Thursday, October 28, 1999
UC must slow Prentice, stop rest of RedHawks
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
“Super Mario!” This was what Mario Monds' teammates good-naturedly called him after he'd been interviewed in the Cincinnati Bearcats' locker room before practice Wednesday.
If Monds, a junior defensive tackle at UC, is still being called “Super Mario” after a full day of trying to tackle Miami's Travis Prentice on Saturday in Oxford, it probably means good things for the Bearcats.
It likely means the Bearcats beat the RedHawks — something they dearly need to do. A UC victory would put the buzz back on campus about UC football, a buzz that has dissipated since the Bearcats' upset of Wisconsin and tough loss to Ohio State.
Since then, the Bearcats have lost hard-fought games to three Conference USA foes (Houston, Alabama-Birmingham and Southern Miss), by a total of 14 points.
UC's biggest victory this season came against the team with the biggest back, Wisconsin and Ron Dayne. If UC could knock off Miami and Prentice, too, that would be like winning the daily double.
“Coaches have let us know, "He's the real deal,'” Monds said. “He's not just another good back — he's a great back. They keep reminding us of it, so we'll come into the game focused. But I tell you, if you don't know this guy's a great back, you just aren't paying attention. All you have to do is watch the film.”
And what has Monds seen on the film?
“He has all the tools, and he uses them all,” Monds said. “He has power, quickness and he has a great eye of where to run with the ball.”
Monds said the Bearcats can't go into the game thinking they can let Prentice run for 231 yards (the way Dayne did) and expect to win. By the same token, the defense can't get so caught up in trying to stop Prentice that they let somebody else beat them.
“However we have to get the win, get the win,” Monds said. “But by the same token, to do that, we have to slow him down, not let him run all over us.”
Monds, limited by a knee injury most of the season, is making his presence felt. Coach Rick Minter has said on several occasions this fall that once Monds was healthy enough to play, he could single-handedly impact games. In last Saturday's 28-20 loss to Southern Miss, Monds broke through the offensive line, stripped USM quarterback Jeff Kelly of the ball and recovered it to stop a rally. The week before, Monds had two sacks, forcing a fumble on the first one that went out of bounds on the UAB 1-yard line for a 23-yard loss.
Monds leads the team with seven tackles for losses, including five in the last two games, and four sacks.
Monds' teammates are well aware of the challenge they face Saturday.
“We can't have any mental mistakes where we let Travis loose,” said DeJuan Gossett, the junior free safety out of Wyoming High School. “He's elusive and he has deceptive speed. If you let him get in the open field, he can take it to the house on you. You won't get another shot at him. We have to hit him all day, run to the ball, have that swarming defense.”
How does Prentice's running style differ from Dayne's?
“Dayne tries to pound you all day,” Gossett said. “Prentice is looking for one crease, one opening where somebody isn't taking care of their responsibility so he can hit you with the big one.”
Junior linebacker Troy Evans (Lakota), agreed there are major style differences between Dayne and Prentice. But the the technique required to tackle them is identical, he said.
“You've got to wrap them up,” Evans said. “But yes, with Travis, you have to be very aware of the outside.”
Saturday will be a good day for back-watching for the Bearcats', too. UC's Robert Cooper is 17th in the nation in rushing average (108.2 yards a game). Prentice is sixth (142.4).
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HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS
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