TicketsUC Seeks Win, Bell in Rivalry vs. Miami
Bearcats, RedHawks clash for 109th time.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
9/7/2004
Richard Hall rushed for a career-high 161 yards in last year's game vs. Miami. |
The University of Cincinnati and Miami University clash for the 109th time in their celebrated rivalry on Saturday at UC?s Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. EDT.
Both teams will be seeking to rebound from losses to perennial Big Ten powers last Saturday. Cincinnati, 0-1, lost at No. 9 Ohio State, 27-6. Miami, which opened the season with a 49-0 win over Indiana State, fell to 1-1 with a 43-10 setback at No. 7 Michigan.
The UC-Miami series, long know as ?the oldest rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains?, is the fifth-longest in terms of games played in Division I-A. The two teams first met in 1888 in the first intercollegiate football game played in the state of Ohio. No other rivalry of 90 or more games is older. The victor claims the Victory Bell.
In their loss last weekend, the RedHawks had their nation?s-leading win streak halted at 14 games. The Bearcats will be trying to snap a four-game losing skid, which extends to the 2003 season. Cincinnati will also try to end a three-game losing slide in the series, which favors Miami, 58-43-7. UC?s last win over Miami was a 45-15 decision in 2000 at Nippert Stadium.
Cincinnati has won four of its last five home openers and is 48-37-3 in first games at home since 1929.
The Bearcats will try to get more production from their offense. Cincinnati was limited to 238 yards and a pair of field goals in its season-opening loss at No. 9 Ohio State last Saturday.
Despite the loss of record-setting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Miami passing game has suffered little. The RedHawks have the nation?s 28th-best passing numbers to date, averaging 254.5 yards through the air.
A bright spot in Saturday?s game at Ohio State was the performance of Cincinnati?s special teams. Chet Ervin punted eight times for a 46.5 yard average, ranking UC seventh in net punting yards, and Kevin Lovell booted a pair of field goals.
Saturday?s game finds three members of the Cincinnati coaching staff on the opposite side of this rivalry. Defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi held the same position for the RedHawks last season while offensive coordinator Don Treadwell and tight ends aide Mark Staten played and later coached at Miami.
UC vs. Miami
Saturday?s game will be the 109th meeting between Cincinnati and Miami and the 93rd consecutive season the two teams have faced off, excluding the 1943 and 1944 seasons when World War II suspended football at UC. The two teams first played in 1888 in the first college football game to take place in the state of Ohio. More detailed information about the rivalry can be found on page 5 of this release.
About the RedHawks
? Miami has 46 returning lettermen and 14 starters back from last year?s team, which posted a best-ever 13-1 record and captured the GMAC Bowl.
? Most notable of the eight starters not back is quarterback Ben Rothlisberger, the No. 11 pick of the NFL draft with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rothlisberger completed 31 of 49 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns in last year?s 42-37 win.
? Playing on the road is no disadvantage of recent Miami teams. In 2003, the RedHawks were 7-1 on the road, the nation?s top road record.
Last Meeting
Behind the 377-yard passing performance of Ben Rothlisberger, Miami raced to a 28-0 lead and owned a 42-17 edge with 13 minutes to play. Cincinnati rallied to pull to within five points, 42-37, with 1:51 to play. The Bearcats forced Miami to punt in the final minute, but were denied a chance for a game-winning drive when the punt return was fumbled.
Last Time in Cincinnati
Miami deployed a fake field goal attempt, a surprise which resulted in a touchdown pass play to gain the upper hand in a see-saw contest and captured a 31-26 victory at Nippert Stadium. The RedHawks added another TD late in the third quarter to take a 10-point lead, but the Bearcats rallied, scoring a field goal and blocking a Miami punt which resulted in a safety, to move within five points with 10 minutes left in the game. Three UC scoring attempts were thwarted, two on interceptions by Milt Bowen.
Deja Vu?
Bearcat fans may hope that current Cincinnati coaches were not quite as productive at their craft at their previous stops when UC hosts Miami on Saturday. Last Saturday, Ohio State held UC to 238 yard of total offense and a pair of field goals with the remnants of the defenses put together by Bearcat mentor Mark Dantonio during his three previous seasons at OSU?s defensive coordinator. UC defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi held the same position at Miami last season, where he crafted a defense which led the MAC was ranked No. 24 nationally.
UC-MU Coaching Ties
Three members of the University of Cincinnati coaching staff have ties with Miami University. In addition to defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, who served in the same capacity last season at Miami, offensive coordinator Don Treadwell and tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Mark Staten both played for the RedHawks while earning their undergraduate degrees at the school and later coached at their alma mater. Treadwell, a receiver on the MU teams of the early 1980s, was running backs and wide receivers coach at Miami in 1992 and 1993. Staten was a four-year starter on the defensive line in the early 1990s and returned to Miami following his pro career to finish his degree and launch his coaching career.
Captains
Following the conclusion of preseason practice, the Bearcats elected four captains for the 2004 season. They are Andre Frazier, a senior defensive end from Cincinnati, Daven Holly, a senior defensive back from Clariton, Pa., Kyle Takavitz, a senior offensive guard from Powell, Ohio, and senior quarterback Gino Guidugli, from Ft. Thomas, Ky. Frazier and Takavitz served as team captains in 2003.
Honorary Captains
Head coach Mark Dantonio will choose an honorary captain each game to be with the team during the pregame and game activities and accompany the captains to the pregame coin toss. Steve Rasso, retired St. Xavier High School football coach, was the honorary captain for last Saturday?s game at Ohio State.
Doug Rosfeld, former starting center and captain of the 1998 Bearcats, will serve as honorary captain for this week?s game. Rosfeld?s wife, the former Stephanie Meinig who had served as assistant volleyball coach at UC the past three seasons, died suddenly last month, days before the opening of preseason volleyball practice.
Band Day
Saturday?s game will be Band Day at Nippert Stadium with 12 area high school bands joining the Bearcat Marching Band in pregame and halftime performances.
On This Date
Cincinnati has a 2-3 record in games played on Sept. 11. In 1982, UC defeated Louisville, 38-16, at Riverfront Stadium, marking the beginning of a period in which the Bearcats utilized the since-demolished stadium as its home playing venue during the mid-1980?s.
1999 Troy State L, 31-24
1993 at Bowling Green L, 21-7
1982 Louisville W, 38-16
1976 at Tulane W, 21-14
1971 at Dayton L, 16-3
During this week in Bearcat history, Hank Hartong became the first kicker to kick soccer-style in a college game. A native of Holland, Hartong kicked two PATs during UC?s 16-12 win over Dayton on Sept. 16, 1961. His kicks took place four days before Pete Gogolak made his first soccer-style conversion for Cornell. Pete and his brother, Charlie, received much attention for bringing to football the kicking style which has become commonplace, but Hartong was first.
Hall of a Day
Bearcat senior Richard Hall would like to duplicate his performance of last year?s UC-Miami game. Hall rushed for a career-high 161 yards on 25 carries in Cincinnati?s 42-37 setback. He also had six receptions for 61 yards, and scored a rushing TD and receiving. Hall earned Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honors for his effort.
Iron-men Performance
Cincinnati?s starting five offensive linemen played every offensive snap in last Saturday?s game at Ohio State. Each of the five?left tackle Steve Eastlake, left guard Kyle Takavitz, center Adam Shorter, right guard Matt Mercer and right tackle Clint Stickdorn?played all 63 offensive plays. The group held up well, surrendering no quarterback sacks.
Veteran Bearcats
The University of Cincinnati heads into the 2004 season boasting 27 seniors. On the Bearcats' depth chart for last Saturday's season opener vs. Ohio State, UC had 10 seniors on the offensive two-deep and 13 on defense. By comparison, in 2003 Cincinnati entered the season with 18 seniors, with six on the offensive depth chart and seven on the defensive list for the season opener.
Tough Schedule
The University of Cincinnati has the third-toughest non-conference schedule of all NCAA Division I-A teams, in terms of the 2003 won-loss percentage of its non-league foes. The Bearcats three non-conference opponents, Ohio State (11-2 in 2003), Miami Ohio (13-1) and Syracuse (6-6) combined for a 30-9 ledger and a .760 winning percentage last season. Oregon State's non-league slate is the winningest at .829 (34-7) with Iowa State second at .789 (30-8).
The Graduates
Eight members of the 2004 University of Cincinnati football team have already completed their undergraduate degrees. The eight grads are linebackers Jamar Enzor (bachelor's in criminal justice), Tyjuan Hagler (criminal justice) and Jason Russell (criminal justice), defensive end Andre Frazier (finance), offensive linemen Jeremy Schlicher (architecture), Adam Shorter (history) and Kyle Takavitz (operations management) and cornerback Tedric Harwell (criminal justice). All are working on second degrees this fall. In addition, offensive lineman Clint Stickdorn has just one class to complete this fall for his degree in marketing.
Frazier in the Record Book
Andre Frazier is beginning a march through the Cincinnati record book. The senior defensive end enters his final season No. 4 in career sacks with 17.5, and is No. 7 in tackles for loss with 33.5. The UC career records are 27.0 for sacks and 56.0 for tackles for loss, both set by Antwan Peek, currently a member of the Houston Texans, to whom Frazier served as an understudy his first two years as a Bearcat.
Milestone March
Several other Bearcats have a chance to leave their marks on the defensive records lists:
? Daven Holly, with seven career interceptions, needs one more pick to move into a tie for ninth place. Last season, Holly tied the UC single season record for interceptions with six.
? Doug Monaghan is eight solo tackles away from reaching the top 10 and needs 38 total tackles to make that career list.
? Trent Cole (10 sacks, 29 tackles for loss) needs two sacks to reach 11th place and three tackles for loss to reach eighth place.
? Tyjuan Hagler, with 28.5 tackles for loss, can reach eighth place with 4.5 TFLs.
Starting Streak
Gino Guidugli will be making his 38th consecutive start when Cincinnati hosts Miami on Saturday. The senior took over the starting quarterback assignment in the third game of his freshman season and has not missed a start since. A couple of other members of the senior class also have impressive starting stats.
? Kyle Takavitz has started the last 27 games, 14 at right tackle in 2002 and 13 at guard in 2003 and this season.
? Strong safety Doug Monaghan has started 35 of the 37 games in which he has played during his four-year career. Monaghan has a streak of 13 straight starts.
Dantonio Defensive Gems
Cincinnati was ranked among the nation?s stingiest defenses in 2003 and there is ample reason to believe that success will carry over in 2004. The Bearcats return a veteran unit which includes seven returning starters. Also, new head coach Mark Dantonio has built a reputation for his accomplishments as an assistant on the defensive side of the ball.
? Ohio State had the nation?s second-ranked rushing defense in 2003, under Dantonio?s tutelage as defensive coordinator. OSU was also ranked 10th in total defense and 16th in scoring defense.
? In 2002, Ohio State was No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 3 in rushing defense en route to the national championship.
? In 2001, Ohio State led the Big Ten in passing defense and was No. 2 in scoring defense.
? While Dantonio served as secondary coach at Michigan State, the Spartans were No. 10 in passing efficiency defense in 1998 and No. 7 in 2000. In 1999, MSU was No. 12 nationally in total defense.
Awards Lists
The University of Cincinnati is well-represented on the watch lists for several of the national player of the year awards. Offensive guard Kyle Takavitz and defensive end Trent Cole are both on the list of preseason candidates for the Lombardi Award. Cole is also on the Nagurski watch list, honoring the nation?s top defensive performer. Jamar Enzor is under consideration for the Butkus Award, which honors college football's top linebacker. Gino Guidugli is on the watch lists for the Davey O'Brien and Johnny Unitas awards.
All-Conference USA Bearcats
University of Cincinnati seniors Andre Frazier, Trent Cole, Daven Holly and Kyle Takavitz were named to the All-Conference USA preseason football team, selected by the league's coaches. All were first team selections. Cole and Takavitz were first team All-C-USA in 2003 with Frazier and Holly earning second team plaudits. The Bearcats were picked by the coaches to finish eighth in the C-USA race. Louisville was the coaches' pick to win the title ahead of Memphis, Southern Miss and TCU.
Block That Kick
One area of special teams play which the Bearcats excelled during 2003 was blocking kicks. Cincinnati blocked five opponent field goals and had returned two of those blocks for touchdowns. Andre Frazier rejected two field goals. Other kicks were recorded by Doug Monaghan, Daven Holly and Zach Norton, the latter a departed senior.
Bearcat Defense Ranked
The University of Cincinnati?s defense was ranked among the national leaders in 2003.
? UC was No. 27 in total defense, surrendering an average of 330.0 yards per game.
? The Bearcats were No. 22 in passing defense, allowing 188.6 yards per game, and 22nd in passing efficiency defense.
? Cincinnati held six opponents to fewer than 300 yards in total offense in 2003: Army (138), Southern Miss (200), East Carolina (205), West Virginia (243), USF (268) and TCU (298). UC went 3-3 in those contests.
500 Mark
The University of Cincinnati is approaching the 500th victory mark in its football history. The Bearcats enter the 2004 season with 495 wins. UC's all-time record is 495-518-51 (.489).
Up Next
The Bearcats are back on the road. Cincinnati visits future BIG EAST rival Syracuse on Sept. 18. Kickoff is 12 noon at the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus.