Yes, Virginia, UC plays defense, too

By Paul Daugherty • pdaugherty@enquirer.com • October 14, 2009

They call it the Dark Side. They live there and prefer it that way. “Know the terrain” is what they say. It’s in-house code for, “We’re not pretty-boy quarterbacks and wide receivers over here. We play big-boy football. Come over and get you some.” That’d be the UC defense. Who knew UC had a defense?

It’s the offense that stars in the movies. Heisman candidate Tony Pike! Two-way phenom Marcus Barnett! There’s Mardy Gilyard, who lived in his car, for a second chance to be a matinee idol!

Four wide receivers, five wide receivers, 4th-and-go-for-it, Wildcat offense! Brian Kelly draws plays on cocktail napkins! Kelly has what he calls a “library’’ of offensive plays and formations, many of which started with a pen and a notion. He has two assistants, coordinator Jeff Quinn and QB coach Greg Forest, who have been with him so long, they know what audibles Kelly calls when he’s sleeping: 21 years for Quinn, 19 for Forest.

It’s a famous offense. How famous? On Tuesday, Kelly suggested his offense was scoring too fast! UC is possessing the ball just 24 minutes a game, while averaging 40 points. Kelly said he needs to find a way to give his defense a break.

Defense? UC plays defense?

“It sounds crazy,” Kelly admitted. Not about UC having a defense. About needing to rev the offense at a lower speed.

The offense is a reflection of Brian Kelly’s personality: Brash, wide open. Out there.

On Tuesday, someone asked Kelly if he might run the ball more, to keep his offense on the field longer. Kelly looked at the guy like he had an eye in his forehead. “What are you talking about?” Kelly said.

The offense is a long bomb in your hand. That’s the personality. The defense?

“We live on that saying, ‘Offense wins games, defense wins championships’,” defensive lineman Ricardo Mathews said Tuesday. “We know people want to see people score. Every little kid wants to be a wide receiver growing up. But we do the dirty work.”

The Dark Side.

“Yeah,” Mathews said. “We’re the Dark Side. You got to have something to be on the Dark Side, you know what I mean?”

Kind of. I wanted to ask first-year defensive coordinator Bob Diaco about it. He refused. Maybe it was part of the collective persona.

Gilyard says the toughest test the offense has faced this year is the one it looks at five afternoons a week at Nippert Stadium. “Everything has to be sharp against those guys. One, they know us,” Gilyard explained. “Two, they’re good.”

Those guys that have been out there 36 minutes a game are good. Good in a workmanlike way, jerseys hiked up to their sleeves, blue collars flapping in the breeze. The UC defense leads the quasi-amateur football world in sacks and tackles for loss. Their 21-sack total is inflated by the 10 they had against Miami two Saturdays ago. But a sack is a sack, and even that destructive day was overshadowed in the starstruck media by the offense’s show.

“(Defensive lineman) Alex Daniels had four sacks, but you didn’t hear about that,” Gilyard said. “You heard about my touchdown in the back of the end zone.”

Not that the defense takes offense or anything.

“They let us know every day,” said Gilyard. “They say, ‘The defense is here. You better know the terrain’.”

When Kelly arrived at UC, he decided his defense would wear black jerseys for all practices. He admits to spending more time talking about his offense, hoping to inflame his defensive players all the more. “They take it as coach Kelly doesn’t talk much about us, so he must not have a great feeling about us,” Kelly explained. “Which is absolutely not the case, but if that’s the way they feel and it provides them an opportunity to play harder and longer, that’s good.”

Thursday at South Florida, UC’s apparent defense will try to shut down a redshirt freshman QB named B.J. Daniels. Daniels took over two games ago for injured senior Matt Grothe and has thrown for 423 yards and run for 158 in wins over Florida State and Syracuse. It could be the D’s time in the footlights. As Mathews said, “I want to make a statement. This would be the game to do it.”

OK, but what happens if Pike throws for 300, Gilyard leaps into the stands, a la Ochocinco, and the offense scores 40 again? The Dark Side endures yet another brownout.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091...ense++too+