across
the finish line. And also, I don't know if you
watched it last night or not, I kind of loved
(02:56):
Ted Boyle. His postgame press conference was outstanding.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Really, I did not pay attention to Tad Boyle. I
know their radio broadcast was still going on when everybody
else in the arena had left.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
He legitimately had. He looked at the statute he was
talking about the first half because I was asking him
about Cincinnati cutting up his own defense, and he looked
at me and he said, they shot fifty seven percent
in the first half. When's the last time this Cincinnati
team shot fifty to seven percent? Right? That doesn't happen
a whole lot, does it. I was like, no, it doesn't.
(03:36):
It was great, got watch it tonight. It's really I mean,
he called his team soft like three times. He said
that Cincinnati's offense isn't good, but seeing Colorado on the schedule,
like is what ails you? It was all the things
we want coaches to sound like in a postgame. That
(03:57):
was Tad Boyle last night.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
I think a lot of folks have looked at these
next two games not just as automatic losses, but games
in which they won't even compete. Is that unfair?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I mean, it's not unfair. I watched Iowa State and
get their doors blown off Tuesday night. That's not great. Now.
I will say, if you look at last year, they
had a really good team. They kind of lost games
in like bunches, right, you know, lost two or three
in a row, lost three or four. So we'll see
(04:33):
if maybe this is that point in the season where
Iowa State kind of self corrects and has a little
blip and then gets back on track. But they're so good.
I mean, go look at what they did to Purdue
in Macki Arena, right Like, that is an outstanding basketball team.
And then who's been more consistent than Arizona this year?
(04:54):
And I think Michigan's been the better team, But Arizona
just consistently their guard play, they're bigs that they've got
an elite forward and Coopete, Like, just match up alone
is not pretty for this Bearcats team. Those both of
those teams have outstanding guards, and I think that's where
(05:19):
you know when we do the post mortem on the
West Miller tenure, I think the lead the lead paragraph
is the guards just weren't good enough.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
You mentioned the West Miller tenure. Is it salvagable?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Can they make the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
At nine and eight?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think that's right. I don't think so. Like I
just I want to see it be saligible. But I mean,
you've got Iowa State, You've got Arizona, You've got Houston,
You've got BYU, You've got Texas Tech, you've got Kansas. Like,
(06:03):
there's not the math doesn't math on. I mean, what
we're four games, then there's fourteen left. They'd probably need
to go ten and four, so win all the toss
up games and then knock off a couple of the
(06:24):
top twenty teams that are in the conference. It just
it feels pretty far out of reach. Unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I think the one observation that people have made really
coming out of the UCF game, where they were again
in a position to win, is that these are a
collection of players worth not bailing on. That's been part
of Wes's message, right, it's us against the world. My
guys aren't quitting. I'm not going to quit on them.
I'm paraphrasing them. I think for a lot of us.
(06:55):
I looked at last night and said, if the losing continues,
you kind of wonder, like, especially in this day and age,
where dudes are going to start to have other opportunities,
right Like, if the losing continues, does it become problematic
and you start to go, Okay, you know, maybe maybe
not everybody is going to be as nearly all in
as they should or as you want them to be.
(07:16):
You're around these guys and you know them, well, how
legitimate or illegitimate is that concern?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
It's company concern, not to be fair, it's the transfer
portal era, right, I don't know as well as I
used to, right sure, Like, right know, I started watching
Troy Kopain when he was fifteen, sixteen years old? Sure,
but you know them when he was like a freshman.
You still more than most Yes, yet, Yes, I'm just
saying it's like it's a different era in terms of
(07:45):
having a sense for that type of thing. You know what,
Like Tyler McKinley, I guarantee you Tyler mckenleys wanted to
be a bearcatis whole life. I've never seen Tyler McKinley's
effort dipping. But I mean if one, if this thing
gets to you know, one in eight in conference play,
then how much buying really is there? Like, because these
(08:08):
guys don't have a lot of the point I was
getting at MO, these guys don't have a lot of
skin in the game that you see. Right, they're here now.
I think this team likes each other. I think they
are playing hard, fighting, you know, putting out the best
effort that they're capable of displaying. But what is that
(08:30):
what is that breaking point? You get to January one
to nine or February one and nine, how much is
everybody's heart still in it? That's a legitimate.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Question, right, No, it's fair, especially in this day and age.
Quickly football two new coordinators start with on defense, How's
it going to look differently in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
It's going to look more like if you watch Scott
Ciderfield at Louisville, if you watched him at Appalachian State,
it's gonna look more like that. Nate Woody was his
defensive coordinator at Appalachian State from twenty fourteen to twenty seventeen.
Brian Brown, who was his defensive coordinator here when he
first got here worked under Nate Woody. It's called the
(09:17):
East Coast three four. That's the system that Nate Woody
has designed. I always like having a coordinator that designed
his own system. Like, if you get your own system named,
I think your chances are you're probably pretty good. Right,
it's a three four. It's more aggressive. There's a couple
of hybrid spots. One of the linebackers like a hybrid
(09:40):
rush end. One of the linebackers is more of a
hybrid coverage safety type guy. So in a sense, it's
kind of like a four two five or a three
five as as Woody is referred to it. The main
thing is, I don't care about the front. I don't
care the alignment. I care about how aggressive you play.
(10:04):
I care about that you're not dropping eight yards on
third and six because I saw it, you know, especially
drough the back end of the year. I saw offenses
that weren't afraid of third and six. Right, they were
fine with third and six. Oh it's thirty and six,
thirty and seven, No problem, We're going to convert because
(10:24):
we know Cincinnati's defense is going to give this cushion
and we're going to be able to get a first
down That opens up a ton of the playbook when
you know you don't have to be in you know,
third and three. So that's more important to me than anything.
The style is supposed to be a lot more aggressive.
I supposed to get after the quarterback more. I want
to see that. I want to see a little bit
more press coverage from the corners. I want to see
(10:47):
corners turn their head and look at the ball and
the ball is in the air. Those are supposed to
be things that will be fixed and that we will
see more of.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
What about on offense with co offensive coordinators, I.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Don't think a whole lot changes here. It's still Scott
Saderfield's offense. He's still going to be calling the plays.
I think it's a raise and uh an elevation for
two guys that have earned it. And Pete Thomas did
a phenomenal job of helping develop Brendon Soorsby. And I
don't know if there's anybody that would that would even
(11:22):
put up a remote debate if you said Nick Cardwell
has been the best assistant on this stat m hm.
So those two guys, if you would figure when it
comes to game planning. Pete Thomas will handle the passing game. Uh.
Nick Cardwell will handle more of the running game responsibilities.
Scott Saderfield will call the plays. I think both of
(11:43):
those guys have done a great job. They deserve to raise,
they deserved a promotion, and they got one.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Well said, and I appreciate you joining us as always,
and we will talk next week.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
You're you're not gonna call me still at four twenty?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I mean, I'm more than happy. Are you going to
take a nap? I mean just sleeping up today is uh?
You gotta go pick your kid up?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Like what, she's at pilates. She does hot pilates every day.
Oh so she's at hot pilates right now and I'm
just hanging out waiting for her to get done. I
do feel refreshed. I feel great today.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I totally understand. I can totally relate. All right, man,
Thank you as always. Thanks that's our guy. Chad Brendel,
Bearcat Journal dot Com. We are done, show is over.
Got to go tomorrow, Travis Steele, among others, have a
great night. Thank you for listening. Don't forget Tony Pike.
Sincy three sixty is tomorrow at noon. Thank you for listening.
Thanks to Tarren Bland for producing. This is ESPN fifteen
(12:38):
thirty Cincinnati Sports station
All right, fourteen from four. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
My name is Meager. Thank you for listening. I feel
like the start of the show has been hectic. I
feel like the show all week long has been hectic.
But you know what got a little bounce of my step.
You see one last night Bearcats played like a really
(00:20):
good thirty minutes thirty two minutes maybe against Colorado last night,
picking up their first big twelve win. I thought it
was awesome that as the game went on, the focus
became what was happening on the floor. Chad Brendle, Bearcat
journal dot com has all that covered and the new
offensive coordinator situation that you see covered as well. And
(00:43):
even though we've sort of bounced around when we're gonna
have Chad on today, he's with us now, Hi Chad?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Hi, Mo? How's it going.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The Bearcats won a game last night.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
So I don't know if this had anything to do
with it, But slept so well last night after that win.
Yeah that I slept straight through my alarm, woke up
at nine thirty and my daughter was two hours later school.
(01:17):
That really happened.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Father of the Year, as far as I'm concerned. See
I would have once have got to nine thirty. I
would have said, you know what, day off for everybody?
But that's just me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, probably, But I woke up No, I mean I
wake up at six thirty every morning. I woke up
and it was daylight, and I was like, uh, oh,
this is bad.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
All right, Well do you do you think Wes Miller
slept any better last night?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I hope so, I hope. So it's been Look, it
would be one thing if I I know it's been brutal.
I know things have not been. I imagine it's even worse.
Losing three Big Twelve, your first three Big Twelve games
five grand total of what ten points? Like, I imagine
(02:11):
that's even more unsettling than if you got blown out
every game, especially the way they've lost the three games
that they lost, so being able to hang on. Look,
they got to five and then Dade Thomas goes on
that that you know, makes the three in a layup
five blah, Miller scores. It's back to twelve. You think,
all right, they stem the tide. It's gonna be all right.
(02:34):
You blink aight, Oh run Colorado, it's back to four.
Oh my god, they're gonna lose this game, like they're
really gonna lose this game. And tudos to the Bearcats
for making free throws down the stretch and getting across
the finish line. And also, I don't know if you
watched it last night or not, I kind of loved
(02:56):
Ted Boyle. His postgame press conference was outstanding.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Really, I did not pay attention to Tad Boyle. I
know their radio broadcast was still going on when everybody
else in the arena had left.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
He legitimately had. He looked at the statute he was
talking about the first half because I was asking him
about Cincinnati cutting up his own defense, and he looked
at me and he said, they shot fifty seven percent
in the first half. When's the last time this Cincinnati
team shot fifty to seven percent? Right? That doesn't happen
a whole lot, does it. I was like, no, it doesn't.
(03:36):
It was great, got watch it tonight. It's really I mean,
he called his team soft like three times. He said
that Cincinnati's offense isn't good, but seeing Colorado on the schedule,
like is what ails you? It was all the things
we want coaches to sound like in a postgame. That
(03:57):
was Tad Boyle last night.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
I think a lot of folks have looked at these
next two games not just as automatic losses, but games
in which they won't even compete. Is that unfair?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I mean, it's not unfair. I watched Iowa State and
get their doors blown off Tuesday night. That's not great. Now.
I will say, if you look at last year, they
had a really good team. They kind of lost games
in like bunches, right, you know, lost two or three
in a row, lost three or four. So we'll see
(04:33):
if maybe this is that point in the season where
Iowa State kind of self corrects and has a little
blip and then gets back on track. But they're so good.
I mean, go look at what they did to Purdue
in Macki Arena, right Like, that is an outstanding basketball team.
And then who's been more consistent than Arizona this year?
(04:54):
And I think Michigan's been the better team, But Arizona
just consistently their guard play, they're bigs that they've got
an elite forward and Coopete, Like, just match up alone
is not pretty for this Bearcats team. Those both of
those teams have outstanding guards, and I think that's where
(05:19):
you know when we do the post mortem on the
West Miller tenure, I think the lead the lead paragraph
is the guards just weren't good enough.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
You mentioned the West Miller tenure. Is it salvagable?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Can they make the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
At nine and eight?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think that's right. I don't think so. Like I
just I want to see it be saligible. But I mean,
you've got Iowa State, You've got Arizona, You've got Houston,
You've got BYU, You've got Texas Tech, you've got Kansas. Like,
(06:03):
there's not the math doesn't math on. I mean, what
we're four games, then there's fourteen left. They'd probably need
to go ten and four, so win all the toss
up games and then knock off a couple of the
(06:24):
top twenty teams that are in the conference. It just
it feels pretty far out of reach. Unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I think the one observation that people have made really
coming out of the UCF game, where they were again
in a position to win, is that these are a
collection of players worth not bailing on. That's been part
of Wes's message, right, it's us against the world. My
guys aren't quitting. I'm not going to quit on them.
I'm paraphrasing them. I think for a lot of us.
(06:55):
I looked at last night and said, if the losing continues,
you kind of wonder, like, especially in this day and age,
where dudes are going to start to have other opportunities,
right Like, if the losing continues, does it become problematic
and you start to go, Okay, you know, maybe maybe
not everybody is going to be as nearly all in
as they should or as you want them to be.
(07:16):
You're around these guys and you know them, well, how
legitimate or illegitimate is that concern?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
It's company concern, not to be fair, it's the transfer
portal era, right, I don't know as well as I
used to, right sure, Like, right know, I started watching
Troy Kopain when he was fifteen, sixteen years old? Sure,
but you know them when he was like a freshman.
You still more than most Yes, yet, Yes, I'm just
saying it's like it's a different era in terms of
(07:45):
having a sense for that type of thing. You know what,
Like Tyler McKinley, I guarantee you Tyler mckenleys wanted to
be a bearcatis whole life. I've never seen Tyler McKinley's
effort dipping. But I mean if one, if this thing
gets to you know, one in eight in conference play,
then how much buying really is there? Like, because these
(08:08):
guys don't have a lot of the point I was
getting at MO, these guys don't have a lot of
skin in the game that you see. Right, they're here now.
I think this team likes each other. I think they
are playing hard, fighting, you know, putting out the best
effort that they're capable of displaying. But what is that
(08:30):
what is that breaking point? You get to January one
to nine or February one and nine, how much is
everybody's heart still in it? That's a legitimate.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Question, right, No, it's fair, especially in this day and age.
Quickly football two new coordinators start with on defense, How's
it going to look differently in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
It's going to look more like if you watch Scott
Ciderfield at Louisville, if you watched him at Appalachian State,
it's gonna look more like that. Nate Woody was his
defensive coordinator at Appalachian State from twenty fourteen to twenty seventeen.
Brian Brown, who was his defensive coordinator here when he
first got here worked under Nate Woody. It's called the
(09:17):
East Coast three four. That's the system that Nate Woody
has designed. I always like having a coordinator that designed
his own system. Like, if you get your own system named,
I think your chances are you're probably pretty good. Right,
it's a three four. It's more aggressive. There's a couple
of hybrid spots. One of the linebackers like a hybrid
(09:40):
rush end. One of the linebackers is more of a
hybrid coverage safety type guy. So in a sense, it's
kind of like a four two five or a three
five as as Woody is referred to it. The main
thing is, I don't care about the front. I don't
care the alignment. I care about how aggressive you play.
(10:04):
I care about that you're not dropping eight yards on
third and six because I saw it, you know, especially
drough the back end of the year. I saw offenses
that weren't afraid of third and six. Right, they were
fine with third and six. Oh it's thirty and six,
thirty and seven, No problem, We're going to convert because
(10:24):
we know Cincinnati's defense is going to give this cushion
and we're going to be able to get a first
down That opens up a ton of the playbook when
you know you don't have to be in you know,
third and three. So that's more important to me than anything.
The style is supposed to be a lot more aggressive.
I supposed to get after the quarterback more. I want
to see that. I want to see a little bit
more press coverage from the corners. I want to see
(10:47):
corners turn their head and look at the ball and
the ball is in the air. Those are supposed to
be things that will be fixed and that we will
see more of.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
What about on offense with co offensive coordinators, I.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Don't think a whole lot changes here. It's still Scott
Saderfield's offense. He's still going to be calling the plays.
I think it's a raise and uh an elevation for
two guys that have earned it. And Pete Thomas did
a phenomenal job of helping develop Brendon Soorsby. And I
don't know if there's anybody that would that would even
(11:22):
put up a remote debate if you said Nick Cardwell
has been the best assistant on this stat m hm.
So those two guys, if you would figure when it
comes to game planning. Pete Thomas will handle the passing game. Uh.
Nick Cardwell will handle more of the running game responsibilities.
Scott Saderfield will call the plays. I think both of
(11:43):
those guys have done a great job. They deserve to raise,
they deserved a promotion, and they got one.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Well said, and I appreciate you joining us as always,
and we will talk next week.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
You're you're not gonna call me still at four twenty?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I mean, I'm more than happy. Are you going to
take a nap? I mean just sleeping up today is uh?
You gotta go pick your kid up?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Like what, she's at pilates. She does hot pilates every day.
Oh so she's at hot pilates right now and I'm
just hanging out waiting for her to get done. I
do feel refreshed. I feel great today.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I totally understand. I can totally relate. All right, man,
Thank you as always. Thanks that's our guy. Chad Brendel,
Bearcat Journal dot Com. We are done, show is over.
Got to go tomorrow, Travis Steele, among others, have a
great night. Thank you for listening. Don't forget Tony Pike.
Sincy three sixty is tomorrow at noon. Thank you for listening.
Thanks to Tarren Bland for producing. This is ESPN fifteen
(12:38):
thirty Cincinnati Sports station
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