Thursday, October 25, 2001
UC prepares for sack attack
Getting to QB is Louisville's specialty
By Bill Koch
Enquirer contributor
It's hard enough to play quarterback on the major-college level as a true freshman, trying to learn a new offense, adjusting to new players, adapting to the quickened pace of the game. But to do all that while running for your life makes the task almost impossible.
That's why the University of Cincinnati's offensive linemen understood how crucial it was to give the new kid time to throw when Gino Guidugli took over as starting quarterback after Adam Hoover blew out his knee in the second game of the season.
“I thought that was definitely important those first few games,” said left tackle Shawn Murphy. “We had to give him a lot of time so that he felt comfortable and wasn't rushed into making any mistakes. As long as you give him time, he's going to do a lot of good things back there.”
So far, Guidugli has had more than adequate time to pick out his receivers, which is one reason why he leads Conference USA in passing efficiency. He has been sacked nine times in five games. Only Army, which nailed him three times in his first college game, has sacked him more than twice.
“If we come out of a game with a freshman quarterback giving up one sack a game, or two at most, we can live with that,” UC coach Rick Minter said.
Maintaining that average will be a challenge Saturday when the Bearcats face Louisville at Nippert Stadium in a showdown for first place in C-USA. The Cardinals have sacked their opponents 22 times for 143 yards. Thirteen of those sacks are by their preseason all-conference defensive ends — Dewayne White, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound sophomore who has seven sacks, and Michael Josiah, a 6-3, 270-pound junior who has six.
Fortunately for UC, the Bearcats have two pretty good tackles to place in their paths. Murphy, a 6-4, 290-pound senior from Oak Hills High School, also was a preseason all-conference choice. Josh Gardner, a 6-4, 282-pound junior from Moeller, made the league's all-freshman team two years ago.
Both are looking forward to the matchup, but they also know what they're up against. “They're probably the best we've seen,” Gardner said.
Like UC's Antwan Peek, who leads the Bearcats with 7.5 sacks, White and Josiah are athletic and quick off the ball. But they're 40 to 50 pounds heavier than Peek, which makes them more difficult to contain, because they can beat you with quickness and strength.
“They're very comparable to the guys from Purdue,” UC offensive line coach Stacy Searels said. “They never slow down. If we can keep those defensive ends at bay, we'll have a chance to be successful. If we don't, it could be a long day.”
The Bearcats could help neutralize White's and Josiah's pass-rushing ability by establishing a running game, which has been inconsistent this season. The Louisville defense, which allows 160 rushing yards per game, has forced opponents into situations of third down and 7 yards or longer an average of 11 times a game. If the Cardinals do that against UC, they'll be able to turn loose their defensive ends with little concern of being burned by the run.
That will make Murphy's and Gardner's jobs that much harder — and, of course, will limit Guidugli's ability to make plays.
“These guys are high-profile players,” Murphy said. “Any time we can get a chance to prove ourselves on the field, that's what we love to do as athletes. We've got to hold them off as long as we can. Whatever it takes, they can't touch Gino.”
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