Kendall Fuller Heads Home for Military Bowl, Prepares to Face Cincinnati's Prolific Passing Game

The news that the Hokies would be bowling close to Blacksburg wasn't just well received by VT fans; there are also plenty of players happy about the Military Bowl setting in Annapolis.

"It's definitely going to be fun," said cornerback Kendall Fuller, a Baltimore native. "(I'm) trying to get tickets from teammates, just so I can get everyone to the game, especially around the holidays."

After heading all the way out to El Paso, Texas a year ago, Fuller is one of a number of Hokies happy to be heading back to his old stomping grounds.

Kyle and Corey won't be able to join him at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (apparently both have games the day after), but Kendall looks forward to the rest of his family getting a chance to return to a stadium where had so much success back in high school.

"My championship game used to be there every year," Fuller said.

He made four straight appearances in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title game with Good Counsel HS, besting Cam Phillips' DeMatha HS in each one.

"I was four-for-four against Cam, I always mess with him about that," Fuller said.

While Fuller's college squads haven't been able to replicate that kind of success, he's still earning plenty of individual accolades. He was just named a second team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation and USA Today in addition to his first team All-ACC honors, achievements he credits to some small changes in his game.

"It's just my game mentally, understanding offenses, things like that, processing the game faster," Fuller said. "A lot of times last year, me, (Detrick) Bonner and Brandon (Facyson), we'll kind of joke around how last year, you'll see a lot of pictures of me and Brandon looking back at Bonner, trying to get the check."

But for other players, the bowl will be a whole new experience.

Wide receiver Isaiah Ford says he's "never been" to Washington, D.C., where the team will stay before the game, while others are looking forward to seeing Annapolis itself.

"It's a new bowl. It's one I've never been to, a stadium I haven't played in, a city I haven't been to, so for me it's exciting," said linebacker Chase Williams.

The setting may be new for Williams, but the opponent certainly isn't. He remembers the team's 27-24 loss to Cincinnati all too well.

"You always remember the losses a lot more than you remember the wins, at least for me anyway," Williams said. "There's a little bit of that in the back of your mind, but it's really about going out and playing this game because they're a totally different team than they were back then, we're a totally different team than we were back then."

Quarterback Michael Brewer wasn't even on the East Coast yet when that loss happened, but he has his own connections to the Bearcats.

It was Cincinnati head coach Tommy Tuberville, then at Texas Tech, that signed Brewer out of high school.

"Obviously I think he's a really good coach, signing with him out of high school, and it'll be good to see him again," Brewer said. "I haven't seen him since he left Texas Tech."

Brewer's clashes with Tuberville's replacement, Kliff Kingsbury, ultimately led to him leaving the program, but it's clear he still thinks highly of his old coach.

"I played for him for two years down in Lubbock, and it was a good two years," Brewer said. "I have a lot of respect for Coach Tuberville."

Brewer cautions that Tuberville can be an unpredictable man to play against.

"They call him the riverboat gambler, he's not afraid to break out a trick play or a fake punt or something like that, so we're going to have to be ready for whatever," Brewer said. "Traditionally he's had good defenses too, that's just something to expect."

While Tuberville's defense hasn't been stellar this year, ranking 102nd in the country in yards allowed, it certainly is able to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

"They rush the passer well, they've got some guys that can get to the quarterback, and that's kind of what they hang their hat on is being able to get to the quarterback and create turnovers doing so," Brewer said.

The Bearcats are 29th in the country in sacks with 32 and 50th in forced fumbles with 11, so it's clear they contain signal callers well. Brewer notes that much of that production comes from the linebacking corps.

"They've got some guys that can run at the linebacker position, and that's helped them a lot this year," Brewer said.

Their trio of starting linebackers (Jeff Luc, Nick Temple and Leviticus Payne) have been excellent for the Bearcats this season. They have roughly a third of the team's sacks with 11.5 in total, and to go along with a combined 25.5 tackles for loss.
Considering the beating Brewer took against UVA, he's surely hoping the Hokies can find some answers to contain that pressure. He jammed his shoulder and very nearly had to come out of the game.

"It kind of slid out and back in," Brewer said about the aftermath of the play.

Brewer ultimately toughed it out to lead the Hokies to the much needed win, reasoning that "if you can warm it up and you can stand it, you can go out and play," but he's hoping the offense can provide more consistent protection and production to slow down the pass rush.

"It's another chance for this team to come out and play well together and build off the UVA game," Brewer said. "The offense played well at times, the defense played well, special teams made some big plays, so it's taking some of that momentum and translating it into the bowl game."

The defense will also be battling to stay consistent, but they just might have the tougher challenge of the two units. Cincinnati's 13th in the country in passing yards per game, averaging just a little more than 300 yards through the air.

Yet Fuller welcomes the challenge of facing such a dangerous offensive team.

"It's definitely fun, just knowing there's going to be a lot of 'make a play' opportunities," Fuller said. "Knowing that they're going to take shots and lots of opportunities in the game, so it's fun."

CIncinnati QB Gunner Kiel has been excellent this year, throwing for over 3,000 yards and and 30 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions, but would he still dare to challenge a cornerback as superb as Fuller? Kendall wouldn't mind if he did.

"I want them to come after me," Fuller said. "Those are opportunities."

Even with that kind of confidence, the team still has its work cut out for them when it comes to slowing down the Bearcats.

"They're well coached, they execute well, they protect the ball on offense and they put up points," Williams said.

But while the team is certainly hoping to add its seventh win of the season against Cincinnati, the players know the most important part of earning the bowl game is the extra practice time that comes with it.

"It definitely matters, especially for guys that are coming back," Williams said. "It's like a jumpstart on the spring, it's a couple extra games to get your experience in, figure out your timing schematically, so it's definitely important."

For seniors like Williams, the bowl will just be one last hurrah on the field, but freshmen like Ford need the extra time to develop.

"It's huge, just getting all the mental reps when you're not in, and when you're in, just focusing on your craft and trying to perfect it," Ford said.

But that doesn't mean they won't enjoy their time on the national stage in Annapolis.

"Who doesn't want to be on the stage where everyone's looking? Just to prove what you've got," said defensive end Dadi Nicolas. "We've been working hard all season and it's good to finish it off on a good note, so that's what we're trying to do."