TicketsBearcat Gridders in Bye Week
Extra prep time for Homecoming date with Army.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
10/13/2003
Bill Poland makes one of his career-high five catches vs. UAB. |
The Story Line
The University of Cincinnati will have a bye week in which to repair its 2003 grid fortunes. UC returns to action on Oct. 25 hosting Army.
The Bearcats enter their ?week off? with a three-game losing skid, following a promising 3-0 start, which gives UC a 3-3 overall record and a 1-2 mark in Conference USA play.
Cincinnati coaches will hope a week without a football game will heal the ailing Bearcats, literally. Several players are nursing injuries, most notable quarterback, Gino Guidugli, who played last Saturday?s game vs. UAB with a knee sprain, and running back Richard Hall, who missed last week?s game due to a concussion.
Richard Hall has been the Bearcats? top offensive threat to date. The junior is ranked 13th nationally in rushing, averaging 108.6 yards per game, and 12th in all-purpose running (rushing, receiving, return yardage), averaging 150.8 yards per outing.
The Bearcat defense, led by ends Andre Frazier and Trent Cole, has been effective, particularly against the run. UC has surrendered 88.2 yards-per-game rushing, ranking 14th nationally, and is 40th in this week?s NCAA stats for total defense.
Cincinnati dropped its third straight game and second in a row in C-USA play last Saturday, losing at UAB, 31-14.
UC?s Oct. 25 game vs. Army will mark Homecoming on the Cincinnati campus, which may be a good omen for the Bearcats efforts to snap their losing skid. Cincinnati has a 43-21-3 record in its previous 67 Homecoming contests.
Army takes an 0-6 record, 0-4 in C-USA, into this Saturday?s (Oct. 18) game vs. East Carolina.
Homecoming activities will begin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 25. The parade around the UC campus will begin at 12 noon. The football game will cap the activities with kickoff at 3 p.m.
Other Game Features
? Cattitude on the Commons: This pregame event returns as a feature before all Cincinnati home games, beginning two and a half hours before kickoff. Admission is free.
Series
The Oct. 25 UC-Army game will be fifth meeting between the two schools. The series is tied, 2-2. The Bearcats have won the last two meetings, defeating the Cadets, 27-24, in 2001, the last game between the two teams.
The Coaches
Rick Minter (Henderson State ?77) is in his 10th season at Cincinnati, easily the longest coaching tenure in UC history. Minter is 51-59-1 (.464) in his coaching career, surpassing Sid Gillman?s UC standard of coaching victories. Minter has led UC to four bowl game appearances in the last six seasons and last year directed the Bearcats to their first league title since 1964. Prior to coming to Cincinnati in 1994, Minter served as an assistant coach for 16 years at Notre Dame, Ball State, New Mexico State, North Carolina State, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas and Henderson State. Minter is 2-1 vs. Army.
Todd Berry (Tulsa ?82) is in his fourth season at Army where he has compiled a 5-35 record. Berry, who previously was 24-24 in four seasons at Illinois State, has an eight-year career record of 29-59. He is 0-2 vs. Cincinnati.
The Weakest Link
Bearcat players and coaches can be seen proudly carrying a heavy towing chain to and from Cincinnati practices and swinging it proudly after victories. The chain was introduced by co-defensive coordinators Mark Criner and Mike Kolakowski during preseason practice to remind the defenders that the unit was only as strong as its weakest link. Each day, a different member of the defense is responsible for taking care of the chain.
Guidugli Continues His Climb
Gino Guidugli eclipsed the last of the career passing and total offense records in last week?s UAB contest. The junior broke the Cincinnati standard for career completions, 544 set by Danny McCoin in 1984-87, and finished the contest with 551 career completions. Guidugli now owns the UC records for passes attempted (999), passing yards (7,255), touchdown passes (44), most plays total offense (1,159) and most yards total offense (7,319).
Frazier in the Record Book
Andre Frazier is beginning a march through the Cincinnati record book. The junior defensive end recorded his 15th sack during last week?s UAB game, which moved him into a tie for fifth place on the UC career chart. Frazier has a season and a half to reach the Bearcat career record of 27 sacks set by Antwan Peek, who concluded his career last season and is a member of the Houston Texans this fall.
Hall of an Effort
Richard Hall continues to rank among the nation?s rushing leaders. Hall, who missed the Bearcats? Oct. 11 UAB contest due to injury, is ranked No. 13 nationally in rushing, averaging 108.6 yards per game. He is No. 12 in all-purpose running, yardage compiled rushing, receiving and via returns, averaging 150.8 yards per outing. Hall gained a career-high 161 yards vs. Miami on Sept. 27, the most yardage gained by a UC running back since Robert Cooper piled up 204 yards vs. Memphis in the final game of the 1999 season.
Ground Assault
Despite the fact that the Bearcats entered the 2003 season without their No. 2 career rushing leader, Cincinnati has gotten increased production from its running game this season. UC is ranked 26th nationally in rushing offense, and was as high as No. 14 nationally before the injury to leading rushing Richard Hall. The Bearcats are averaging 187.8 yards per game. A year ago after six games, the Bearcats were getting 109.7 yards per outing from their running attack and they finished the season with a 136.9-yard average.
Cincinnati amassed 361 yards rushing in its season opening victory over East Carolina, the highest single game in 72 games. Redshirt freshman Derrick Eddington ran for 138 yards on 11 carries and Hall added 117 yards in 24 tries, becoming the first duo to top the century mark in the same games since DeMarco McCleskey (25 att., 120 yds.) and Ray Jackson (21, 110) achieved the feat vs. Memphis on Nov. 24, 2001 (17 games).
New Sack-meisters
The Bearcats incurred a big loss defensively when Antwan Peek completed his UC career last season after setting school records for tackles for loss and sacks. The junior defensive end tandem of Trent Cole and Andre Frazier has taken up where Peek left off. Cole leads the team in tackles for loss (12.5) and sacks (4.5). Frazier is second in both categories (5.5, 4.5).
UC Among Sack, INT Leaders
The University of Cincinnati entered the season having recorded the 17th-most sacks since the 2000 season. Cincinnati recorded 106 sacks during that span, and has added 10 to that total this season.
The Bearcats had the 13th-most interceptions, from 2000 through the 2002 campaign with 69. UC has made nine interceptions in five games played to date.
Bearcats D Ranked Nationally
Cincinnati continues to rank among the nation?s leading defensive teams. The Bearcats are surrendering 88.2 yards per game, 14th-stingiest in the nation, and are giving up 337.5 yards in total defense, which has earned them a No. 40 ranking.
Hall the Hero
Richard Hall was the surprise hero of the Sept. 20 triple overtime win over Temple. The junior running back surprised the Temple defense by bursting up the middle for a 25-yard touchdown run in the third overtime session to give UC the 30-24 win. ?I just thought to myself, I have to get in. No more of this field goal business,? Hall stated after the game. The two teams combined to miss or botch five game-winning field goal tries in overtime prior to Hall?s heroics. The touchdown was Hall?s third of the game, a personal best.
Minter Breaks Gillman?s Win Record
Tenth year Bearcat head coach Rick Minter broke Sid Gillman?s school record of 50 career coaching victories, set from 1949-54, with the Sept. 20 win over Temple. Minter, now with 51 victories, had already surpassed Gillman?s school mark by taking teams to bowl games in four different seasons while his nine seasons as head coach is also a record.