Pitt vs. Cincy – Ohio river at stake

First, they lost their coach. Then they made an adjustment at quarterback.

With the… First, they lost their coach. Then they made an adjustment at quarterback.

With the changes the Cincinnati Bearcats have seen over the past year, it was easy to speculate that they would fall off their rise of recent seasons.

Instead, they just got better.

The Bearcats (6-1, 1-1 Big East) enter Saturday’s noon homecoming contest with Pitt ranked 23rd in both the AP and USA Today Coaches’ polls.

Much of their success can be attributed to that new quarterback.

Ben Mauk, a senior transfer from Wake Forest, has given Cincinnati an outstanding air attack. Mauk has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,358 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has only been intercepted four times.

Mauk began last season as the Demon Deacons’ starter. In the season opener, however, he suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Deacons went on to win the ACC and the Orange Bowl, and Mauk’s replacement, Riley Skinner, was awarded ACC Rookie of the Year.

Despite receiving Sporting News’ ACC All-Freshman Team honors and posting impressive numbers during his first two seasons at Wake Forest, Mauk was relegated to a backup role.

He decided to return to his home state of Ohio and finish his career with the Bearcats. An NCAA rule that allows players to play immediately for their new team upon graduation assured Mauk (a former redshirt) a chance to start again this season.

“This quarterback [Mauk] does a great job of staying alive in the pocket, even though he’s only averaging 2.6 yards a rush,” said Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt. “He’s carried the ball about 35 or 40 times, and he’s one of those guys that can move around.”

“This kid does a great job of that, he makes a lot of his plays when he’s on the move.”

Meanwhile, head coach Brian Kelly took over the helm at Cincinnati with an impressive resume.

Kelly coached Central Michigan for three years prior to filling the Bearcats’ head coach vacancy. He led the Chippewas to a 9-4 record and their first Mid-American Conference title in 12 years in 2006. Kelly also won two Division II National Championships with Grand Valley State prior to his time at Central Michigan.

Pitt hopes to ground the Cincinnati air attack with staunch defense.

“We’ll do several things. We’ll change it up,” Wannstedt said in his weekly press conference. “They do a lot of no huddle. If you look at the Rutgers game, Rutgers gave up three or four big plays because they weren’t lined up. Cincinnati goes right to the line of scrimmage and runs the play.”

Middle linebacker Scott McKillop will be relied upon to bolster the defense. Currently, McKillop leads the Big East with 11.8 tackles per game.

There are question marks everywhere else. The defensive line will use a rotation and the linebackers around McKillop, namely Shane Murray, Dorin Dickerson and Adam Gun, will split time.

On offense, freshman Pat Bostick will make his third consecutive start at quarterback while Stull remains on the sideline. Fellow freshman LeSean McCoy, the Big East’s second-leading rusher with 668 yards, earns the nod at tailback.

Wannstedt will not even man the sideline for Saturday’s contest. Wannstedt tore his left Achilles early Tuesday and missed the team’s practice while in surgery. The injury will force Wannstedt to coach from the press box rather than down on the field.

The Panthers have endured a lot of pain during the season. Wide receiver Derek Kinder, quarterback Bill Stull and defensive end Doug Fulmer have been scratched from the roster nearly all season with various injuries.

There’s also the sting of their 2-4 record and four straight losses, including the overtime heartbreaker to Navy last Wednesday.

A win over the ranked Bearcats on Saturday could go a long way to easing their ills. The Panthers are 6-0 all-time against the Bearcats, having won 33-15 last season in Cincinnati. With the “River City Rivalry” trophy up for grabs, Pitt will be playing for more than just pride.