Bearcats respect Boilers
By Doug Healey
Assistant
Sports Editor
Although the Purdue football team will play Cincinnati
for the first time, Big Ten opponents are nothing new to the Bearcats'
schedule.
This marks the third straight year that Cincinnati
plays the Big Ten Conference champion, in what will be the Bearcats'
biggest game of the year.
Cincinnati coach Rick Minter had his Conference
USA teleconference on Monday.
Minter, who guided Cincinnati to a 7-5 record last
season and a berth in the Motor City bowl, a 25-14 loss to Marshall,
said he still has some doubts about whether his team is ready for Purdue.
"It's gonna be a tremendous challenge for us,"
he said. "We've got a sellout crowd waiting for them and we've got a
fired-up football team, but time will tell whether we're battle-tested
enough."
Still, though, Minter's ready to see how his team
reacts.
"They've got a heck of a football team, and we
know we have our hands full, but we're looking forward to it," said
Minter.
The Bearcat coach praised Purdue coach Joe Tiller's
defense, a unit that returns 10 starters.
"They all run well — it's probably Joe's fastest,
most talented and spirited defense he's ever had.
"They've got two big ends who are very active (Akin
Ayodele and Shaun Phillips). These guys are the real deal coming off
the edge and that's as big a concern as we have, just with our tackles
holding up those guys on the run and pass."
Minter knows his offense has a small margin of
error.
"We've got to put together a plan that affords
us a chance to move the ball, not turn it over and give our team a chance
to win," he said.
Even though Purdue has been known for its passing
attack, Minter expects the Boilers to rely more on the ground game.
"They're gonna try to run the football," he said.
"We need to try to make the game become one-dimensional. We can't let
a team come out and run the ball every time because we're dropping everybody
on a pass."
In the midst of all his praise of Purdue, Minter
acknowledged his team has one thing going for it.
"Our only advantage is that they've got a kid who's
only thrown nine balls in his career," he said. "But Joe's offense has
been productive wherever it's been, so it's just a matter of plugging
in the right guy who makes good decisions."
The Boilers travel to Cincinnati for the season
opener, which starts at 1:30 p.m. local time in Cincinnati. More than
35,000 fans will be at Nippert Stadium. It's the first game to sell
out before game day in Cincinnati's history. It will be televised nationally
on espn2.
The Bearcats, who are 67-36-10 in season openers,
have won six straight home games, their longest home winning streak
since the 1981 season.
Minter, who has never faced Purdue as a head coach,
is the second winningest coach in Cincinnati history, compiling a 34-44-1
record in eight seasons. He's one of three coaches to take the Bearcats
to multiple bowl games.
Tiller will discuss the Bearcats in the first of
a season-long series of weekly luncheons today. Tiller's luncheon begins
at 11:30 a.m. today in the West dining room of Cary Quadrangle.
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