Friday, September 15, 2000

UC's Monds effective in limited duty

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Defensive tackle wants to have impact vs. Wisconsin

By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mario Monds | ZOOM |

        University of Cincinnati defensive tackle Mario Monds may be able to play in only 20-30 plays against Wisconsin. If what he did in 25 plays against Syracuse is any indication, it may be enough.

        Monds has been hobbled by a sprained knee and deep thigh bruise, but when he first came into the Syracuse game — second down and three yards to go with Syracuse driving from the UC 21 — he tackled SU running back James Mungro in the backfield. The defense rose up around him and held on 3rd-and-4, and SU missed a field goal.

        Plays like that are huge when you're a 7¹/₂-point underdog playing against the No.25 team (USA Today/ESPN poll) in the country. UC went on to upset Syracuse 12-10 on four fourth-quarter field goals.

        Monds tries to make emotion a part of his game.

        “We all feed off one another's momentum,” he said. “(Middle linebacker) Eddie Johnson is a big playmaker, and I knew that with him down (against Syracuse), I had to step up.”

        Monds said because he was wearing a knee brace, he felt “kind of slow” during the Syracuse game, but he feels OK otherwise.

        He had several big plays last Saturday, such as when he tipped a 3rd-and-6 SU pass in the third quarter and the Orangemen missed another field goal. A touchdown or field goal there would have put UC down by two scores on a day when the UC offense was struggling.

        “That's what we call a "money-down,'” Monds said. “Third-and-long, you've got to get off the field. Coach Willis (defensive line coach Keith Willis) always tells us to get our hands up to disrupt the passing lanes. I got a good push, and that's just what I did — I put my arms up and tipped it.”

        Monds, who is 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, was a third team preseason All-American by Athlon magazine. The senior's quickness and agility make him a good pro prospect.

        “He's a presence when he's in there,” UC coach Rick Minter said. “He makes a big push on the pocket. When you have a presence like that, it makes the guys around him better.

        “It changes everything. If you're a defensive linemen or linebacker and you see No.90 lined up next to you or in front of you, you have a feeling some good things are going to happen. It tends to elevate your play or make you feel more confident,” Minter said.

        Monds is a native of Ft. Pierce, Fla., and was a junior college All-America at Hutchinson Community College.

        Reds fans may remember a “Monds” who was a former Reds farmhand. That would be Wonderful Monds III, Mario's older brother, who was an outfielder. Their father is Wonderful Monds Jr., who was a first-team All-America safety at Nebraska.

        “Our defense gets together all the time and says, "We need to let everybody know who we are,'” Monds said. “We feel we are a great defense, and we need to keep going out and showing it.”

       

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UC's Monds effective in limited duty

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