Cincinnati Bearcats Football: Season Culminates with Victory on Senior Day

For the 21 Cincinnati Bearcats seniors who played their final game at Nippert Stadium, there was no better way to go out than with a win on Senior Day and a share of the Big East title in the process.

This group will likely go down as the most successful group that the Cincinnati football program has ever seen and they got there through hard work. 

"I can't say enough of what this senior class has meant to our football family," said Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones.

After winning the Big East each of their first two seasons, Cincinnati finished 4-8 last season. The senior group bounced back this year and it all started with their preparation in the offseason.

"When we're sitting there in December and January and watching the bowl games from our couch, it definitely motivates you," said senior linebacker J.K. Schaffer.

Schaffer went over 100 tackles on the season against Connecticut, becoming only the fifth player in the history of Cincinnati football to do so three years in a row.

For the seniors, winning this title was not only a little more difficult than the first two, but much more rewarding in many ways. 

"There was not a lot of blowouts...we had a lot of dogfights this year," said senior defensive tackle Derek Wolfe.

Cincinnati may not be as talented as they were in past years, but they knew how to win close games and one reason for that was the senior leadership, particularly at the quarterback position with Zach Collaros.

The injury to Collaros may have cost Cincinnati a chance to go to a BCS Bowl, but enough can't be said about the job they did when he went down in Week 9. 

"I think we did a good job without him," Wolfe said. "Zach has a lot to do with this team on and off the field. His presence is huge...He's gonna be a great coach some day."

The victory over Connecticut was a perfect example of how Cincinnati has been playing all year. They have taken advantage of every opportunity they have been given and capitalized on it.

No play was more evident of the way the season has gone than the Huskies first drive.

Connecticut was backed up near their own end zone and quarterback Johnny McEntee dropped back to pass.

Instead of trying for the sack, Cincinnati defensive end Walter Stewart took the ball from McEntee for a touchdown in one of the most bizarre plays imaginable.

"Not too many times can you get a sack in the end zone and get the football out all in the same play," Steward said.

The play sparked the crowd and the Bearcats never trailed the entire game.

"Any time you can score on defense it's huge. It helps out the entire team and gets the crowd involved too," Schaffer said.

The Bearcats second touchdown came on a Drew Frey interception return for a touchdown and from there Cincinnati was off to the races, capping off a magical season not many people thought possible before the season started.

Cincinnati was predicted to finish fifth in the Big East preseason polls and that clearly served as motivation for the players.

"I've been here four years, we have three Big East Championships and it seems like every year we are picked to finish last," Stewart said. "It's all about going out on the field and just proving it."

That is exactly what Cincinnati did in the season finale and throughout the entire season.