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that year and then the following year finalist for the ray guy award American Athletic Conference special teams Player of the Year third team allamerican did you exceed your own expectations that year uh probably a little bit yeah I I think it was it was a funny old year that year we were we were pretty good team obviously lost that last game which kind of killed us um but our punt team was my middle Shield of Wilson Huber that was on the Vikings for a little bit and had played five six years of college football which you kind of very rare very rare to have on a team um especially with the transfer portal and stuff like that now and I was blessed with people in front of me like him and Josh Wy that did their job so well that it made my job pretty easy um but yeah it was we had Ricky Brown that year who was our special teams QC who I owe a lot of credit to and he's talked a lot with me about being a pro and stuff like that and I owe a lot of credit to him and I probably did exceed my own expectations to be honest it was a it was a hell of a year last year was also a very good year although statistically not quite as good and then we learned after the fact that you were hurt you played through injury last year what happened and how difficult was it yeah it was tough I had a I had what they call a sport Tonia um which is a very kind of broad term now but it's basically a surgery I had to end up getting that I knew I had to um so December 22 came back and you know my groins weren't feeling great my core was always tied and we probably figured out something was happening there and then got got felt pretty good within Spring ball and then came out and run one day and it was kind of back there and that's why I probably thought we were in trouble um I probably knew I needed surgery a lot before the season started lot lot of months before the season started and then um you know it's just I think it's just something you do when you play a team sport I knew I could do my job at a high enough level um I don't think it was at my best at all but I knew I could do my job at a high enough level and when you play a team sport I think you just got to put pain and suffering and that to the side and um yeah I went out there and did my job to the best of my ability and it was pretty tough um but you know get to the end of the season and I knew I needed surgery and then you know got that fixed up and um we also have the best medical staff and athletic training staff in the country and um I've got Aaron himler who I honestly can't thank enough he's been like a second dad to me over here and I could go to him for anything and you can't really ask for much more and you know we got that fixed up and I feel great now so um not going we can continue that your backup this year has the same last name your younger brother Max has transferred from Arkansas to Cincinnati and he would great last year at Arkansas second Team all SEC so UC is getting another great punter into the pipeline it has to be great for the two of you now to at least get to spend a year as teammates in the US yeah it's awesome and I probably inspired him in a little way to you know to do pick up punting and come over here and he saw me do that and thought that's something that he'd be good at and he's a super Talent he works really hard and he's a good kid and um yeah he's going to be a great player but yeah as he said spending the year with him after he's probably spent you know 2 and a half years and not seeing him which is pretty tough it's it's lucky we're on the same floor in apartment so we're close but not living on top of each other which probably wouldn't end up well but um yeah no very blessed very blessed you've been an ambassador for UC football over the past few years what have you love so much about the experience of going to school here and playing for UC this this place has been everything for me it kind of gave me a lifeline and that's something I'll never be able to repay fully um I wake up and Coach comes has told me to wake up you wake up with a small on your face and you're going to have a good day and I get to come in here and you know do that every single day and um we got the best fans in the country um like we've got coaches who truly care about you as a person as well as a footballer and I don't I really don't think you can offer much more than that because you can run a great program off being good people and I think that's a Baseline and I get as I said I get to come in here every day and I think God's blessed me so to be on Extreme and I'm just really thankful for that we're excited to have you back for year four I'm glad it's going to be a healthy one for you best of luck and thanks for the time today appreciate it Dan thank you Mason Fletcher with Dan horde we are getting set for Cincinnati and Pittsburgh kickoff just over 10 minutes away when we come back we'll hear from Pittsburgh head coach Pat Nardi you're listening to UC Barat 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square off against overpriced dinners with Donato's allnew Bakery Crust Pizza a square cut thicker Bakery style crust with Donato's fresh toppings now get two one topping Bakery crust pizzas for just $199 .99 order today want to save up to 80% on your energy bill you've got to dig for it climate Master geothermal systems tap the constant temperature of the earth to keep your home comfortable all year plus going Geo qualifies you for a 30% tax credit call gearing Heating and electric at 812 934 6088 and get digging not really I mean you know uh really doesn't matter we do it all the time and we got crowd noise out there you know um during practice every day I mean it's loud it doesn't doesn't bother us at all and we expect you know Nipper to be loud as well so we practiced loud I don't know how loud it'll be down on the field but I would imagine we were louder out today than I'll be there I don't remember being that loud but I I was in the Press Box back in the day it's pit head coach Pat Nardi this week answering a question about crowd noise here at nippard Stadium Nardi in his 10th season at pit where he is 66 and 50 he was referencing his time at Cincinnati as the cats defensive coordinator from 2004 through 2006 when we come back it's Cincinnati and pit at Nipper Stadium you're listening to UC barats football presented by Ralph's American Grill as a family-owned company and a top workplace in the region jtm food group has been pioneering Kettle crafted Culinary Solutions for years from tantilizing dips to mouthwatering sauces and more we lead the pack in delivering highquality on-trend items to the entire food service industry but it's not just about the food it's about our commitment to doing things the jtm way with passion integrity and a dedication to God and his people taste the difference today and learn more at jtm foodgroup docomo roof over their head I'm proud to say that race stclair Roofing has been keeping our neighbors protected and dry for over 70 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Toyota offers Toyota Let's Go Places Skyline Chili feeling good andung hungry it's Skyline time and by Ralph's American Grill in Wilmington Ohio just off i71 exit 50 inside the holiday in at the Robert Center this is UC football from [Music] learfield it is a magnificent September afternoon for football here in Cincinnati bright Sunshine a few cottonball clouds overhead and the temperature is in the mid 60s as we get set for the river City rivalry the UC Bearcats against the pit Panthers and it is time for the pig skin to fly here at historic nippard Stadium thank you so much for tuning in I'm Dan hord alongside former UC standout Jim Kelly Jr we have Tony Pike on the sidelines today Mo Edgar and Ben Jarvis Brad Ellis are with us here in the booth Taran bland is in the studio and we are delighted to have you with us for our coverage of Bearcats football let's get to Kelly's keys to the game well we could we'd be remiss if we didn't start with Dante Corleone The Godfather being back and what Cincinnati is going to have to do today is play very very solid run defense Desmond Reed who is the tailback for the University of Pittsburgh is a transfer from Western Carolina he came up here uh with Wade Bell his offensive coordinator from Western Carolina and last week he ran carried the ball 14 times for 145 yards and a touchdown from the tail back spot so I think Cincinnati's going to have to really do a good job of stopping the Run number one put some pressure on new quarterback Eli Holstein who's an Alabama transfer big guy 6'5 240 lbs and uh he was 30 out of 40 last week against Kent State for 325 yards he did give up the Pittsburgh did give up four sacks so they did get to him I think the ability to stop the run you're going to have to play an extra guy in the Box maybe today and that can also with the Godfather being in there open up some Avenues on the offense capitalize you cannot be three out of five on your Red Zone attempts today two out of five touchdowns from the Red Zone last week against um against talson so they've going to have to score those points whether that's a field goal Carter Brown canot miss a 38 yd field goal so you've got to be solid there when you get a chance and you're in that red zone explosive plays the Bearcats were good on that we need to see more of those this week we'd love to see some long runs and long passes special teams that's an area that the Bearcats certainly needed to clean up a muffed punt a kickoff out of bounds a missed field goal really got to clean those things up because one opportunity like that can give Pittsburgh an opportunity to win this football game the one thing and then this is a guy that I think this is really going to make some difference today and Dan you just talked to him that's Mason Fletcher keeping Pittsburgh in bad field position I think is a huge Advantage for this Cincinnati defense make sure that uh Fletcher and he always has a good game and he's got to really keep keep Pittsburgh kind of back their back against the wall so anyway that keys for the day should be a good close football game it is a ring of red game here at nippard Stadium the fans were encouraged to wear red they got the message and the Bearcats are wearing red today red jersey shiny red helmets and white pants Pittsburgh is the one team in the steel city that doesn't wear black and gold the Steelers Pirates and Penguins do Pittsburgh's colors are blue and gold they are wearing white jerseys gold pants and gold helmets today both teams have come charging out of the tunnel and now the captains are making their way toward the middle of the field we are getting set for today's coin toss it is brought to you by to T pH Cincinnati's IRS tax relief expert let's listen in we will hear from our referee momentarily right after the completion of the handshakes good afternoon gentlemen welcome to today's game H you're the visiting team you'll call the toss this is Heads This is Tails what is your call Tails Tails tails is the call it's Tails you've won the toss pit has won the toss and El likeed to defer their option to the second half you want the ball which way would you like to kick switch sides please last week against tsin let's head it down let's head down to the sideline now and former Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike I love the fact that the the Bearcats are going to get the ball because it allows you to set a tone and yes you can set a tone defensively but you want to play games like this from ahead and when you think about this pit team and knowing head coach Pat Nardi the way UC went into that game last year at pit and they beat pit in a way that Pat ardui has kind of built his teams around he's proud of how his teams play up front and last year on the road you see punch pit pit in the mouth offensively and defensively for four quarters this game has been circled for pit so you have to come out and you have to match intensity early outside of that sound defensively get set quickly don't be out of position on any of these quick rotations for pit offensively you got to run the ball and special teams you got to be perfect you cannot have a missed extra point or a missed field goal you can't kick the ball out of bounds get some momentum plays in the Special Teams but more importantly than anything match the intensity of this game early against pit all right Tony thank you Tony of course a member of the 2008 Cincinnati Orange Bowl team that is being honored today here at Nipper stadium and our game ball Captain today the great wide receiver who is known as the wizard in his playing days Dominic Goodman yeah the wizard another uh Corine cardinal