UC's Tuberville: College football needs exhibition games

WEST HARRISON, Ind. - Tommy Tuberville did not hesitate Friday when asked whether college football should have preseason exhibition games, as the National Football League does.

"We should have," the University of Cincinnati head coach said, after a Bearcats practice at their Higher Ground camp here. "There's no reason that we should not have probably a spring game that's an exhibition game, and at least a scrimmage against another team, to kind of tell where you're at. I think it would really enhance what we do."

College basketball teams have played exhibition games for decades. College football teams just scrimmage themselves in preseason.

"It hasn't been pushed hard enough," Tuberville said. "Basketball is so far ahead of football in terms of working things out. The NCAA and the rules committee, they've way bypassed us. We're kind of three or four years behind. Now we can work with our players in the summer, meet with them, anyway. (Basketball has) been doing that for a couple years. I guess they do a better job with their union than we do."

Why no exhibition games for football?

"I think they're scared of injuries," Tuberville said. "It's basically an uneducated decision. We don't educate them enough. We would be able to be much better protected, in terms of injuries, if we played against somebody else. If we went the speed of the game with somebody else, just for a few plays other than all of a sudden we just throw them out there and you know, 'Here we go.'

"There's a reason the NFL does it. Of course, a little bit of theirs is money. But you could charge. You could charge for a scrimmage. For instance, we could do home and home every year, maybe in the springtime go to Indiana and the next year in the fall they come here, you know, do a scrimmage. The cost would even out."

Could it ever happen?

"There's really no reason not to do it," Tuberville said. "It's not pushed hard enough. There hasn't been a plan for it. Hopefully in the next 10 years we can get a plan. We're worried about all this injury stuff which, you know, we all are worried about it. But let's make a plan. Let's educate them. ... People are going to go full speed against them instead of just out here when you know you're only going half speed, and all of a sudden you throw them out there in a full-speed situation.

"I'd like to see the study on injuries early in the season, as opposed to late, because of it."

SCRIMMAGE SATURDAY: UC will scrimmage Saturday at Nippert Stadium, tentatively at 1 p.m. The Bearcats will come in from camp at Higher Ground (West Harrison, Ind.), then have Sunday off before resuming practice Monday at Higher Ground.

The Enquirer will cover Saturday's scrimmage, which is closed to the public.

ALMOST DONE: The $86 million renovation of Nippert is near completion. There will be four Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown prep games at Nippert on Aug. 28-29 before UC returns for its season opener Sept. 5, against Alabama A&M (7 p.m., ESPN3).

Tuberville said he looks forward to Saturday's scrimmage, to get used to the stadium again. With Nippert under construction, UC played its 2014 home games at the Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium.

"Going back and playing where we've got a home field advantage, hopefully, it should be a good day," Tuberville said. "Once we get back to campus we'll go out and do some team work, just to try to get the home feel back at Nippert."

GOOD MOVE: Tuberville said that former quarterback Jarred Evans is making his way into the mix at cornerback. Evans, a senior, was a backup quarterback for UC last year before being suspended for an off-field incident. Evans returned this year and was moved to defensive back.

Tuberville had said UC might keep Evans in the quarterback picture via wildcat packages, but things have changed since camp began.

"Right now he's moving up the depth chart at corner, so I don't want to put any extra pressure on him," Tuberville said.

Junior incumbent Gunner Kiel is the No. 1 quarterback, with redshirt freshman Hayden Moore the backup. Tuberville said he plans to give Moore some action with the first team in Saturday's scrimmage.