MiddletownJournal.com

CINCINNATI — Last year's starting quarterback stood on the sideline, wearing his University of Cincinnati jersey and a pair of shorts and sneakers.

That was all Ben Mauk could do as he waits for the NCAA to decide whether it'll grant him a sixth year of eligibility. He couldn't play in the Bearcats spring game, so he was left watching those who will try to replace him.

Even though the Black team he led fell 23-14 to the Red squad, senior Dustin Grutza — the starter the two seasons before Mauk transferred from Wake Forest — looked the most comfortable in the role, completing 13-of-18 passes for 100 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones, coming off shoulder surgery and a spring in which Bearcats coaches spent much of their time improving his throwing motion, had good moments as well, throwing for 136 yards and the game-winning 57-yard touchdown pass to Marty Gilyard in the fourth quarter.

Redshirt freshman QB Chazz Anderson — who emerged this spring as a potential threat to compete for the starting position — started the night strong, but he struggled to a 9-of-20, 97-yard, two-interception performance and clearly was disappointed in himself afterward.

Meanwhile, Mauk looked on from the sideline. If the NCAA rules in his favor, he automatically becomes the starter next season. If not, it's Grutza and then everybody else.

"I like Dustin Grutza," UC coach Brian Kelly said. "If we get Ben Mauk back, we'll be happy. But we can't cry over it. ... Grutza will have to be the guy. We have to win with him. We can't trade him. We can't get another guy for him. We think he can do the job. If he's our starter, we'll get it done with him. We'll find a way.

"The young kids aren't ready yet to the level where I want them to be. Those kids are going to be given every opportunity to take that job away from Dustin Grutza. I'm not going to hand it to him. He'll have to compete and hold onto it."

It was clear Saturday, though, that Jones and Anderson have far to go.

"I have gotten 110 percent better," Jones said. "I still have 110 percent more to go. Because of the muscle memory that was going on with my shoulder, sometimes I'll throw a good ball; sometimes it'll be a (bad one). What we worked on was getting me in a consistent throwing form and from then on, we could get on with my progressions and reads. I'm 13 days into the new offense. I still have a lot of work to do."

As does Anderson.

"It was clearly a wake-up call," Anderson said. "It shows you still have a lot of progress to make in making decisions and being a leader on the field. I have a lot of stuff I need to work on."

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