By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Derrick Eddington doesn't claim to be another Richard Hall. In fact, he says he enjoys watching Hall run as much as anyone, even though that puts Eddington, Hall's backup, on the sideline.

"I like Rich's style better than mine," Eddington said. "Rich will make you look silly in the open field. I'm going to try to run by you. Rich, he's going to try to make you fall or twist an ankle. He's going to try to make you look bad. He's tremendous."

As the University of Cincinnati prepares for Saturday's game at UAB, it appears as if Hall will not be able to play. The junior from Wyoming High School suffered a concussion last week against Southern Miss and said Thursday he's still having headaches.

If he can't play, Eddington will start at running back in his place, although UC coach Rick Minter said senior Booker Vann, sophomore Carl Jones and freshman Terry Arnold would also play.

Quarterback Gino Guidugli, who sprained his left knee against Southern Miss, practiced Wednesday and Thursday and is expected to play this week, although he said his knee is still sore.

"I'm going to make the trip and see what happens," Guidugli said. "It's getting better every day. Hopefully, I'll be able to go by game time."

Eddington said he had been told Wednesday that Hall would not play this week, but Minter said Hall has not been ruled out definitely for the game.

"Richard is a wait-and-see guy," Minter said. "If it's at all possible, we're going to put him out there and let him play, but we're certainly not going to put him jeopardy."

Hall was injured late in the third quarter against Southern Miss.

"He went down to block somebody and just caught a helmet right in the head," Minter said. "He took a good lump on his head."

Hall's absence would leave a void in the UC offense. He's averaging 109 rushing yards per game, good for 18th in the country.

He's also UC's leading receiver, with 18 catches for 211 yards. He averages 151 yards of total offense which is good for eighth in the nation.

But Eddington has shown flashes of brilliance himself this year. He gained 138 yards on 11 carries in UC's season opener against East Carolina, and 55 yards on 17 carries against West Virginia. Since then, he has carried only 12 times for 19 yards.

"I accept my role," Eddington said. "When I'm called upon, I try to do my job the best I can. I just wait for my chance."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com