Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly likes to emphasize quality over quantity when it comes to his practices.
As the season progresses, victories become more crucial, but the emotional and physical burden also begins to take its toll. With his team in contention for a Big East Conference title and BCS bowl berth, Kelly is running a tight ship in practice.
"The word we use is 'purposeful'," Kelly said. "We ask our guys for an hour and a half of focus. We've backed off our practice time. We've been able to keep our players fresh."
Cincinnati embarks on its second bye week after beginning the season 10-0 for the first time in school history.
The fifth-ranked Bearcats will put their 16-game regular-season winning streak on the line in the home finale against Illinois on Friday, Nov. 27 at Nippert Stadium.
UC is ranked fifth in both major polls and the BCS standings. The Bearcats finish the season on Dec. 5 at Pittsburgh in a game that'll likely decide the Big East title.
Much like the first bye week, Kelly will spend a considerable amount of time self-scouting with his coaching staff. The players will get some much-needed time off. A primary area of focus offensively will be on shoring up the running game.
"We'll spend quite a bit of time on the things we need to work on, especially the running game," Kelly said. "We still need to iron out some tendencies. Running the football will be key for us the next two games."
Despite a top-five ranking and a shower of national accolades, Kelly stopped short of saying Cincinnati's program has arrived.
"I still feel like we haven't arrived," he said. "Our football program is still building. We still have a ways to go. There were so many years of not being relevant. Our team has arrived, but our program is still in the process. That helps keep us focused."
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