Five questions for UC football camp
Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 4:56 p.m. EDT August 8, 2014


Gunner Kiel(Photo: The Enquirer/ Tony Jones)

Five key questions entering University of Cincinnati football camp, with the Bearcats reporting Sunday for their annual stay at Higher Ground Conference & Retreat Center in West Harrison, Ind.:

1. Will Gunner Kiel be The Man?

Kiel was rated the nation's No. 1 prep quarterback while in high school in Columbus, Indiana. National writers criticized him for flipping his commitment from Indiana to LSU to Notre Dame to Cincinnati, but Kiel says he couldn't care less and loves it at UC.

Can Kiel live up to the hype? His spring ball performance was encouraging, but what happens when the lights flick on for the season opener Sept. 12 against Toledo? Not to mention at Ohio State (Sept. 27), which ESPN insider Phil Steele rates as having the best defensive line in America. Regardless, it will not be dull.

2. Who leads the defense?

Linebacker Greg Blair was the Bearcats' Ray Lewis the past two years, a productive and vocal leader who commanded the defense. With Blair gone, senior linebackers Nick Temple and Jeff Luc should be among those stepping up in the huddle.

Junior defensive end Silverberry Mouhon (9 ½ sacks last year) and his brother, four-star linebacker recruit Kevin Mouhon, are among the top talents. New co-defensive coordinator Hank Hughes, late of UConn, will call the defense on game days.

3. Will the special teams be any better?

"We were just god-awful in our kicking game last year," coach Tommy Tuberville said at AAC media day. Placekicker Tony Miliano was 7-for-17 on field goals last year. John Lloyd averaged 42.7 yards per punt but, teamed with QB Kay's pooch punts, UC ranked only 121st nationally in net punting.

Miliano and Lloyd will have competition in camp, but it's not all on them. UC was lackluster on most every special teams unit last year, capped by North Carolina scoring via both kickoff return and punt return in the Belk Bowl (39-17 loss). The good news is that the Bearcats can only improve on special teams. So it would seem.

4. Can UC hang with the big kids?

Aside from Ohio State, the Bearcats face another marquee non-league game at Miami (Fla.) on Oct. 11. The Hurricanes are not the juggernaut they once were, but The U figures to be favored in this one.

Some UC fans still cling to the near-upset of OSU in 2002 (23-19 loss), but reality says the Bearcats will be a three-touchdown underdog at Ohio Stadium. Other than OSU and the Hurricanes, UC could be favored in every other game. The most difficult AAC games appear to be home dates with East Carolina (Nov. 13) and Houston (Dec. 6).

5. Can Tuberville return UC to national prominence?

Tuberville's folksy Southern charm has played well with most UC fans, students and the media. That said, the coach turns 60 in September and has not had a Top 25 poll finish since his Auburn days in 2007.

A major bowl game remains within reach, but things get harder with the American Athletic Conference now sitting outside the Power Five.

Can Tuberville restore the magic of UC's Brian Kelly years? Or will it be more like Frank Solich at Ohio University, respectably winding down his career outside the national limelight? For what it's worth, the 2015 recruiting class is rated as one of the Bearcats' best ever.

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