December 17, 2025 • 18 mins
Tony and Austin talk Bearcats with Chad Brendel from Bearcat Journal, on ESPN 1530!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is Tony Pike Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in hardby Penn Station East Coast Subs. Handcraft It
hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries in lemonade. It's all
about good taste. Penn Station East Coast Subs orderum line Today.
(00:20):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
All right, welcome back. It is our number three thanks
to Penn Station. Thank you for listening on ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Let's dive right into it because
tonight there's a return happening. It's the return of Jisel
James to the University of Cincinnati men's basketball program as
they get ready to take on Alabama State tonight. They
take on Clemson on Sunday. Let's talk some hoops. Let's
(00:49):
talk a little Bearcat football as well. Let's do so
with the man from Bearcat Journal himself, Chad Breundle. Nice
enough to join us today, Chad, how are you doing.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Good?
Speaker 4 (01:00):
It was Kegan not available today or well.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
With news like this, Chad, you got to go right
right to the top of the food chain. I feel like, okay, okay,
you and I have spoke. We spoke about this on
air last time. I think you filled in for Moegger
about Gigsel James just kind of being around, and you know,
he's being showed on the jumbo tron and then all
of a sudden, I flip on the game over the
(01:24):
weekend at Georgia and he traveled and he's there in
Georgia with the team. And fast forward to today, we
know now that Gisel James is back on the roster.
What has changed from the statements we've heard all along
from west Miller that he's not going to be on
the team this year but he's around the team. What
has changed from then to now?
Speaker 4 (01:47):
Well, then they were either undefeated or had a close
loss at against Louisville, and now there's.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Six and four and about to go into the Big twelve.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
So I mean, you know, we can get into this
a million different ways.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
And I can tell you.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
There's concerns about Dalen Cells team's back, and Tyler McKinley's knee,
and with Jalen Haynes already out there, they're getting pretty
low on numbers.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And you know those things are to an extent true.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
But they need a spark, they need they better find
something because what they're doing isn't working.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
And on January third, you host Houston, and if.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
You're gonna figure it out, the time to figure it out.
That clock is ticking.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Gisel is that practice.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
He's been working with the team, So I guess you
see if it works.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So for me, it's one thing to say, Okay, Gizzle's
back on the team. It's another thing to say, Okay,
how does Jizzle impact this team? Kerkkrisa has not been
what the Bearcats I think had hoped in any sense
that he would be. I know Tillery, he has seen
his minutes diminishing. You still have Daydae Thomas. We watched
Day Day and Jizzle a lot last year. How does
(03:07):
he help this team at the guard position?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
He gives you a high major guard.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
And look, there are reasons to be concerned about Jizzle's
overall game. I talked about it a lot last year.
He's inefficient. He takes a lot of tough twos, he
doesn't shoot well from three, he doesn't get to the
free throw line a lot For a team that's struggling
(03:34):
in offensive efficiency. This isn't just a you know, plug
this guy in and all of a sudden the offense
is going to be fixed in.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
A lot of ways.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
But he's also a guy that scores a lot of
points for a team that struggles to score points. Yeah,
so some of it you're gonna have to and look,
they've lived with it for two years, they're going to
live with it for the rest of this year. It
looks like like, you know that there are some shortcomings,
some things that he doesn't exactly you know, do that
(04:10):
jump off the page. But you can put the ball
in his hands and you're pretty confident that he's going
to be able to put points on the board. It
might be you know, four of thirteen putting points on
the board, but you're adding a guy that can get
you fifteen to twenty points on any given night for
(04:33):
a team that's struggling to score like that.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
That's the most obvious thing. I think.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Is there a confidence issue in the team anytime a
team struggles early in the season, I would I would
believe you you worry about confidence. Does this bearcat roster
at this point in your opinion, have a confidence issue?
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I think the Georgia game would say absolutely, because at
you know, at the early points of that game, things
looked really good. But then you know, they held up,
like they got out to that nine point lead, and
they held it for a while, and you're looking at
it and going, Okay.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
We didn't see like Louisville.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
They got up early, and then Louisville erased that deficit
in the blank of an eye, right, But then the
problem started and Georgia started to get going a little bit,
and Cincinnati didn't have any answers, and then as you
got through the second half, it progressively got worse. That
tells me there's a confidence issue. That tells me that
(05:34):
they don't have anything that they really believe in to
stop the bleeding. You know, I think there was a
point in the second half they were down seven, they
had gotten a couple stops, and if the offense had
been functional and productive, you can get right back in
that game.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
And that's It's an okay Georgia team.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
I think they're going to be fine in the SEC,
but I don't think they're gonna be competing for an
SEC championship like that big team. You should be able
to get back in that game and at worst, you know,
battle to the end, and instead they had a couple
of possessions go the wrong way and next thing you know,
it's thirteen, then it's fifteen, then it's seventeen. And that
(06:20):
tells me, Yeah, they're searching.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
For what do we do when you know, when things.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Stop working, how do we get out of it? How
do we get back on track? And I think we've
seen that in all these games that they've lost, or
the games that they haven't.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Played well in. They play well in fits and starts.
They'll play well for five.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Seven minute stretches, and then there'll be a ten minute
stretch that it looked like you know, they all just
met each other in June.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And that's not conducive to winning at a high level,
is it?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
And I get you. You turn back to Jisel and
maybe you find a spark there. You know this team
better than anyone, Chad. Is it too late for this
team to turn this season around? When you look at
I'm watching a lot of basketball Arizona BYU Houston. You
can go up and down the list teams in the
(07:15):
top ten, teams in the top twenty five, teams that
are just outside the top twenty five. You watch basketball,
You've watched this team and I know they have talented players.
Is it too late for this team to turn it around,
or do you see a path in which they could
get things turned around for this season.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I have a hard time seeing it, if we're being honest.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
I mean, you've got six or seven teams at the
top of this league. I just don't how do they
beat Houston Arizona BYU Texas Tech. You know, you go
to Kansas, you go down the list, and I just
I look at those games and I go out of Cincinnati.
(07:58):
Win a couple to get back in this thing, They're
gonna have to get a couple of big scalps. You're
you're gonna have to have a couple. You start at
six and four, you're in a hole. You've got a
ton of grant with Yeah, a good cleansing team that's
well coached, and they're gonna make you pay for for
mistakes that you make. So yeah, like, you have to
(08:21):
beat Clemson Sunday. Don't feel great about that. Let's not talk,
Let's not look over. I was say, let's come was
leading Duke yesterday for a good portion of that game.
That's the after Christmas, the dreaded after Christmas game that
(08:42):
teams have always kind of looked flat in so yeah,
I don't. The path is, uh, the path has grown
over with thickets and thorns, and uh you better have
a real good machete to slice your way through it.
I mean, we knew the tough of the top of
(09:03):
this league was going to be tough, but did they
can they beat an improved Oklahoma State team? Uh? You
know there's a couple in that group that boy, if
you lose one or two of those games, sure, then
you're you're swimming even farther upstream. And do you feel
(09:23):
good about this team going on the road and beating
anybody at this point in time?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
So that includes.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
Clemson and nine Big Twelve games. So it doesn't feel great, Tony.
And you know this is probably why Gisel James is
coming back tonight, if we're being completely honest.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Outside of that, the football squad is preparing for a
bowl game and they're doing so with a very depleted
now secondary. They don't have their cornerback coach anymore. He's gone.
Brendan soaresby ha left. How difficult is this game itself
gonna beach at against a navy the naval account me
who will not be resting players? No players are opting
(10:03):
out of the bowl game for Navy, a team that
leads the nation in rushing yards per game. How difficult
One is the opponent for the bowl game, and two
putting together the roster and preparing with players that are
opting out and leaving.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yeah, I mean, look, if you're in Cincinnati situation where
you got guys preparing for the draft and guys entering
the transfer portal and you're going into bowl season, the
last thing you want to see is Navy pop up
as your opponent. Yeah, they are going to be exactly
who they are that they are going to play one
(10:39):
thousand miles an hour. They are going to play a
brand of football that I mean, there's what like four
guys on this roster that didn't even really play when
Cincinnati left the American Athletic Conference.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Like, they don't know Navy and what did we.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
See If you go back to when Davy entered the
AAC early, when you're first getting a look at Navy
in the triple option, it's really difficult. I mean, they
rush for what eight thousand yards in that one game
in twenty seventeen or whatever it was, and then, as usual,
(11:16):
saw them more and more and more the team became
familiar with it, and they were able to shut them down.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
But in a one off.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
That's the danger of playing Navy is it's new. It's
something you're not used to. It's a style you're not
accustomed to, and they just are unrelenting in attacking you offensively.
Their defense is not great. But you're without Brendan Soresby.
You're probably gonna be without Tywie Walker.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
And Evin Pryor. Your line is there.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
I think you're going to have most of your wide receivers,
so there will be something. There will be something to
fall back on. But boy, you're definitely not looking at
one of the most efficient offenses in the country. And Tony,
how much did we talk about time of possession?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Oh boy?
Speaker 3 (12:06):
This year?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Yes? Correct?
Speaker 3 (12:08):
What fifty to ten? Yep? On January third?
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Like, what's the record for what a team has possessed
the ball?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
That part terrifies me.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, without a doubt. And now the possessions, Chad become
even more important. And you're gonna be running possessions without
Brendan Sorosby. I know we'll talk about the Bowl game
with Samas Jones and Brady Lichtenberg. I would have to
imagine that the answer for quarterback next year is not
currently on this roster.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
I can't imagine that it is. Look, I'm sure Samas
Jones is going to have a chance to compete for
the starting job. They had a bunch of money to
pay Brendan Soresby. Do I think they're gonna go pay
a quarterback what they were willing.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
To pay Soresby?
Speaker 4 (12:58):
No, nor should you unless it's one of the you know,
absolute top guys in this class. And I don't think
that's going to happen. But you've got money to go
get a starting quarterback, you have to go do that.
You have to find a guy that you believe in
and that fits your system and that you think.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I really think it's important in this era.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Of college football that they do what they did with
Brendan Soarsby. You find a little bit of a younger
guy that you trust and you've watched the.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Tape and you think that you can get not just one.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
But hopefully at least two good years out of And
that's that's what they're going to be tasked with.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
How how difficult does the rebuild become? And I know
we've had this conversation three years, five wins, seven wins.
But if you look at this roster, and Keegan has
pointed this out before, this roster has NFL talent. They've
got a quarterback, they had a quarterback in Swersby who's
going to go make a lot of money elsewhere at
a high major school. Do you view this year as
(14:01):
a disappointment because on the outside, I think a lot
of people at the start of the year would say, Okay,
seven wins, I'll get on board with that. The way
in which it happened, with the talent that this roster had,
does seven now looking back on it feel a little
bit disappointing.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
It feels like a missed opportunity.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
I don't know that it's we're in this world now
where everything is like awesome or everybody has to be fired,
like there's no middle ground in sports anymore. I think
the season was okay, but I think you missed your
The window was as open as it was going to
possibly get, especially at seven to one going into November
(14:44):
and having a chance to compete all the way to
the end for a spot in the conference championship game. Yeah,
and look, Utah beat them like Utah was clearly the
superior team that day.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
For sure.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Arizona and BYU Cincinnati did not play well and were
still within one score late in the fourth quarter. Yeah,
you got the ball against Arizona down six with a
chance to win the game. You've got BYU down six.
If you get a stop, you're gonna get the ball
(15:23):
back and have a chance to win the game. And
they didn't get it done in either of those situations.
And then I think you could you could feel it, Tony.
You were there, you would know better than me. They
felt deflated against TCU because they were playing for the
conference championship the entire way, and that was possible all
(15:45):
the way through the end of.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
The BYU game. And then it looked like kind of
the wheels sell off in Fort Worres.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
But I don't think that Arizona, BYU or TCU were
or it didn't look like Utah, where Utah.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Was just supremely talented.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
They were the better built, better agreed constructed, better performing
football team. You had three opportunities even just to get
that one win, to get to eight and feel like
this season was a.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Big success at seven.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Losing your last four, now you're staring down the barrel
of Navy, or you might lose your last five again
to end the season. It's hard to say that's anything
but a disappointment.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Without a doubt, it is a tough time right now
around the University of Cincinnati again. Gisel James back Alabama
State tonight a game on Sunday. There is a lot
out there as it relates to the Cincinnati Bearcats. Chand
for those looking to to follow along with the coverage
or maybe gift that coverage to someone in their lives
(16:55):
that's a Bearcat fan. Now, what do you got going on?
A Bearcat journal?
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Obviously everything you could possibly want to know about, all
the things that you just mentioned. Uh, we've got the
podcast and video network. Keegan does a phenomenal job on
the writing side covering everything that's going on. We'll see
what happens tonight with Alabama State. You're not You're not
gonna want to miss this one, Like what does moday
(17:21):
be good?
Speaker 3 (17:21):
To be interesting?
Speaker 2 (17:22):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
The night's gonna be interesting. And then guess what, ton
I'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Oh you won't. I'm off tomorrow, Chad. You'll see Austin.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
It'll just be us Chad. Sorry, Yeah, I get it. Sorry, No,
that's fine. I know, that's fine, that's fine. Once.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Uh you know, I was, I was out to dinner
one time. I got the lunch one time, a couple
of weeks ago, and the two ladies sitting.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Next to us.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
The one lady was talking about telling a long story
about her husband, and like every ever ninety seconds she
will go, but it's fine.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
No, it's fine. I mean it's fine.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Yeah, no, it's fine, and like it's wanted to look
over go it's not fine, lady, but trying to convince
yourself it's not fine. So my my reaction to Austin
being there tomorrow, it's fine.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
It's fine, fine, everything's fine, that's fair, fair, everything's going well. Chad,
enjoy catching up with Austin tomorrow, and thanks for catching
up with us today.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Thanks ched, Thanks gentlemen, have great holidays you too.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
That is Chad Brendle. Bearcat Journal dot Com certainly appreciative
of Chad's time. We have more time next on the
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station, our number three thanks
to Penn Station.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Nope, he doesn't know everything
Is Tony Pike Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in hardby Penn Station East Coast Subs. Handcraft It
hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries in lemonade. It's all
about good taste. Penn Station East Coast Subs orderum line Today.
(00:20):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
All right, welcome back. It is our number three thanks
to Penn Station. Thank you for listening on ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Let's dive right into it because
tonight there's a return happening. It's the return of Jisel
James to the University of Cincinnati men's basketball program as
they get ready to take on Alabama State tonight. They
take on Clemson on Sunday. Let's talk some hoops. Let's
(00:49):
talk a little Bearcat football as well. Let's do so
with the man from Bearcat Journal himself, Chad Breundle. Nice
enough to join us today, Chad, how are you doing.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Good?
Speaker 4 (01:00):
It was Kegan not available today or well.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
With news like this, Chad, you got to go right
right to the top of the food chain. I feel like, okay, okay,
you and I have spoke. We spoke about this on
air last time. I think you filled in for Moegger
about Gigsel James just kind of being around, and you know,
he's being showed on the jumbo tron and then all
of a sudden, I flip on the game over the
(01:24):
weekend at Georgia and he traveled and he's there in
Georgia with the team. And fast forward to today, we
know now that Gisel James is back on the roster.
What has changed from the statements we've heard all along
from west Miller that he's not going to be on
the team this year but he's around the team. What
has changed from then to now?
Speaker 4 (01:47):
Well, then they were either undefeated or had a close
loss at against Louisville, and now there's.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Six and four and about to go into the Big twelve.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
So I mean, you know, we can get into this
a million different ways.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
And I can tell you.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
There's concerns about Dalen Cells team's back, and Tyler McKinley's knee,
and with Jalen Haynes already out there, they're getting pretty
low on numbers.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And you know those things are to an extent true.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
But they need a spark, they need they better find
something because what they're doing isn't working.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
And on January third, you host Houston, and if.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
You're gonna figure it out, the time to figure it out.
That clock is ticking.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Gisel is that practice.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
He's been working with the team, So I guess you
see if it works.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So for me, it's one thing to say, Okay, Gizzle's
back on the team. It's another thing to say, Okay,
how does Jizzle impact this team? Kerkkrisa has not been
what the Bearcats I think had hoped in any sense
that he would be. I know Tillery, he has seen
his minutes diminishing. You still have Daydae Thomas. We watched
Day Day and Jizzle a lot last year. How does
(03:07):
he help this team at the guard position?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
He gives you a high major guard.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
And look, there are reasons to be concerned about Jizzle's
overall game. I talked about it a lot last year.
He's inefficient. He takes a lot of tough twos, he
doesn't shoot well from three, he doesn't get to the
free throw line a lot For a team that's struggling
(03:34):
in offensive efficiency. This isn't just a you know, plug
this guy in and all of a sudden the offense
is going to be fixed in.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
A lot of ways.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
But he's also a guy that scores a lot of
points for a team that struggles to score points. Yeah,
so some of it you're gonna have to and look,
they've lived with it for two years, they're going to
live with it for the rest of this year. It
looks like like, you know that there are some shortcomings,
some things that he doesn't exactly you know, do that
(04:10):
jump off the page. But you can put the ball
in his hands and you're pretty confident that he's going
to be able to put points on the board. It
might be you know, four of thirteen putting points on
the board, but you're adding a guy that can get
you fifteen to twenty points on any given night for
(04:33):
a team that's struggling to score like that.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
That's the most obvious thing. I think.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Is there a confidence issue in the team anytime a
team struggles early in the season, I would I would
believe you you worry about confidence. Does this bearcat roster
at this point in your opinion, have a confidence issue?
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I think the Georgia game would say absolutely, because at
you know, at the early points of that game, things
looked really good. But then you know, they held up,
like they got out to that nine point lead, and
they held it for a while, and you're looking at
it and going, Okay.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
We didn't see like Louisville.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
They got up early, and then Louisville erased that deficit
in the blank of an eye, right, But then the
problem started and Georgia started to get going a little bit,
and Cincinnati didn't have any answers, and then as you
got through the second half, it progressively got worse. That
tells me there's a confidence issue. That tells me that
(05:34):
they don't have anything that they really believe in to
stop the bleeding. You know, I think there was a
point in the second half they were down seven, they
had gotten a couple stops, and if the offense had
been functional and productive, you can get right back in
that game.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
And that's It's an okay Georgia team.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
I think they're going to be fine in the SEC,
but I don't think they're gonna be competing for an
SEC championship like that big team. You should be able
to get back in that game and at worst, you know,
battle to the end, and instead they had a couple
of possessions go the wrong way and next thing you know,
it's thirteen, then it's fifteen, then it's seventeen. And that
(06:20):
tells me, Yeah, they're searching.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
For what do we do when you know, when things.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Stop working, how do we get out of it? How
do we get back on track? And I think we've
seen that in all these games that they've lost, or
the games that they haven't.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Played well in. They play well in fits and starts.
They'll play well for five.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Seven minute stretches, and then there'll be a ten minute
stretch that it looked like you know, they all just
met each other in June.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And that's not conducive to winning at a high level,
is it?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
And I get you. You turn back to Jisel and
maybe you find a spark there. You know this team
better than anyone, Chad. Is it too late for this
team to turn this season around? When you look at
I'm watching a lot of basketball Arizona BYU Houston. You
can go up and down the list teams in the
(07:15):
top ten, teams in the top twenty five, teams that
are just outside the top twenty five. You watch basketball,
You've watched this team and I know they have talented players.
Is it too late for this team to turn it around,
or do you see a path in which they could
get things turned around for this season.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I have a hard time seeing it, if we're being honest.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
I mean, you've got six or seven teams at the
top of this league. I just don't how do they
beat Houston Arizona BYU Texas Tech. You know, you go
to Kansas, you go down the list, and I just
I look at those games and I go out of Cincinnati.
(07:58):
Win a couple to get back in this thing, They're
gonna have to get a couple of big scalps. You're
you're gonna have to have a couple. You start at
six and four, you're in a hole. You've got a
ton of grant with Yeah, a good cleansing team that's
well coached, and they're gonna make you pay for for
mistakes that you make. So yeah, like, you have to
(08:21):
beat Clemson Sunday. Don't feel great about that. Let's not talk,
Let's not look over. I was say, let's come was
leading Duke yesterday for a good portion of that game.
That's the after Christmas, the dreaded after Christmas game that
(08:42):
teams have always kind of looked flat in so yeah,
I don't. The path is, uh, the path has grown
over with thickets and thorns, and uh you better have
a real good machete to slice your way through it.
I mean, we knew the tough of the top of
(09:03):
this league was going to be tough, but did they
can they beat an improved Oklahoma State team? Uh? You
know there's a couple in that group that boy, if
you lose one or two of those games, sure, then
you're you're swimming even farther upstream. And do you feel
(09:23):
good about this team going on the road and beating
anybody at this point in time?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
So that includes.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
Clemson and nine Big Twelve games. So it doesn't feel great, Tony.
And you know this is probably why Gisel James is
coming back tonight, if we're being completely honest.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Outside of that, the football squad is preparing for a
bowl game and they're doing so with a very depleted
now secondary. They don't have their cornerback coach anymore. He's gone.
Brendan soaresby ha left. How difficult is this game itself
gonna beach at against a navy the naval account me
who will not be resting players? No players are opting
(10:03):
out of the bowl game for Navy, a team that
leads the nation in rushing yards per game. How difficult
One is the opponent for the bowl game, and two
putting together the roster and preparing with players that are
opting out and leaving.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yeah, I mean, look, if you're in Cincinnati situation where
you got guys preparing for the draft and guys entering
the transfer portal and you're going into bowl season, the
last thing you want to see is Navy pop up
as your opponent. Yeah, they are going to be exactly
who they are that they are going to play one
(10:39):
thousand miles an hour. They are going to play a
brand of football that I mean, there's what like four
guys on this roster that didn't even really play when
Cincinnati left the American Athletic Conference.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Like, they don't know Navy and what did we.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
See If you go back to when Davy entered the
AAC early, when you're first getting a look at Navy
in the triple option, it's really difficult. I mean, they
rush for what eight thousand yards in that one game
in twenty seventeen or whatever it was, and then, as usual,
(11:16):
saw them more and more and more the team became
familiar with it, and they were able to shut them down.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
But in a one off.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
That's the danger of playing Navy is it's new. It's
something you're not used to. It's a style you're not
accustomed to, and they just are unrelenting in attacking you offensively.
Their defense is not great. But you're without Brendan Soresby.
You're probably gonna be without Tywie Walker.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
And Evin Pryor. Your line is there.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
I think you're going to have most of your wide receivers,
so there will be something. There will be something to
fall back on. But boy, you're definitely not looking at
one of the most efficient offenses in the country. And Tony,
how much did we talk about time of possession?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Oh boy?
Speaker 3 (12:06):
This year?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Yes? Correct?
Speaker 3 (12:08):
What fifty to ten? Yep? On January third?
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Like, what's the record for what a team has possessed
the ball?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
That part terrifies me.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, without a doubt. And now the possessions, Chad become
even more important. And you're gonna be running possessions without
Brendan Sorosby. I know we'll talk about the Bowl game
with Samas Jones and Brady Lichtenberg. I would have to
imagine that the answer for quarterback next year is not
currently on this roster.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
I can't imagine that it is. Look, I'm sure Samas
Jones is going to have a chance to compete for
the starting job. They had a bunch of money to
pay Brendan Soresby. Do I think they're gonna go pay
a quarterback what they were willing.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
To pay Soresby?
Speaker 4 (12:58):
No, nor should you unless it's one of the you know,
absolute top guys in this class. And I don't think
that's going to happen. But you've got money to go
get a starting quarterback, you have to go do that.
You have to find a guy that you believe in
and that fits your system and that you think.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I really think it's important in this era.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Of college football that they do what they did with
Brendan Soarsby. You find a little bit of a younger
guy that you trust and you've watched the.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Tape and you think that you can get not just one.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
But hopefully at least two good years out of And
that's that's what they're going to be tasked with.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
How how difficult does the rebuild become? And I know
we've had this conversation three years, five wins, seven wins.
But if you look at this roster, and Keegan has
pointed this out before, this roster has NFL talent. They've
got a quarterback, they had a quarterback in Swersby who's
going to go make a lot of money elsewhere at
a high major school. Do you view this year as
(14:01):
a disappointment because on the outside, I think a lot
of people at the start of the year would say, Okay,
seven wins, I'll get on board with that. The way
in which it happened, with the talent that this roster had,
does seven now looking back on it feel a little
bit disappointing.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
It feels like a missed opportunity.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
I don't know that it's we're in this world now
where everything is like awesome or everybody has to be fired,
like there's no middle ground in sports anymore. I think
the season was okay, but I think you missed your
The window was as open as it was going to
possibly get, especially at seven to one going into November
(14:44):
and having a chance to compete all the way to
the end for a spot in the conference championship game. Yeah,
and look, Utah beat them like Utah was clearly the
superior team that day.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
For sure.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Arizona and BYU Cincinnati did not play well and were
still within one score late in the fourth quarter. Yeah,
you got the ball against Arizona down six with a
chance to win the game. You've got BYU down six.
If you get a stop, you're gonna get the ball
(15:23):
back and have a chance to win the game. And
they didn't get it done in either of those situations.
And then I think you could you could feel it, Tony.
You were there, you would know better than me. They
felt deflated against TCU because they were playing for the
conference championship the entire way, and that was possible all
(15:45):
the way through the end of.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
The BYU game. And then it looked like kind of
the wheels sell off in Fort Worres.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
But I don't think that Arizona, BYU or TCU were
or it didn't look like Utah, where Utah.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Was just supremely talented.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
They were the better built, better agreed constructed, better performing
football team. You had three opportunities even just to get
that one win, to get to eight and feel like
this season was a.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Big success at seven.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Losing your last four, now you're staring down the barrel
of Navy, or you might lose your last five again
to end the season. It's hard to say that's anything
but a disappointment.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Without a doubt, it is a tough time right now
around the University of Cincinnati again. Gisel James back Alabama
State tonight a game on Sunday. There is a lot
out there as it relates to the Cincinnati Bearcats. Chand
for those looking to to follow along with the coverage
or maybe gift that coverage to someone in their lives
(16:55):
that's a Bearcat fan. Now, what do you got going on?
A Bearcat journal?
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Obviously everything you could possibly want to know about, all
the things that you just mentioned. Uh, we've got the
podcast and video network. Keegan does a phenomenal job on
the writing side covering everything that's going on. We'll see
what happens tonight with Alabama State. You're not You're not
gonna want to miss this one, Like what does moday
(17:21):
be good?
Speaker 3 (17:21):
To be interesting?
Speaker 2 (17:22):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
The night's gonna be interesting. And then guess what, ton
I'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Oh you won't. I'm off tomorrow, Chad. You'll see Austin.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
It'll just be us Chad. Sorry, Yeah, I get it. Sorry, No,
that's fine. I know, that's fine, that's fine. Once.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Uh you know, I was, I was out to dinner
one time. I got the lunch one time, a couple
of weeks ago, and the two ladies sitting.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Next to us.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
The one lady was talking about telling a long story
about her husband, and like every ever ninety seconds she
will go, but it's fine.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
No, it's fine. I mean it's fine.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Yeah, no, it's fine, and like it's wanted to look
over go it's not fine, lady, but trying to convince
yourself it's not fine. So my my reaction to Austin
being there tomorrow, it's fine.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
It's fine, fine, everything's fine, that's fair, fair, everything's going well. Chad,
enjoy catching up with Austin tomorrow, and thanks for catching
up with us today.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Thanks ched, Thanks gentlemen, have great holidays you too.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
That is Chad Brendle. Bearcat Journal dot Com certainly appreciative
of Chad's time. We have more time next on the
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station, our number three thanks
to Penn Station.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Nope, he doesn't know everything
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