Sunday, September 24, 2000
Indiana 42, UC 6
Option leaves Bearcats defenders grasping at the wind
By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — One play in the second quarter described better than any words how an until-now promising University of Cincinnati football team managed to get blown out 42-6 Saturday by Indiana.
At the time of the play, the Bearcats trailed 21-3 but appeared to have a momentum-shifter at their fingertips. IU was facing third-and-19 from UC's 45-yard line.
IU quarterback Antwaan Randle El faked a handoff into the gut of running back Brian Lewis, then continued rolling right, recapturing all the attention of UC defense, before he stopped dead and threw back to the left.
To a wide-open ...
... Brian Lewis, who ran the ball down to UC's 16-yard line.
Ballgame.
Antwaan Randle El
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What made that play
possible was the Bearcats (2-2) had no choice but to overplay Randle El, who in IU's first three possessions had led the Hoosiers into the end zone, all on big plays:
• First drive: two 22-yard passes;
• Second drive: Randle El deked the UC defense, then pitched to running back Levron Williams for a 56-yard gain on 3rd-and-5;
• Third drive: He threw a perfect 56-yard TD pass to Jerry Dorsey, who was UC QB Deontey Kenner's favorite target in high school.
“You have to key on (Randle El) — he leads the team in carries and rushing — so when he goes that way, there's going to be pursuit,” said UC linebacker Troy Evans. “But we'd seen that play (on videotape). We knew we had to have somebody backside and deep and we just didn't have it.”
Ray Jackson
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Seeing Randle El on tape is one thing. Playing against him is another.
“When you look him on film, it seems easier,” UC defensive end Antwan Peek said.
Two of Peek's responsibilities were to keep Randle El from getting around the end on the pitch and hit him at every opportunity. He was doing it, but Randle El has refinedthat great option-QB knack of pitching just at the right time before getting creamed.
IU (1-2) rushed for 295 yards, 119 of it by the determined Williams, the recipient of many of those Randle El pitches. IU averaged 6.4 yards per rush; Randle El had 47 yards on 9 carries, 5.2-yard average.
The Bearcats had been moving the ball some on offense early in the game, especially on rushes by Ray Jackson, and there were indi cations they might have made a game of it.
But the IU play-calling and Randle El took care of that.
Once again, the Bearcats were moving the ball between the 30s, but weren't making plays as they neared the tight part of the field. They had only one 25-yard field goal (making it 14-3) to show for it.
On the first play from scrimmage of the second half, Kenner appeared to aggravate an abdominal strain he'd suffered in the first half. On the play that caused him to leave the game — and not return — he kept the ball after a fake to Jackson and rushed for 6 yards.
He is listed as possible for Saturday's game at Tulane, which marks UC's return to conference play (1-0).
The Bearcats trailed IU 28-3 at half and for most of that time found noway to stop Randle El and IU's creative offense.
There is no such thing as a broken play when Randle El is at quarterback. He can scramble out of almost any danger, is a terrific open-field runner, and while not a pure passer, is good enough to hit the open man (Dorsey had three catches for 125 yards).
Cincinnati ....... 3 3 0 0— 6
Indiana ....... 21 7 7 7—42
First Quarter
Ind—L.Williams 7 run (Payne kick), 12:48
Ind—Randle El 1 run (Payne kick), 8:16
Cin—FG Ruffin 25, 3:09
Ind—Dorsey 50 pass from Randle El (Payne kick), 2:12
Second Quarter
Ind—Randle El 14 run (Payne kick), 7:59
Cin—FG Ruffin 33, 4:22
Third Quarter
Ind—L.Williams 1 run (Payne kick), 6:06
Fourth Quarter
Ind—Hogan 1 run (Payne kick), 12:23
A—30,075.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Cincinnati, Jackson 21-104, Wize 2-9, Hoover 3-9, Kenner 3-3, Spencer 5-0, Vann 1-(minus 11). Indiana, L.Williams 11-119, Myles 11-61, Randle El 9-47, Lewis 7-40, T.Jones 1-13, Hogan 4-9, J.Johnson 3-6.
PASSING—Cincinnati, Kenner 11-24-0-142, Hoover 11-21-0-97. Indiana, Randle El 9-16-1-214, T.Jones 1-5-0-7.
RECEIVING—Cincinnati, Hunt 7-48, Chatman 6-66, Collins-Baker 4-48, Vann 3-39, Smikle 1-24, Keith 1-14. Indiana, Dorsey 3-125, Lewis 1-29, Gaddis 1-22, Brandt 1-14, J.Johnson 1-11, Graham 1-7, Myles 1-7, Frazier 1-6.
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Indiana 42, UC 6
