NCAA denies Cincy QB Mauk’s final eligibility appeal

[soonersn20xx]

I guess this is good news since we face them in our second game.



WEST HARRISON, Ind. (AP)—Quarterback Ben Mauk, one of the key components in Cincinnati’s rise to Top 25 prominence last season, had his final appeal for another year of eligibility turned down Friday by the NCAA

It was the third time that Mauk’s request for another season has been rejected by the NCAA.

“I’m disappointed for Ben,” coach Brian Kelly said after the team’s practice Friday. “But he’s a pretty resilient kid. Obviously he’s quite disappointed himself. But he’s got a lot of good options out there.”

Mauk was an inspiring story last season, when he overcame career-threatening injuries and led Cincinnati to a No. 17 ranking in the final poll. He threw for 31 touchdowns and 3,121 yards even though his right arm and shoulder were still in pain.

Mauk broke the arm and separated the shoulder in the season opener for Wake Forest in 2006, then transferred to Cincinnati unsure whether he would ever be able to play again. He got stronger as the season went along.

Afterward, he appealed to the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility because of the injuries, but was turned down. He appealed again on a different basis, pointing out that he redshirted his freshman year at Wake Forest in part because of different injuries. The NCAA again turned him down.

Finally, Mauk took his appeal to the NCAA’s reinstatement committee, which decided Friday that there wasn’t enough medical documentation to support his claim that he missed his freshman year because of injury.

Mauk was with the team at its summer camp Friday morning when the university got the decision. He left camp to be with his family. Kelly said that Mauk would like to try to join an NFL team in training camp. If not, he could be a graduate assistant with Cincinnati, where Mauk is working on his master’s degree.

The ruling means that Cincinnati will head into the season with senior Dustin Grutza as the No. 1 quarterback. Mauk replaced Grutza as the starter last season.

“I kind of felt bad,” Grutza said. “Ben’s a good friend of mine, and we’ve been through a lot of stuff together.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=ap-cincinnati-mauk&prov=ap&type=lgns

[setem]

It is good news but I wanted OUr Sooners to beat them with Mauk! If it is a close game(god forbid) we will never hear the end of it. "If we had Mauk we woulda beat you guys!"

I can hear it now.

[cvsooner]

Yeah, but...to win a MNC you need some lucky breaks. This may be one of 'em. And I believe Washington's top tackler will miss the game on the 13th. Mayhap all the pieces are falling into place?

[rainiersooner]

It's good news for us - frankly, unless I'm missing something, I don't understand the NCAA's rationale...but when have I ever understood it?

[JLEW1818]

I hope the voters don't get all anal, and say that they are totally sucky now.

[virginiasooner]

Since when does the NCAA act rationally?

[Collier11]

I feel bad for the guy, that was a tough injury to bounce back from and he did it resoundingly

[Taxman71]

It is good news but I wanted OUr Sooners to beat them with Mauk! If it is a close game(god forbid) we will never hear the end of it. "If we had Mauk we woulda beat you guys!"

I can hear it now.

Have you ever actually met a Bearcat fan?



But, seriously, this shows why the NCAA should just give player 5 years of eligibility without any redshirts, injury hardships, etc. Eliminate the stress of redshirting/pulling a redshirt/waiting until August to know if you have your starting QB back issues out of college football.

[Collier11]

Then Jason couldnt have come back for his final yr with your plan...just sayin

[JLEW1818]

Jason is one my few hero's.

[Taxman71]

Then Jason couldnt have come back for his final yr with your plan...just sayin

Yes, but we would have had Q in 2003, including the Sugar Bowl, that would have been nice. I have no doubt he would have been the difference to help us win that game.

[OUMallen]

Yeah, but...to win a MNC you need some lucky breaks. This may be one of 'em. And I believe Washington's top tackler will miss the game on the 13th. Mayhap all the pieces are falling into place?

Those are the kinds of things that end up masking that you're not as good as you appear...?

[adoniijahsooner]

Then Jason couldnt have come back for his final yr with your plan...just sayin

Then we might have lost a game during the season, and been spared the embarrassment of 55-19.

[bluedogok]

Have you ever actually met a Bearcat fan?
I used to work with one in OKC, his son was a "Bearcat fan" as well even though he went to Colorado School of Mines.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Typical NCAA; here you have a chance for some positive pub and they totally screw it up

[Big Red Ron]

Typical NCAA; here you have a chance for some positive pub and they totally screw it upMeh, the dude wasn't hurt his freshman year. He's trying to get that one replaced because he already used hus real redshirt. Rules are rules.

[JLEW1818]

Then we might have lost a game during the season, and been spared the embarrassment of 55-19.

Shut the hell up with that.

[RedstickSooner]

Okay, at the risk of sounding a bit retarded -- did he actually play for Cincinatti? From the article, it sounds like he transferred and *then* applied for eligibility.

Am I mis-reading the article?

Seeing as Jason got, like, 12 years of eligibility, I'd be a total hypocrite if I didn't support other players getting extra eligibility when they missed out on playing time due to injuries.

Hope things work out for him. Hope that the "opportunities" his coach mentions aren't, like, night manager at McDonald's.

[Collier11]

he played last yr and had a huge yr, thats why it was big for OU that he didnt get reinstated although I as a fan would have liked for him to

[RedstickSooner]

he played last yr and had a huge yr, thats why it was big for OU that he didnt get reinstated although I as a fan would have liked for him to

Ahh, okay. And, yeah -- nobody wants to lose a game, but from his story, sounds like he deserved another year.

It's depressing, but you sorta wonder if he'd played for a big-time program like us, maybe they would've given him another year.

Why'd he transfer from Wake Forest? Was the competition there really that bad? Or did Cincinatti just need him that badly, and make clear that he'd be the starter for the final year of eligibility that he had (barring NCAA acceptance)?

[JLEW1818]

They paid him 1 million dollars.

[Salt City Sooner]

Ahh, okay. And, yeah -- nobody wants to lose a game, but from his story, sounds like he deserved another year.

It's depressing, but you sorta wonder if he'd played for a big-time program like us, maybe they would've given him another year.

Why'd he transfer from Wake Forest? Was the competition there really that bad? Or did Cincinatti just need him that badly, and make clear that he'd be the starter for the final year of eligibility that he had (barring NCAA acceptance)?

He got hurt in the 1st game of '06 vs. Syracuse, & was out the rest of the year. Riley Skinner steps in for him & next thing you know, Wake Forest is in the Orange Bowl as ACC champs. He saw the writing on the wall & left. Very Aikman/Holieway-esque, minus the NC, of course.

[soonerfan28]

I think it will be Demitrius Jones job to lose. The guy has the skill set, but I don't know about his mental toughness.

[MALE918]

I would rather beat their a**'s with him. We need strong competition.

[AAABearcat]

I think it will be Demitrius Jones job to lose. The guy has the skill set, but I don't know about his mental toughness.

Jones had major surgery and is listed as the 4th QB as of 8/10/08; his throwing motion has been affected and he will not be at 100% until december.
He will play, but look for him to run or be a wr on the plays he is in on.
Dustin Grutza is the starter, he was the starter 2 years ago and the 1 game he started last year, he was Big East player of the week. Chazz Anderson and Zach Collaros are the backups.
UC should be good as they have 3 returning All-Americans and 16 returning starters. Their defense is elite, their offense average. Expect UC to run more as they hope to have better runners. Grutza has a better arm than Mauk; but Mauk was better at running the offense and made fewer mistakes.
Oklahoma made a smart move as UC will beat some of the Eastern Big East schools and a Oklahoma victory should help with the media types on the east coast.
Even without Mauk, UC should be good and a Oklahoma victory should enhance their BCS title hopes.

[Flagstaffsooner]

Watch out for those WKRP boys, they came to Flag a few years back when they were D1AA. They were tiny little boys, I'm over 6'2" and towered above them, but they were ghetto mean.

[MiccoMacey]

1) I feel for the kid. He finds out this late in the game he doesn't get to play. Not sure why the NCAA couldn't have ruled earlier than this (assuming he re-re-applied at the end of last year).

2) We need all our OOC opponents to do well this year, especially since we play UTC. With Mauk, Cincinnati has a real chance to do well...without him, it's like OU finding out in August their QB is ineligible. It sucks.

[Collier11]

1) I feel for the kid. He finds out this late in the game he doesn't get to play. Not sure why the NCAA couldn't have ruled earlier than this (assuming he re-re-applied at the end of last year).

2) We need all our OOC opponents to do well this year, especially since we play UTC. With Mauk, Cincinnati has a real chance to do well...without him, it's like OU finding out in August their QB is ineligible. It sucks.

He appealed 3 times

[Collier11]

It is nice to see someone stand up to the NCAA even if he loses, I feel for the guy and he knows he has little NFL chance so this is his career and I would fight for it as well

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=Ams5fE87M2lnXvo3fLhj.Ds5nYcB?slug=ap-cincinnati-mauk&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Kels]

Their defense is elite, their offense average.

You're kidding, right?

[soonersn20xx]

It is nice to see someone stand up to the NCAA even if he loses, I feel for the guy and he knows he has little NFL chance so this is his career and I would fight for it as well

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=Ams5fE87M2lnXvo3fLhj.Ds5nYcB?slug=ap-cincinnati-mauk&prov=ap&type=lgns

I have to like anyone who sues the NCAA too lol.

[bringit]

Hope he is successful and gets another year.