UC's Kiel good, but not good enough yet for Tuberville

The Gunner Kiel hype machine has been humming ever since the University of Cincinnati junior was the No. 1-rated high school quarterback in America, but his coach at UC said Kiel still has much to prove.

Kiel agrees.

Kiel threw for 3,254 yards and tied a Bearcats' season record with 31 touchdown passes in his UC debut season in 2014, but he also threw 13 interceptions. Kiel also missed the equivalent of about three games, leaving several with rib and back injuries.

“He’s got a lot of growing up to do,” UC coach Tommy Tuberville said. “He’s got some weapons that he can use, but he’s got to use them better than he did last year.”

Tuberville sometimes says such things for effect, knowing his remarks will get back to his players. Tuberville said he graded Kiel’s 2014 season as about a C, perhaps a C-plus.

“We go back and look at last year, he was really a freshman,” Tuberville said. “He was a freshman that played pretty well in terms of stats. But in the eyes of a head coach and an offensive coordinator, there was a lot out there that he could have really improved on.”

Kiel, a native of Columbus, Indiana, knows that any criticism comes with the territory. (See Dalton, Andy). As UC begins its season against Alabama A&M on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Nippert Stadium, Kiel said he is focused more on overall offensive execution than big statistics.

“I threw a lot of picks last year,” Kiel said. “I need to do a better job of controlling the ball. At the same time I need to do a better job of keeping myself safe, not getting those late hits, not getting injured.”

Kiel absolved his offensive line of any blame. The late hits happened because he sometimes held the ball too long, Kiel said.

“I have to understand that I can’t come out of all these games,” Kiel said. “I can’t come out at halftime and not play.”

Kiel, listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, has gained about seven pounds since last year and said he is in better condition. He has worked particularly on his core strength.

“I think I’ve done a great job of getting in the weight room, having a better diet and getting with our strength staff and training staff and just working on the little things,” Kiel said.

Kiel said he is determined to not force as many throws into coverage. His rocket arm can hit the deep ball and the quick outs, but opponents also now have a full season of Kiel on video. That is why Tuberville does not necessarily expect another 31 TD passes, with the coach hoping for more from the running game.

“Last year he had the luxury of thinking, ‘You know, I’m the starting quarterback but we actually have a quarterback that’s been here (five years) that I can turn the reins over to. And if I’m not getting it done, he can,’ ” Tuberville said.

Tuberville was referring to Munchie Legaux, who played his final UC season last year. Legaux relieved Kiel several times and helped engineer some wins, most notably a 38-14 rout of Tulane when Kiel (bruised ribs) lasted only one play.

This year, redshirt freshman Hayden Moore (Clay, Alabama) is the No. 2 quarterback. Moore will play his first college snaps Saturday on the third or fourth series, Tuberville said, regardless of score.

“We want to get him in there as early as possible,” Tuberville said. “He’s going to be a heck of a quarterback, but he is not ready to play in a situation that Munchie went into last year. Now if he has to, he can do it. Will he perform as well as Munchie? Probably not, in the early going.”

Meaning, there is even more on Kiel’s shoulders this year.

“He can’t have a bad game,” Tuberville said. “You can have all the players around a quarterback, but the quarterback has got to get it done. It all starts with him. Gunner’s leadership is much improved.”

UC was voted by American Athletic Conference media to win the 2015 league title, with Kiel and a potent offense the main reason.

Kiel returns his top seven receivers, led by Biletnikoff Award candidate Shaq Washington. Three of the top four running backs return, as do most of the regular offensive linemen.

“We do have a lot of studs on our team,” Kiel said. “If we play as a team, we’re going to do special things.”

NEAR SELLOUT: UC has under 1,000 tickets remaining for Saturday's game, athletic director Mike Bohn said. A capacity crowd of about 40,000 is expected.

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UC vs. Alabama A&M

Kickoff: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Nippert Stadium

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Ohio/WLW-AM (700)

Last year’s records: UC 9-4, Alabama A&M 4-8