All around Cincinnati, would-be Bearcat football fans are abandoning ship again. But coach Rick Minter, despite a 31-17 loss to underdog Tulane on Saturday, said the panic is premature.
''I told the team that it would take more than this to kill our spirit,'' Minter said. ''We're a lot better than what we played. I know people don't like to hear that, but in my heart I know we are.''
UC (1-1) has an open date this Saturday. The Bearcats next play Kansas (2-0) at UC on Sept. 20, with the Jayhawks ranked No. 52 nationally in the Sports Illustrated preseason rankings.
Minter believes UC will rebound because of strong senior leadership, which he says is the best in his four years here. He also reminds that UC started slowly but rebounded to finish 6-5 each of the past two years.
Yet, UC figured Tulane would be easy pickings. The Green Wave are a unanimous pick to finish last in Conference USA, while UC is picked fourth. But several things doomed the Bearcats Saturday night, including:
Turnovers. UC had four, Tulane none.
Offense. The Bearcats were only 2-for-11 on third-down conversions.
Defense. UC allowed four touchdown passes by Tulane quarterback Shaun King, an athletic type who burned them with roll-outs and short, quick passes.
Lack of playmakers. The Bearcats miss the speed and savvy of receivers Robert Tate and Anthony Ladd and defensive backs Sam Garnes and Chris Hewitt, all of whom made either NFL rosters or practice squads.
Health. Quarterback Chad Plummer and four starting offensive linemen were hurt, although all should return for the Kansas game.
Minter is somewhat concerned about his defense. UC ranked 13th nationally in defense last year and returned its front seven starters. But there are three first-year starters in the secondary, and Tulane found seams in UC's attacking defense.
''We're not just canning everything we believe in, because the system worked us for last year,'' Minter said. ''It's just a matter of working on fundamentals.''
Those include tackling and catching the ball, as Minter estimated that UC defenders have missed five or six catchable interceptions this season.
Offensively, Minter said UC needs to find a way to sustain drives. One drive stalled inside the 10 and another at the Tulane 25-yard line before halftime, when UC could have built a 21-7 lead if it had converted. Instead, the Bearcats took a 10-0 lead before allowing 31 consecutive points.
UC also needs to refine its option offense, Minter said.
Tulane largely took away the option from Plummer, who rushed for just 22 yards after rushing for 153 in the opener against Tulsa.
ROYAL UPDATE:
Tailback Daryl Royal, academically ineligible for UC's first two games, continues to await results of his summer school and make-up work.
''We'll know over the next few days,'' Minter said. ''Even if he comes back, we won't hand him the reins right away.''
That is because Robert Cooper, Royal's replacement, leads Conference USA with 223 yards rushing.
