Tuberville apologizes for UC 'disaster'
Tommy Tuberville said he is sorry that University of Cincinnati football fans had to watch last Friday’s awful 65-27 loss at South Florida, which included a 51-3 halftime deficit.
“That was a disaster,” the Bearcats' coach said Tuesday at his weekly media luncheon at UC. “I never that saw that coming.”
Tuberville apologized to UC fans not once but twice during the luncheon, which he began with a nearly 10-minute monologue on the USF nightmare.
“I haven’t slept much since then,” Tuberville said.
The 38-point margin was the Bearcats’ worst defeat since 2005, a 38-0 loss to West Virginia.
“As fans, as people watching on television, it’s got to be harder than even it is for us because you can’t do anything about it,” Tuberville said. “We’re sitting there trying to do something about it, but at home, you really have nothing to do. You can’t reach out and grab somebody or do this or that or make changes, so it’s all up to us.
“So, I want to apologize to our fans, our alumni, everybody that watched the game that was really hoping for a win, a big win on the road. And obviously it wasn’t there.”
Doc's TML: Something's wrong with UC football
UC (6-5, 3-4 American Athletic Conference East) ends the regular season at East Carolina (5-6, 3-4 AAC East) on Saturday at noon. UC is bowl-eligible, the one consolation in an unsatisfying season.
UC seniors said a players-only meeting was planned before Tuesday’s practice.
“It hurt, but it’s something you’ve got to get over,” senior defensive end Silverberry Mouhon said of the USF game. “We’ve got one more game left, and that’s what is on our mind right now.”
Senior left tackle Parker Ehinger, like Mouhon a team captain, acknowledged that the Bearcats have fallen short of their goals. UC was the prohibitive media choice to win both the AAC East and inaugural league championship game, but UC has been eliminated from East title contention.
“Obviously, the season has not gone the way any of us wanted it to,” Ehinger said. “Too much of this team has been too many people dwelling on mistakes and bad things. We have to put that behind us.”
After bad loss, what now for UC football?
Suffice to say, it has been a strange year.
UC is only 6-5 overall, despite having set school single-season records for total offense (6,284 yards), passing yards (4,207) and first downs (325). The Bearcats rank No. 4 nationally in total offense (571.3 ypg). Shaq Washington has become the UC career receptions leader (223). Chris Moore has become the UC career leader for touchdown receptions (26).
So, why is UC barely over .500? Among other things:
- The Bearcats rank No. 123 among 127 FBS teams in turnover margin, at minus-1.36 per game.
- The defense, relatively improved over 2014, has not improved enough. UC finished No. 96 nationally in total defense this year and is No. 82 now.
Tuberville said the defense still needs upgrades, which the program has been addressing in recruiting. While some junior college recruits will come aboard, Tuberville has eschewed the quick fix since arriving at UC three years ago.
“I don’t look for excuses,” Tuberville said. “Never have, never will. That’s my motto and that’s the motto of our players. I’ve always said excuses are the nails to build a house of failure. We never accept excuses. You look for reasons.”
FANS UPSET: Tuberville said some fans have been emailing him, wondering about the Bearcats’ coaching and apparent lack of energy against USF.
“Somebody said, ‘Well, you didn’t holler at them,’ ” Tuberville said. “Well, you weren’t in the dressing room at halftime. I’m glad we don’t video that. It’s one of those things that unfortunately in our business, you have to go through. You’re not going to play great every week.
“That being said, there’s no excuse, other than the fact that they played much better than we did.”
Cincinnati at East Carolina
Kickoff: Saturday, noon
Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.
TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/WLW-AM (700)
Records: UC 6-5 (3-4 AAC East), East Carolina 5-6 (3-4 AAC East)