By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Elder High School fans will have a tough time believing this after watching Bill Poland make so many clutch catches last year during the Panthers' drive to the state championship, but Poland says it's true. When he arrived at the University of Cincinnati last summer, he was nervous.

He may have been a first-team all-state selection at Elder, but this was Division I-A college football and he knew he had to prove himself all over again.

"You can see the wide-eyed look occasionally," said UC coach Rick Minter, "but that happens to all of them."

It's happening less and less frequently to Poland, who's coming off his most productive game at UC. He caught five passes for 72 yards against UAB two weeks ago, and as the Bearcats prepare for Saturday's homecoming game against Army, he says he's feeling more and more comfortable on this level.

That's good news for a UC team that has struggled to find reliable receivers this season.

"I've gotten a lot more confidence in myself," Poland said Wednesday. "I've been catching the ball better than I was earlier in the season, and I know my assignments. The first couple of games I was kind of nervous. If they threw the ball to me, I was thinking, 'I'd better not drop it.' "

Those were foreign thoughts for Poland, who rarely dropped a pass at Elder. Last year, as a senior, he caught 60 of them for 1,391 yards and 13 touchdowns, and was named the Greater Catholic League player of the year.

But the game is faster on this level, the players more physical.

"I knew the coaches here knew I was pretty good in high school, but I felt like I had to come out and show myself again," Poland said.

It finally happened against UAB. In his second start as a Bearcat, he hauled in a 50-yard pass from quarterback Gino Guidugli, the kind of pass he used to catch routinely from Elder's Rob Florian.

"That boosted my confidence a little more," Poland said. "It told me that I can make some plays in college, too. As soon as I got here, the game speed picked up so much, but now, halfway through the season, I've adjusted to it and it doesn't seem like it's that much faster."

Minter has noticed the difference.

"I thought Billy played quite well two weeks ago," he said. "He's going to get better and better. What will happen is his confidence will begin to soar as time goes on. His body will change, too. He'll get more mature and more physical, pick up a step or two. He's going to be a good player here."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com