TicketsUC Comeback Falls Short in Miami Battle
Bearcats lose first of the season, 42-37.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
9/27/2003
George Murray scores a fourth quarter TD vs. Miami |
OXFORD, Ohio ? The Victory Bell tolls for Miami.
Cincinnati?s attempt to come back from a 25-point deficit in the fourth quarter fell short as the Bearcats fell to the RedHawks, 42-37, in the 108th edition of the ?oldest rivalry west of the Alleghenies?.
The Bearcats contributed to their demise, turning the ball over five times, four on fumbles, in incurring their first loss of the season after a 3-0 start. Two fumbles and an 18-yard punt set up short MU scoring drives which enabled Miami to take a 28-0 lead early in the second period.
UC came back twice, first cutting the margin to 28-17 by intermission. After Miami took a 52-17 command with 13:27 remaining in the game, the Bearcats rallied for three touchdowns.
A last shot to win the game was dashed when Thaddeus Lewis fumbled a punt with 40 seconds to play, allowing Miami to run out the clock.
?I?m proud of the way our kids fought back,? stated UC head coach Rick Minter. ?We dug ourselves a big hole, thanks to Miami. We really gave it great effort in coming back and trying to rescue the win. We did a lot of good things down the stretch only to fumble it away at the end one last opportunity to steal the game away.?
Miami out-gained UC, 475-378 yards, in total offense. Ben Roethlisberger was at times unstoppable, completing 63 percent of his passes (31 of 49) for 377 yards and a pair of TD?s.
Gino Guidugli finished with 226 yards and a pair of scores on 17-of-39 passing, but at least six of his passes were dropped.
Richard Hall provided the offensive highlights for the Bearcats, rushing 25 times for 161 yards, the most rushing yards by a Bearcat in three seasons.
Bearcat Comeback
Miami threatened to turn the game into a rout when it took a 42-17 lead on Cal Murray?s second short touchdown plunge, with 13:27 left in the contest. In fact, the Bearcats found themselves pinned on their two-yard line on their second possession of the quarter. Guidugli started a 98-yard scoring drive with a 26-yard pass to Derick Ross. Three plays later Hall broke free up the middle for a 50-yard run. Guidugli capped the drive with a one-yard scoring pass to Booker Vann. Guidugli?s PAT pass was dropped.
Miami responded by driving to the UC 6. The UC defense stiffened, then scored. Doug Monaghan blocked Todd Soderquist?s 23-yard field goal try and Daven Holly scooped up the ball and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown.
The Bearcats then successfully executed an on-side kick. Guidugli hooked up with Mike Daniels for a 33-yard pass play put the ball on the Miami 17. George Murray eventually scored, rushing five yards from the QB position. The PAT closed the gap to 42-17 with 1:51 to play.
UC used all three of its second timeouts while stopping Miami on its next possession. The RedHawks were forced to punt and Cincinnati would have had the ball for one last shot with about 40 seconds to play. Lewis? fumble ended all hopes, however.
?The biggest difference in the game was the ability to catch the football,? commented an irked Minter. ?Miami?s receivers were open and caught the ball. Our receivers were open and dropped the ball.?
Bearcats Start Out Slowly
The Bearcats found themselves staring at a 28-point deficit 18-and-a-half minutes into the game. Mike Smith scored on runs of seven and one yards, Cal Murray on a five-yard plunge and Matt Brandt on a 14-yard reception from Roethlisberger.
The margin could have been worse. Interceptions by Zach Norton and Doug Monaghan stopped Miami?s first two drives into UC territory.
The UC offense, which didn?t record a first down until the 12:58 mark of the second quarter and didn?t advance into Miami territory until 11:05 to play in the half, awoke with the running of Hall. The junior 41 yards on three running plays, then capped the Bearcats? first scoring with an eight-yard run for Cincinnati?s first score.
The Bearcats, whose two fumbles lost contributed to their woes, took advantage of a Miami miscue. Thaddeus Lewis recovered a RedHawks fumble on a punt return to give UC the ball on the MU 38. The drive stalled on the 23 but Chet Ervin booted a 40-yard field goal.
The scores energized the Cincinnati defense, which pinned Miami inside its five-yard line late in the quarter. The RedHawks? punt gave UC the ball on the MU 46 with 1:16 remaining. Guidugli hooked up with Hall for a 29-yard pass play, had a pair of six-yard completions to Cedric Dawley, then lofted a five-yard screen pass to Hall for the TD with 15 seconds to play before intermission.
Notes:
? A bright spot in the Cincinnati pass defense was the Bearcats? three interceptions. Miami?s Ben Roethlisberger had entered the game with a streak of 81 pass attempts without an interception. Zach Norton brought that to an end on the RedHawks? first possession and Doug Monaghan nabbed a Roethlisberger pass on MU?s second drive. It was Norton?s sixth career interception and Monaghan?s fifth. Daven Holly got his first pick as a Bearcat in the third quarter.
? Gino Guidugli topped the career record for passing yards. He finished the game with 6,930 yards, moving ahead of Danny McCoin, who had 6,801 yards in 1984-87.
? Guidugli was intercepted for the first time this season, ending a streak of 134 pass attempts without an interception.
? Richard Hall?s 161 yards was the most by a Bearcat since Robert Cooper?s 204-yard rushing effort vs. Memphis in the final game of the 1999 season. Hall also achieved career highs with six receptions and 61 yards receiving.
? Derick Ross had 103 yards receiving, a personal high, on four catches. He became the first Bearcat to top the 100-yard mark in receiving yards this season.
? Defensive back Thaddeus Lewis was used at wide receiver briefly in the third quarter.
? The Bearcats held Miami to 98 yards rushing, the fewest surrendered since UC held Hawaii to 56 yards last season.
? The game was played before a sell-out crowd of 27,512.
? Miami upped its lead in the series to 58-43-7. The RedHawks have won the last three clashes.