D-Coordinator Tresey Leaving Cincinnati

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Posted by DCS

Photo Credit: Scout.com

Yet another coaching change to announce; this time on the defensive side of the ball. Despite leading the 31st overall defense in the country last season, Joe Tresey "differs philosophically" with Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly. That is why Tresey and the Bearcats are parting ways, leaving Kelly to have to find a replacement going into the Spring. It it unclear at this point, whether Tresey's replacement will come from inside or outside of the program, but it's reasonable to assume that it would be someone from outside of the program because anyone who worked under Tresey would most likely jive with the previously employed defensive philosophy.

MLK Day Links

Monday, January 19, 2009

Posted by DCS

Happy MLK Day everybody. I hope those who have a day off from work are enjoying themselves, and those that don't....well, that sucks. Anyway, here's all the news that's fit to print in the world of Big East football:

• ESPN's Brian Bennett talks about how the Big East fared in the East-West Shrine Game
• Vidal Hazelton makes it official -- He's a Bearcat
• Chas at Pitt Blather sings the praises of former Pitt wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
• West Virginia nabs a huge (6'3-4") safety from Florida -- Rivals.com profile
• Ron Zook steals Assistant Head Coach/D-Line coach Keith Gilmore from Brian Kelly

Guy's the Guy

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Posted by DCS

Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe decided to elevate recently hired linebackers coach and former Utah State head coach Brent Guy to defensive coordinator. Guy will maintain his duties coaching the linebackers as well. This all after Kragthorpe replaced Ron English, who bolted after one season to coach Eastern Michigan. Kragthorpe replaced English with Bill Miller, who had previously been coaching the linebackers for the Cardinals, but in the end, decided to take a position as co-defensive coordinator for the Kansas Jayhawks. I think in the end, this is ended up pretty well for Krags, given that Guy is well respected as a defensive coordinator despite his disastrous stint as head coach at Utah State.

In other news:

• Brian Kelly is honored with a "coach of the year" award
• ESPN's Brian Bennett gives us a rundown of the Big East's ties to the NFL playoffs
• Academic issues will prevent Kendall Kelly from attending USF

As the BCS Rages on, Big East Teams Learn What They'll Look Like Next Year

Friday, January 9, 2009

Posted by DCS

The recruiting scene is at a boiling point, transfers are coming and going, and many factors are taking shape that will indicate how Big East teams will look player personnel-wise next year. Here are some links (mostly courtesy of scout.com -- subscription required, but the headlines should give you most of the info you need to know) to give you a rundown:

• It's down to Pitt and UNC for TE Malcolm Bush (Pitt is the favorite at this point) -- Scout / Rivals
• Southern signal caller Clayton Moore (former Ole Miss commit) likes what he sees at Syracuse -- Scout / Rivals
• Brett McMurphy of the Bulls Report says that USF is now an official option for former Miami QB Robert Marve
• Shady's going pro....Chas at Pitt Blather comes to terms with the decision
• Another day, another player transferring from the 'Ville
• Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette examines WVU's recruiting
• The Louisville Courier-Journal's Tom Heiser says "good riddance" to Matt Simms transferring from Louisville

Also, in case anyone didn't notice: Brian Kelly is not interested in the BC job opening, as some speculated he might be due to his Boston roots and his Irish Catholic background. Sorry BC. Priceless quote from Kelly on the situation:

“I grew up there and watched BC...We’ve got a great deal of respect for their
program, but that’s not a job I would be interested in. At the end of the
day, I’ve got a better situation here at the University of Cincinnati.”

I Smell Brut Sun Bowl Links and More

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Posted by DCS

Get your fill of Brian Bennett's antics on ESPN's Big East Blog:

• A Sun Bowl preview
• The Panthers feel they have something to prove
• B-Squared gets UCONN defensive end Rob Lunn to do his job for him

A trio from Scout.com:

• The International Bowl will be a homecoming of sorts for UCONN's Moe Petrus, eh?
• "Mr. PAC 10" is liking Pitt over OSU today
• It's game day!

What else?:

• The Newark Star-Ledger's Tom Liucci discusses the future of Rutgers football
• P. Diddy, Party, Same hotel as the Cincy Bearcats...you do the math
• Zach Berman of the Washington Post with a fine bit of journalism covering the ascent of Brian Kelly and the Cincinnati Bearcats

More Before the Papajohns.com Bowl

Monday, December 29, 2008

Posted by DCS

Here are some updated conference standings during the bowl season after last night's barn burner between Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl. Congrats to the WAC for finally getting on the board with a "W":

Big East 2-0
Pac 10 2-0
MWC 2-1
ACC 2-2
CUSA 1-1
Sun Belt 1-1
WAC 1-3
Big 10 0-1
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-2

• Outgoing Louisville D-Coordinator Ron English gives insight on why Louisville is struggling in the post-Petrino era
• Brendan Prunty of the Newark Star-Ledger tells us how Mike Teel was a recruiting target of Tom O'Brien's when he was coaching Boston College
• Brian Bennett with a nice piece on Brian Kelly's coaching and preparation philosophy
• "Miami Mitch" of the College Football Place picks Rutgers over NC State in the Pizza Bowl; Bleacher Report writers disagree
• The Rutgers faithful get hyped before their bowl appearance in Birmingham

Links; Are We Starting to See a Pattern?

Monday, December 15, 2008

Posted by DCS

More from B Squared on ESPN's Big East Blog:

• Pitt's Year in review
• Interview with Doug Marrone part 1
• Interview with Doug Marrone part 2

And:

• New Jersey will undertake a full audit of the RU Athletics Department (yikes!)
• What has Brown done for UCONN? I guess not enough; he's coming back
• Brian Kelly is looking for room on his mantle for all his "Coach of the Year" awards

And finally; a breakdown of the St. Pete Bowl by ESPN's Todd McShay:

The Official Big East Postseason Honors

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Posted by DCS

Some highlights from the Big East's postseason awards, voted on by the coaches:

• Cincinnati predictably takes the cake with eight awards
• Pittsburgh takes second with six awards and Scott McKillop gets recognized as the conferences' defensive player of the year after being snubbed for Butkus Award consideration
• Cincinnati's Brian Kelly nabs the coach of the year award for the second year in a row

Congrats to all the players and Coach Kelly for being recognized for outstanding seasons!