Cincy moved to 4-4 on the season with an outstanding defensive performance against South Florida last night. Their four losses have come to teams with a combined 23-3 record (Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Louisville) and they are a much better team than many are giving them credit for being. Our own Dominc Ross (S) and Kevin McCullough (MLB) played a huge role in this win--Ross picking off a pass near the goal line that would have otherwise put the Bulls in the endzone, and McCullough scooping up a fumble and returning it 36 yards to paydirt with just 1:04 left in the 3rd quarter. It had been 2-0 UC for almost three full quarters prior to McCullough's huge play.

SCOUTING SUMMARY:

College: Cincinnati Conference: Big East Columnist: Steve Martin
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes

Brent Celek 85 6' 4.0" 257 4.69 TE 2007: Brent set the school record for catches by a TE in this one, and looked very good blocking. He missed the whole second quarter with a stinger in his neck, but came back and played the whole second half with a special neck brace, and continued to do well, though he was not as effective as in the first quarter. He really block very well. I'd take him in the 4th round without hesitation if I needed a TE. Did drop one catchable ball though shortly after coming back in--I think the brace bothered him GRADE: Positive

Kevin McCullough 52 6' 1.8" 240 4.71 LB 2007: He just plays better every time I see him. He may not be a stud athlete, but he has a nose for the ball and looks good at the point of attack. Was in on a bunch of tackles and added a sack. The big knock has been speed, but he may have gone a long way towards answering that complaint on the FR for a TD when he outran the Bulls' tacklers, and straddled the sideline the last 10 yards and dove in like a tailback. GRADE: Positive

Dominic Ross 49 5' 10.0" 198 4.50 S 2007: Dominic is like McCullough. He may not wow people with his measurables, but he SURE PLAYS FOOTBALL. Was in on several big tackles, including a big TFL in the first half, and the aforementioned pick in the 2nd. Definitely has worked himself into an NFL camp. Has 4 picks on the season now, and remember, he had 11 tackles vs. Ohio State. GRADE: Very positive.

Doug Jones 86 6' 3.2" 276 4.66 FB 2008: Versatile guy. Lined up at TE while Celek was out. Carried the ball well in short yardage situations. Blocks very well in those situations also. Has the look of a 2008 draft pick. Showed hands. GRADE: Slightly positive

College: South Florida Conference: Big East Columnist: Steve Martin
Name # Ht Wt Speed Pos Class Game Notes

Theodric Watson 55 6' 4.2" 300 0.00 OT 2007: Somebody must have gotten to Thed, because he played a lot better tonight than the other times I have seen him this year. He still quits before the whistle sometimes, but he walled off much better, showed good punch and hand usage, and opened nice holes for the RBs. Does not have LOT feet for the next level, but did OK in pass pro tonight. Sometimes he punches too hard actually--giving the defender separation, which he sometimes has a hard time re-engaging with. GRADE: Slightly positive

Pat St.Louis 54 6' 1.0" 220 0.00 LB 2007: Best player on the Bulls defense tonight. Was all over the place. Had a couple TFLs. Extremely athletic-looking in this one, twisting around piles to make plays from the backside, etc. Wish he were bigger. GRADE: Positive

Stephen Nicholas 51 6' 2.0" 225 0.00 LB 2007: Not as involved as usual, but the may be because the Bulls MLB was doing so much, leaving the OLBs to cover the flats. Needs to come out of the top 100 though, if somebody has a replacement ready. GRADE: Neutral

Steve,

Agreed on all of the UC guys. I'm more and more impressed with the play of their key guys every week and the team as a whole. They made a good USF team look really bad for 3 and a half quarters last night. Celek was very very good in run block and was gutsy to come back out there. Ross played extremely well and was smacking people around as was the rest of the D. You can tell it had a huge effect on USF's WRs as the game went on. I only see one other clear loss for UC - West Virginia. People need to keep their eyes on this team for a meaningful bowl game and for the future.

Absolutely. The key guys are all getting it done.

What do you think of McCullough now, Brian??

Also, Nakamura continues to impress the heck out of me. He's comparable in size to Jim Leonhard, and though he may not be the return man that Leonhard is, he is a better knockout hitter, and may be a better safety over all.

I need to watch him again, on D I was more watching Ross and Mickens than him. We need to start paying attention to some of the DL's and Corey Smith (#42) as well. I think I need to watch the game 3 or 4 times to see all of the guys I really want to watch.