Bearcats Shoot For Win Number 2 At Illinois

As Tommy Tuberville himself pointed out, these are two teams that have some similarities. Both art startlingly young in spots. The Bearcats had 16 Sophomores, freshmen and true freshmen on the two deep. The Illini have 33 listed on their depth chart (OK so they have a few more than UC, basically double but wait for the point). But there is nothing that these two teams have in common at this point, other than Tim Banks and Mike Thomas.

When last these two teams met they were already starting to diverge. They are now completely divergent. UC has lapped Illinois, definitely not in league affiliation, budget or the size of the check they cash from media rights. But on the field there is no doubt. The very fact that Tim Beckman is having to trot out that many freshman says all you need to know. Tim Beckman is trying to save his job, and the best way for him to do that is to get young, and to get bad. That way at the end of the year he can say we are getting better, and we will be so much older and better next year. There is some science to the argument, but that doesn't mean that Illinois isn't bad.

The Bearcats young guns can play. Deyshawn Bond stepped into his first start of his career against a future NFL player in Bruce Gaston and held his own. Zach Edwards is a player now, D.J. Dowdy is a future star at TE and Chris Moore is the truth. They Bearcats have youth, sure. But unlike the Illini they have been inculcated in a program that does nothing but win, regardless of who the coach is, or what league they are in. The Illini might be good down the road, but the Bearcats are good now. They aren't ready for this.

Go Bearcats