October 18th Jump Off

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South Florida Week

Holtz impressed by Cincinnati's turnover margin | University of South Florida Bulls blog: USF Sports Bulletin | tampabay.com & St. Petersburg Times

"The thing that's probably the most impressive is they're No. 2 in the county in turnover margin," Holtz said. "I think turnovers are a huge indicator in the win-loss column, more so than probably any other statistic. We were able to outgain Connecticut by maybe 80 yards, but still lost the game. We finished minus-2 in the turnover battle. You look at this (Cincinnati) team, it's not surprising why they're winning. ... They have seven turnovers and they've created 19, which is a huge margin."

Skip Holtz questions some calls in USF Bulls' loss to Connecticut // St. Petersburg Times
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Coach Skip Holtz made it clear that the nine penalties called against USF weren't why the Bulls lost 16-10 Saturday at UConn, but he planned to write to the Big East questioning some of the calls.

Bearcats Breakfast 10.17.11 // Paul Dehner

Wolfe had 11 tackles, 3 TFL and a sack on Saturday. That's 11 tackles for a defensive tackle. Is that even possible? His 1.67 TFL per game (10 total) are now tied for 8th in the country and lead the Big East. His 0.83 sacks per game (5 total) also lead the Big East (tied for 12th nationally). As for total tackles per game? Yep, he also leads Big East defensive lineman with five per. Let's see, what else could we judge a defensive tackle by? Fumbles forced? Yeah, he's done that twice -- tied for the most in the conference. Actually, he hasn't blocked a kick yet this year, so I guess that's ammunition for Patterson, Steele, Adelson and all the rest.

Yeah Derek Wolfe is good

Basketball

Replacing Bishop is no easy task // Bearcat Lair
"The development of our program into a top 25 team, his toughness was a big factor in that," said Cronin. "We've got some guys like JaQuon Parker and Sean Kilpatrick that are going to be able to fill that role and give us that type of toughness. Rashad had tremendous confidence in his ability to play at the highest level and the toughest games in the biggest venues he always played his best."

Now I love me some Kila, but asking up to be a facilitator on offense and defensive stalwart might be a bit much on his plate.

Cronin has big plans for Kilpatrick // UC Athletics Blog

All those UC fans who clamored so loudly last year for Kilpatrick to see more playing time will get their wish this season. UC coach Mick Cronin says he’ll be "shocked" if Kilpatrick doesn’t play at least 30 minutes per game after averaging only 20 last season.

That sounds about right to my untrained ears

Other Bearcat News

Women's Golfing Bearcats, Malek Lead UD Invitational After First Round // gobearcats.com

The University of Cincinnati women's golf team leads the UD Invitational after round one on Monday at NCR Country Club. Sophomore Andrea Malek holds a share of the lead after a first-round 74. Malek is tied atop the 77-player field with Lindsey Lammers of Detroit Mercy. Olivia Dose and Maria Roos are two shots behind Malek with identical 76s, good for a tie for fourth.

Other University News

Top UC fundraiser resigns // cincinnati.com

Mike Carroll, president of the UC Foundation that is coordinating a $1 billion capital campaign, resigned last week effective immediately.

This doesn't strike me as a positive development unless President Williams already has someone in mind.

Carl Henry Lindner: 1919-2011 // cincinnati.com
R.I.P.

Confrencaggedon

Missouri Moves Closer to Joining SEC // NYTimes.com

Missouri has emerged as an unlikely linchpin in expansion, considering it has never won a Big 12 title in football. But the futures of the Big 12, SEC and Big East were all tied to Missouri’s decision, as the school has been deciding which way to go for nearly a month.

Big East fee increase depends on Navy, Air Force // CBSSports.com

Less than an hour before the Big East’s presidents and chancellors held their teleconference Monday night with Commissioner John Marinatto, the New York Times reported Missouri’s departure from the Big 12 to the SEC was "inevitable and imminent."

Of course that kind of puts a damper on things.

Report: Missouri Tigers' application to join SEC imminent // ESPN

A source with direct knowledge of the Big 12's expansion panel's plans told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that if Missouri departs, the Big 12 still must decide if it wants to go to 10 or 12 members. The source said Louisville and West Virginia are two of the top candidates to replace Missouri if it leaves.

It goes without saying that 12 is preferable

Reading This Will Make You Smarter

The Veiled Tyranny of Italy's Silvio Berlusconi // Foreign Affairs