TicketsOct. 24, 2005
by Allison Hoehn, Sports Communications Student Assistant
If you ask any one of the Bearcat football players what single game they are looking forward to, it would be this: the University of Cincinnati vs. the University of Louisville. The fire of the age old rivalry between the Bearcats and the Cardinals is only fueled further by both teams' entrance into the BIG EAST Conference this season. One of the players that feels this pressure and excitement the most is senior lineman, Steve Eastlake.
Eastlake is the only returning starting offensive lineman on the Bearcats this season, and with only nine seniors on the roster, this 6'6" 305 pound quiet senior needs to take on the leadership of a very young Bearcat squad.
"The biggest pressure that's on me is that I'm the only returning starter. I lead by example. I'm a fairly quiet person so I don't talk a lot on the field but I try to lead by example and bring everyone along with me to get some wins."
From Columbus, Ohio and a graduate of Bishop Watterson, Eastlake began playing football in the fourth grade. He was a first-team all-state selection by the Associated Press as a senior and started on both offense and defense. Eastlake also brought his high school team to the state playoffs and was named to the all-league, all-metro, and all district squads. With a successful high school career under his belt, UC was just one of a number of colleges that laid an offer on his plate, but being a Bearcat "just seemed to fit."
Eastlake and UC did fit together and his career as a Bearcat has been on the rise every season since he first stepped foot on the Clifton campus. After sitting out due to NCAA regulations during his first term and redshirting his second year, Eastlake only saw action in two games during his third year. Eastlake than exploded onto the scene during his fourth year after an impressive spring season and fall preseason training sessions, earning the starting left tackle spot for all 12 games.
Eastlake attributes his rise and continued improvement on the field to this: perfection. "I think of myself as a perfectionist. Every week I go out there and try to play as well as I can. I want to improve every week. If I have one small mistake, that will ruin the whole game for me," says Eastlake. "I have to play a perfect game to be happy about how I played."
The Bearcats are 3-3 on the season so far and earned their first ever BIG EAST win against the Connecticut Huskies last weekend. UC is a very young squad and Head Coach Mark Dantonio, as well as the senior leaders such as Eastlake, have pushed the young freshmen to step up to the challenge of being on a Division I, BIG EAST football team.
"We're very young. The freshmen that come in and play need to grow up really fast. They are stepping into leadership roles. They can't be acting like freshmen the whole season. By now they need to play as if they were a junior or senior. I'm sure it puts a lot of pressure on them when they are only 18, 19 years old," states Eastlake.
When comparing this season to the 2004 season, one can see many differences; one of these differences being that this season's roster only holds nine seniors. With only those nine, the Bearcats had another huge adjustment; the BIG EAST Conference.
"We look at the BIG EAST just like we would if were still in Conference USA. Every week we look at any game as any other opponent, another team we have to play well against," says Eastlake.
The Bearcats won the Fort Worth Bowl last season, which also marked Dantonio's first year at UC. Eastlake, as well as the other Bearcats, have noticed some changes within him as well, midway through Dantonio's second season with the Bearcats.
"He's (Coach Dantonio) more comfortable in that he knows us all, but I'm sure it puts a lot of pressure on him since we are such a young team," says Eastlake. "Last year we had experience all over the field so it wasn't quite as difficult."
Although the BIG EAST has been a challenge for Eastlake and the other Bearcats, the prestigious conference also propels the Bearcats onto a higher level. When talking with Eastlake about the BIG EAST, UC's inaugural season, and the future of the program, he will only tell you how great it will be with time.
With BIG EAST caliber recruits coming in year after year, the UC football program will be one to contend with. "All we can do is get better from here on out," states Eastlake.
And with the program growing, Eastlake will go on and grow as well. He plans on playing in the NFL at the conclusion of his career as a Bearcat and afterwards, would like to go into the real estate business, rehabbing old houses.
So here it is; the big game: the University of Cincinnati vs. the University of Louisville. Last year's triumph by Louisville over UC by a score of 70-7 is echoing in both team's heads. Both schools in the BIG EAST for the first time and both are trying to prove themselves among the best in the country. Steve Eastlake and his young squad are feeling the excitement and the pressure and Eastlake only has one thing to say, "I'll be giving it my best, we want this."