ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

As Tony Pike kept throwing the ball to Virginia Tech defensive backs instead of his own receivers in the Orange Bowl, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly had a decision to make.

Kelly could have replaced his clearly-struggling starting quarterback with senior Dustin Grutza, who had come in and nailed down late-season wins at Louisville and Hawaii. The game, after all, was still winnable, as the Bearcats had several chances after Virginia Tech took a 20-7 lead with more than 11 minutes left.

Instead, Kelly stuck with Pike that night in Miami, and he said last week that he had his mind as much on the 2009 season as he did the end of 2008.

	AP Photo/Ronen Zilberman
	Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly wants quarterback Tony Pike to take a greater leadership roll.

"Part of the reason I left him in the Orange Bowl was because he needed to fight through that experience," Kelly said.

Cincinnati opens its preseason camp today, and optimism for a second straight Big East championship rests largely based on high expectations for Pike's senior year. That's a wildly different scenario from last year at this time, when Pike needed a periscope to see the top of the depth chart.

He performed better than anyone could have predicted after being thrust into starter's role when Grutza suffered a broken leg in Week 2 at Oklahoma. Pike threw for more than 2,400 yards and 19 touchdowns in just 10 starts.

But he also missed two games with a broken arm, couldn't finish four others because of injuries and had that forgettable four-interception finale against the Hokies. Kelly doesn't mince words when he says Pike must get tougher this season.

"We need consistent leadership from him," Kelly said. "We need him to answer the call each and every week.

"He can throw it, he's got escapability and he knows our offense. But he had that look sometimes after he got knocked down, you were wondering if he was going to come back and fight again."

Kelly insisted he wasn't questioning Pike's manhood, and indeed Pike did play several important games last year with a cast on his broken left arm. The coach just wants his quarterback to have a sharper focus and show more ability to shake off tough times.

Pike pins most of his problems in that area came from inexperience. He hadn't really played any significant time since his senior year of high school and wasn't expected to contribute at this time last summer.

"I'm coming in after I don't play for four years, and the biggest thing was, it's still a new game to me," he said. "I'm still learning stuff, learning how to react. I needed to learn that if you throw an interception, don't worry about it. Get back in and make a good play."

Pike said he was down on himself after the Orange Bowl loss, but he heard nothing but encouraging words from his family, friends and the coaching staff. Kelly made it clear this spring that Pike was his unquestioned starter. It's an entirely new feeling for him going into the season as the clear No. 1 guy.

"That gave me a confidence I didn't have before," Pike said. "I've also got a continuity now with the receivers that I didn't have as much in previous years, because I was always battling for a position.

"You know, I get thrown in there two games in and then I get hurt and there was never really time to sit back and take it all in in last year. There was never a week that was just normal. This offseason, I got to to sit back and watch the film, and you learn from that. I think that's a huge plus."

Kelly allowed live contact on the quarterback during the spring so Pike could gain experience dealing with getting hit. A slender-built 6-foot-6, Pike weighed just 205 by the end of last season. Now he's up to around 225 and should be better able to absorb the pounding.

Kelly has said repeatedly that the offense might have to lead the way this year, especially early on, as the Bearcats lost almost their entire defense and an underrated weapon in punter Kevin Huber. One of the main keys will be keeping Pike healthy and productive to avoid prolonged offensive droughts like Cincinnati had in games against West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Hawaii last season.

Perhaps that painful lesson from the Virginia Tech loss will reap some benefits this season.

"Our offense can't have the kinds of gaps that we had last year," Kelly said. "When you throw one interception in the Orange Bowl, it can't become four."