I was not able to watch the game yesterday after the first quarter due to a prior family commitment. Late last night when I had the chance I scanned the DVR replay and came to the same conclusions as I think most fans did that our team and coaches performed poorly on the field. UNC was well prepared, well coached and played with great emotion and execution of their game plan. It was almost like watching the Xavier basketball game all over again where the other team was a step ahead and everything went their way. Yes, a giant egg (no, make that a large bowel movement) was laid on the field by our team. It is embarrassing and I can’t wait (sarcasm) to get back to work later this week to hear all the crap and ribbing from UNC fans that will no doubt come out of the closet big time.

But you know what? Poop happens sometimes in life when things don’t go your way. It often comes down to your perspective and experience. I have not seen enough “bad” from my university or the football program to believe that we are on some downward spiral to the abyss of mediocrity. Yeah, yeah, yeah….I know…the poor schedule, the crappy conference, Gran’s plays, RDAIV, etc., etc. You know what? I hear other complaints from my friends and associates who follow their respective university teams. Earlier in the season, for example, many UNC fans that I know were ready to kick Larry Fedora out the door due to the horrendous start that they had. The point is, unless you’re winning national championships or winning at the highest level is it ever going to truly be good enough?

All that said, no excuses for the terrible loss yesterday and I agree with most that as loyal fans and paying customers we have every right to expect only the best in terms of our team’s competitiveness and putting a consistently winning product on the field. From where I stand and the fact that I attended UC at a time when the football program was non-existent (anyone remember when the Head Coaches were Dave Currey and Tim Murphy?) , I remain excited about the future with all the facility enhancements and stadium renovations that have/are taking place. I’m excited that we have a university president and athletic director that no doubt want to make UC as attractive to a P5 conference as possible. I remain a CTT supporter because he just finished coaching his FIRST year at UC and I believe greater things are yet to come once he gets a chance to establish the program his way.

I can’t fault anyone who has been supporting UC financially if they choose to lessen that support or cut it off altogether as that is their right and free choice. As someone posted earlier, the bottom line for me is I need to put my money where my mouth is as a fan and alum and do a better job of supporting my university at a time when it is most critical to do so. I can’t worry about what others are doing or not doing but focus on what I can do moving forward.

I want to ask a serious and sincere question... This is NOT an attempt at a troll or a flame, I'm really interested in an answer.

To those of you who say that everything is fine and the long-term trend is only upwards, what is the basis for your optimism? Again, I am asking this earnestly, because I can (and sometimes do) over-react. What are you seeing that I am not? What bright spot am I missing?

Deja Vu

I feel like I have read this post a few times

(12-29-2013 12:36 PM)RedRocker Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:06 PM)bearcat14 Wrote:  BJ. Sub ...I pm you guys heard some interesting scoop after the game

Don't leave the rest of us hanging.....

No doubt

(12-29-2013 01:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  I want to ask a serious and sincere question... This is NOT an attempt at a troll or a flame, I'm really interested in an answer.

To those of you who say that everything is fine and the long-term trend is only upwards, what is the basis for your optimism? Again, I am asking this earnestly, because I can (and sometimes do) over-react. What are you seeing that I am not? What bright spot am I missing?

Personally, I think sometimes coaching changes take time to adjust to. Tubs is VERY different from Butch. I think we have a lot of young players, who mightve struggled at times this year but will be improved.

a full year of players/coaches working together, combined with a full off-season, I think by week 1 next year everyone will be on same page. Gran will have better understanding of personnel and can go back and review and reflect his mistakes this year and improve himself.

Im a big fan of Kiel and a lot of good young WRs. a lot of what we saw this year was concerning but I just think that has to do with unfamiliarity and developing chemistry, which is something I think will be much improved next year based on time

Eddie Gran needs to improve himself elsewhere, not here. If Tubs is serious about winning here, there needs to be some changes. The window of opportunity is closing, fast, and we don't have much time left.

(12-29-2013 01:42 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:36 PM)RedRocker Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:06 PM)bearcat14 Wrote:  BJ. Sub ...I pm you guys heard some interesting scoop after the game

Don't leave the rest of us hanging.....

No doubt

So long as it wasn't from someone wearing Mountaineer regalia...I'll be happy to hear the news.

UCGrad1992--really liked your analogy to the feelings after the X basketball game. We were unable to make the bowl trip for the first time in recent years and had friends watching with us who happened to be OSU and UK fans/graduates. They do attend some UC games and like the Bearcats. Simply stated, painful and embarrassing to watch.

Happiness is a performance like that in the rearview mirror and a decent night's sleep always helps me realize it was a very bad game in a very good (not excellent) season. Nine wins, attractive bowl bid, record attendance, respected, veteran coach. I was deeply concerned going in about losing two senior offensive linemen and those fears were well founded with the sacks, the safety and hurried, inaccurate throws. All that said, special teams probably destroyed any chance of winning.

Where do we go from here? Count me in the group that will renew season tickets on day one. Who among the coaching critics has been willing to give Mick seven years plus to rebuild and yet expects instant results from Tuberville? If we're seeing the same performance issues one year from today I will share your concern. I watched one of the elite programs in college football, MI, that nearly beat Ohio State a few weeks ago get manhandled by Kansas State last night. Think anyone in Ann Arbor won't renew their tickets? Our fan base is filled with such angst right now and I attribute much of it to the conference mess. Is that a worry? Absolutely, but it's a non-factor in terms of me supporting UC be it G5 or P5. At this point I believe the B10 will initiate the next round of poaching and UC has made a strong case to backfill a defection from the ACC or B12. That might not happen in 2014 but I'm convinced the B10 isn't finished building their TV market base.

if tubs wasn't playing golf morning of the belk bowl we would have won that game! !

(12-29-2013 12:36 PM)RedRocker Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:06 PM)bearcat14 Wrote:  BJ. Sub ...I pm you guys heard some interesting scoop after the game

Don't leave the rest of us hanging.....

Some of he George Smith crowd in Charlotte were whispering about impending B12 invite rumblings coming out of the upper end of the ADs Office this weekend during cocktail hour. We shall see if that is founded in fact or hope.

(12-29-2013 03:35 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:36 PM)RedRocker Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:06 PM)bearcat14 Wrote:  BJ. Sub ...I pm you guys heard some interesting scoop after the game

Don't leave the rest of us hanging.....

Some of he George Smith crowd in Charlotte were whispering about impending B12 invite rumblings coming out of the upper end of the ADs Office this weekend during cocktail hour. We shall see if that is founded in fact or hope.

At this point a Big XII invite would be very good news for the fan base. We might have to get used to a few 6-6 and 7-5 types seasons but I am more concerned now the with awfulness that is American basketball.

(12-29-2013 04:04 PM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 03:35 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Some of he George Smith crowd in Charlotte were whispering about impending B12 invite rumblings coming out of the upper end of the ADs Office this weekend during cocktail hour. We shall see if that is founded in fact or hope.

At this point a Big XII invite would be very good news for the fan base. We might have to get used to a few 6-6 and 7-5 types seasons but I am more concerned now the with awfulness that is American basketball.

Here we go again. Not a criticism of you posting whispers but just frustration that none of the smoke ever comes to fruition.

If it did happen you are correct we'd definitely have fewer 9+ win seasons but 7-5 in the B12 is much more relevant than 9-10 wins in the American. I also believe we would step our game up and get much better recruits. Midwestern kids don't have any other options in the region besides B10 and ND. If we were the Midwestern B12 option we could recruit vs. the top tier B10 teams regionally.

Just got back from Charlotte. Had great seats and a good time except for the game. It was really hard to watch MY team play so poorly in every aspect of the game. I hate losing bowl games. I am sad and disappointed at the performance.

This is the same Bearcat team that went toe to toe with a UofL team that beat the U later in the evening. The U beat UNC in the regular season.

But regardless of how I might be smarting today, I will buy my season tickets and be at PBS (I hate UC games at PBS) cheering for MY team next year no matter who they are playing.

I'll say my prayers tonight that the rumors at cocktail hour have truth behind them. They would jive with tweets of about a month ago that UC coaches were telling recruits that UC was moving to the B12.

Go Bearcats!

Sidenote: I was surprised at the number of empty seats in the UCats section around us. The tickets were sold but no butts in the seats. Guess those were donated. Weird.

(12-29-2013 01:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  I want to ask a serious and sincere question... This is NOT an attempt at a troll or a flame, I'm really interested in an answer.

To those of you who say that everything is fine and the long-term trend is only upwards, what is the basis for your optimism? Again, I am asking this earnestly, because I can (and sometimes do) over-react. What are you seeing that I am not? What bright spot am I missing?

First and foremost, fans do not understand how incredibly difficult it is to adjust to a new coach. When Butch came in, i remember Derek Wolfe stating that in his first year, none of the players trusted him or the system he ran. They ended up losing early in the season and that completely severed the connection they had with their coach. Hence, that team self-destructed over the course of the year. In a similar fashion, Tubberville came in and did things very different than Butch. They faced some adversity early on and subsequently dropped 2 games they had no business losing. Therefore, i am very optomistic for the future because of the way we responded after those losses. By the time we played UL, we were a good team, and so were they, and it showed with a great game. Unfortunetly, we **** the bed vs UNC. However, there was nothing out there that suggested to me that UNC was any better than us as a team. We played horribly. That happens. Especially for a new coaching staff. I'll give Tubs the benefit of doubt for this year, and remain cautiously optomostic for next.

Outside of team performance, however, how can you NOT be excited for the future of the Bearcats? We had a 9% increase in attendance this year despite a brutal schedule and sold out more games than Butch did in his entire tenure. The fans made a great showing at the Belk Bowl and made Charlotte feel like a second home. Finally, Nippert Stadium is being expanded. That's crucial.

I've had conversations that legitimately cause me to believe UC will be invited to the Power 5 in the near future. In fact, i would put money into this program if it were a stock for that same reason. Whether or not you put any faith into this is clearly up to you, but I truly believe that Nippert is being expanded because someone, or some conference, told us to do so.

Last thought: We return a lot next year and I think we'll be the G5 champs when its all said and done; provided Coney or Kiel or Munchie are solid. I mean, think about it. We return a great receiving core, an excellant set of RBs (all of them i believe), the season starting Qb, an offensive line that gained a lot of experience through injuries, a young defensive line led by future star silverberry mouhan, Nick Temple and Soloman Tentman, and some young DBs. Compare that to our competition. N.Illinois is losing Jordan lynch. Boise State is losing their coach and QB. UCF could potentially lose Storm Johnson and Blake Bortles to the NFL. That's a formula for Bearcats success in year 2.

The real question is; how can one not be optimistic for the future?

(12-29-2013 09:31 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 09:14 AM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  This is a program that is doing great things on and off the field. 10 wins is now an expectation. Many of our supporters do expect UC to win every game. That's unrealistic, but not a bad thing. It's OK to be frustrated when UC loses, but you can also be proud that your program has set the bar that high moving forward. There are a lot of programs and fans around the country that would love to experience our culture of winning.

10 wins is now an expectation? Sorry. I no longer "expect" 10 wins from this team. After this season and last night, going bowling is about the best I expect out of next year. (ie. 6-7 wins).

If you think this is headed in the right direction, I don't know really what to say. The biggest win we had this season was against Houston. Think about that for just a moment. Houston was the only team with a winning record we actually defeated. Is that "the high bar" that is set for "moving forward"?

*********Rest of Excellent Post Snipped*********
I won't bother saying anything else other than I could not have said it better myself.

(12-29-2013 05:01 PM)BringBackthe Glory Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 09:31 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 09:14 AM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  This is a program that is doing great things on and off the field. 10 wins is now an expectation. Many of our supporters do expect UC to win every game. That's unrealistic, but not a bad thing. It's OK to be frustrated when UC loses, but you can also be proud that your program has set the bar that high moving forward. There are a lot of programs and fans around the country that would love to experience our culture of winning.

10 wins is now an expectation? Sorry. I no longer "expect" 10 wins from this team. After this season and last night, going bowling is about the best I expect out of next year. (ie. 6-7 wins).

If you think this is headed in the right direction, I don't know really what to say. The biggest win we had this season was against Houston. Think about that for just a moment. Houston was the only team with a winning record we actually defeated. Is that "the high bar" that is set for "moving forward"?

*********Rest of Excellent Post Snipped*********
I won't bother saying anything else other than I could not have said it better myself.

Here, here!




mc

(12-29-2013 04:04 PM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 03:35 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:36 PM)RedRocker Wrote:  

(12-29-2013 12:06 PM)bearcat14 Wrote:  BJ. Sub ...I pm you guys heard some interesting scoop after the game

Don't leave the rest of us hanging.....

Some of he George Smith crowd in Charlotte were whispering about impending B12 invite rumblings coming out of the upper end of the ADs Office this weekend during cocktail hour. We shall see if that is founded in fact or hope.

At this point a Big XII invite would be very good news for the fan base. We might have to get used to a few 6-6 and 7-5 types seasons but I am more concerned now the with awfulness that is American basketball.

It would be good news of the highest magnitude.

If it happens, make no mistake, TT's hiring would be a big reason for it. The hire does a lot for all that is associated with such an opportunity. Perception, getting Nippert project rolling, a great ambassador. All of that is a 10 out of 10. Maybe this staff is the perfect fit now for what we need, after all.

Just my $.02, this just might not be a very good game day staff. But honestly, the on field stuff is probably secondary when it comes to the big picture of conference realignment. There is some grace in accepting adjusted expectations going forward. Not meant as a knock, but my on field expectations as things stand are not going to be very high outside of this fairly bad AAC.

To be fair, my expectations for Mick and the basketball squad while in this conference are not off the charts either (file under solid showing, but nothing exceptional).

the sky is falling the sky is falling


lol some of you people need to get a grip


9 wins with a new staff and some of you are poo pooling....just incredible

^^^ Right on Rath. This team should compete well within the American, but outside of that I don't see the talent to compete with the middle of P5. Of course to be honest, even at our height we really didn't. Our Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl teams didn't look too good against the other competition. We have beaten NC State and Illinois at home. Our biggest out of conference wins were on the road at Oregon St, neutral site Va Tech and bowl wins against Vandy and Duke. This UNC team was no worse than any of those wins. Maybe it's just a bit of revisionist history.

(12-29-2013 06:51 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  the sky is falling the sky is falling


lol some of you people need to get a grip


9 wins with a new staff and some of you are poo pooling....just incredible

Rick Minter might have gotten 9 wins from that schedule.