12-01-2011, 11:12 AM
Good to be home for UC seniors
Bearcats back at Nippert after 71 days to take on UConn
![[Image: bilde?Site=AB&Date=20111130&...UC-seniors]](http://cmsimg.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=AB&Date=20111130&Category=SPT0101&ArtNo=311300198&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Good-home-UC-seniors)
The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II
Members of the senior class will be honored Saturday before the UConn game, including (left to right) DL Derek Wolfe, OL Randy Martinez and running back Isaiah Pead. There are 21 members in the senior class.
Written by
Bill Koch
By the time the University of Cincinnati Bearcats run onto the field at Nippert Stadium to face Connecticut on Saturday, 71 days will have passed since they last played a game in their cherished on-campus home.
The Bearcats’ last foray into Nippert was on Sept. 22 when they beat North Carolina, 44-14, in one of their best performances of the season.
Since then, they have driven up U.S. 27 to Oxford, traveled to Tampa, Pittsburgh, Piscataway (N.J.) and Syracuse. They also played two games downtown at Paul Brown Stadium against Louisville and West Virginia.
During that time, Nippert Stadium has been relegated to a practice facility.
That changes Saturday when the Bearcats return home to honor 21 seniors who will play their last game at Nippert with a share of the Big East championship on the line.
“It’s like a second home to me,” said senior linebacker JK Schaffer. “It’s been too long. It’s going to feel good to get back in the Nip and be in our back yard.”
This is the longest the Bearcats have gone in one season without playing a game at Nippert since 1990, when they played only three home games – all at Riverfront Stadium, - while Nippert was being renovated. They returned to campus on Sept. 28 the following year to play Miami.
“It’s definitely been a long time coming,” said junior strong safety Drew Frey. “It’s been over two months. That’s too long to be away from home. Nippert is where we play, where we practice, where we sweat. There’s nothing like coming out and running out on the field pre-game.”
The atmosphere hasn’t always been so electice at Nippert. Until the last four or five years, the Bearcats often played there before small crowds with very little energy.
But lately it has become a cool place for the students and players to gather. Former UC coach Brian Kelly once called it “the Wrigley Field of college football.”
The 35,000-seat stadium lacks the modern amenities of Paul Brown Stadium. The concourse gets cramped when the stadium is full and access to concessions and rest rooms can be difficult. But its location in the center of campus makes it part of the fabric of the UC community.
The UC players are careful not to criticize the move to PBS, but most of them clearly prefer to play on campus.
“It doesn’t matter where we play in terms of execution,” Frey said, “but just playing on your campus in front of everyone the way it’s laid out, it’s not comparable to anything else. I really enjoy playing at Paul Brown but they’re two different environments.”
UC has been playing games on the site since 1902. The current stadium was dedicated in 1924.
“I would love to get a win in our last game there,” said left guard Randy Martinez. “It’s been a weird feeling playing in Paul Brown, which is a great venue as well, but there’s nothing like being at home at Nippert.”The fondness for Nippert extends beyond emotion and aesthetics. The Bearcats seem to play better there. They’re 3-0 at Nippert this year and have outscored their opponents, 175-38, there. Before they lost to South Florida last year, they had gone two full seasons without losing a game on campus.
“That’s where our program was built over a long period of time,” said UC coach Butch Jones. “There’s some advantage to going down to Paul Brown Stadium but to be on campus where we practice most of the time is really important. Our players really believe in the environment and the atmosphere.”
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111...ws|text|UC
Bearcats back at Nippert after 71 days to take on UConn
The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II
Members of the senior class will be honored Saturday before the UConn game, including (left to right) DL Derek Wolfe, OL Randy Martinez and running back Isaiah Pead. There are 21 members in the senior class.
Written by
Bill Koch
By the time the University of Cincinnati Bearcats run onto the field at Nippert Stadium to face Connecticut on Saturday, 71 days will have passed since they last played a game in their cherished on-campus home.
The Bearcats’ last foray into Nippert was on Sept. 22 when they beat North Carolina, 44-14, in one of their best performances of the season.
Since then, they have driven up U.S. 27 to Oxford, traveled to Tampa, Pittsburgh, Piscataway (N.J.) and Syracuse. They also played two games downtown at Paul Brown Stadium against Louisville and West Virginia.
During that time, Nippert Stadium has been relegated to a practice facility.
That changes Saturday when the Bearcats return home to honor 21 seniors who will play their last game at Nippert with a share of the Big East championship on the line.
“It’s like a second home to me,” said senior linebacker JK Schaffer. “It’s been too long. It’s going to feel good to get back in the Nip and be in our back yard.”
This is the longest the Bearcats have gone in one season without playing a game at Nippert since 1990, when they played only three home games – all at Riverfront Stadium, - while Nippert was being renovated. They returned to campus on Sept. 28 the following year to play Miami.
“It’s definitely been a long time coming,” said junior strong safety Drew Frey. “It’s been over two months. That’s too long to be away from home. Nippert is where we play, where we practice, where we sweat. There’s nothing like coming out and running out on the field pre-game.”
The atmosphere hasn’t always been so electice at Nippert. Until the last four or five years, the Bearcats often played there before small crowds with very little energy.
But lately it has become a cool place for the students and players to gather. Former UC coach Brian Kelly once called it “the Wrigley Field of college football.”
The 35,000-seat stadium lacks the modern amenities of Paul Brown Stadium. The concourse gets cramped when the stadium is full and access to concessions and rest rooms can be difficult. But its location in the center of campus makes it part of the fabric of the UC community.
The UC players are careful not to criticize the move to PBS, but most of them clearly prefer to play on campus.
“It doesn’t matter where we play in terms of execution,” Frey said, “but just playing on your campus in front of everyone the way it’s laid out, it’s not comparable to anything else. I really enjoy playing at Paul Brown but they’re two different environments.”
UC has been playing games on the site since 1902. The current stadium was dedicated in 1924.
“I would love to get a win in our last game there,” said left guard Randy Martinez. “It’s been a weird feeling playing in Paul Brown, which is a great venue as well, but there’s nothing like being at home at Nippert.”The fondness for Nippert extends beyond emotion and aesthetics. The Bearcats seem to play better there. They’re 3-0 at Nippert this year and have outscored their opponents, 175-38, there. Before they lost to South Florida last year, they had gone two full seasons without losing a game on campus.
“That’s where our program was built over a long period of time,” said UC coach Butch Jones. “There’s some advantage to going down to Paul Brown Stadium but to be on campus where we practice most of the time is really important. Our players really believe in the environment and the atmosphere.”
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111...ws|text|UC