[Empire Lindy]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...310250066/1064

Hits take toll on Pike's grip
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike, preparing for his first start since he broke his left forearm on Sept.27 at Akron, expressed confidence last week that he would be able to grip the ball well enough to function successfully Saturday against Connecticut.

But as the first half progressed, Pike had more and more problems with his grip as his left hand grew increasingly numb.

“The more hits it took the worse it got,” Pike said. “The main problem was gripping the football. I didn’t feel comfortable with that.”

At halftime the UC training staff advised coach Brian Kelly not to put Pike back into the game, so Chazz Anderson started in his place.

“We wanted to be certain that we weren’t putting him in a precarious situation,” Kelly said. “Our training staff recommended under those circumstances that we not play him. He tried to go. They redid the cast at halftime and tried to get him more comfortable but he just had lost feeling and was quite uncomfortable.”

Pike’s availability for Thursday’s game vs. South Florida is uncertain. He was to be re-evaluated Sunday.