TicketsUC-Syracuse: Preview of Things to Come
Saturday's contest a preview for the Bearcats' move to the Big East.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
9/13/2004
Doug Monaghan is approaching UC's top 10 list for career tackles. |
Cincinnati vs. Syracuse
Date: Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004
Time: 12:00 noon EDT
Site: Carrier Dome (49,550, Astroturf)
Syracuse, N.Y.
TV: ESPN Plus (Dave Sims, John Congemi).
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Jim Kelly and Scott Springer). Also available on-line via UCBearcats.com
Records:Cincinnati 1-1 (5-7 in 2003)
Syracuse 1-1 (6-6 in 2003)
Series: Syracuse leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 9, 2000 in Cincinnati; Cincinnati 12, Syracuse 10
Tickets: Tickets are available via the web at www.dometix.com. Tickets for all UC home games are on sale at the Athletic Ticket Office (9 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily) and are available on-line via www.UCBearcats.com, or by phone: 513-556-CATS.
The University of Cincinnati will tune up for its final Conference USA football race against a future Big East opponent when the Bearcats visit Syracuse on Saturday. The 12 noon contest at the Carrier Dome will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus.
Both teams enter the showdown with 1-1 records, each having rebounded from season-opening losses with victories last weekend. Cincinnati, after dropping a 27-6 decision at No. 9 Ohio State, routed rival Miami (Ohio), 45-26. Syracuse bounced back from a 51-0 loss at No. 24 Purdue with a 37-17 win at Buffalo.
Though this will be only the fifth meeting between the Bearcats and the Orange, it will serve as a preview of regular competition between the two schools. Cincinnati will join the Big East Conference in 2005 after completing its 10th season of membership in Conference USA.
? Saturday?s game will be Syracuse?s home opener, and the Orange will be seeking their 100th victory in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse has a 99-43-2 record at home since the building opened in 1980. Cincinnati has lost in both previous visits to the Dome.
Richard Hall, who rushed for 238 yards in Cincinnati?s victory over Miami, enters the game ranked No. 7 in the nation in rushing, averaging 139 yards per game. The senior is averaging 9.9 yards per carry, which was boosted by runs of 70 and 79 yards vs. the RedHawks. Hall is the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week.
Bearcat senior Hannibal Thomas is No. 13 nationally in receiving yards per game (115.0) following his performance in Saturday?s win over Miami. Thomas caught five passes for a career-high 175 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown from Gino Guidugli.
Cincinnati?s special teams continue to show improvement. UC is ranked No. 6 nationally in net punting average (43.8), and opponents have not attempted a punt return this season. Sophomore Kevin Lovell, a newcomer from the junior college ranks, has made all three of his field goal attempts and is among the national leaders in field goals per game (1.5, 18th). In last week?s win over Miami, Mike Wright blocked a PAT and Daven Holly returned it for a defensive two-pointer which thwarted a RedHawk comeback attempt.
UC vs. Syracuse
Saturday?s game will be the fifth meeting between Cincinnati and Syracuse. The Orange own a 3-1 lead in the series but the Bearcats won the last clash, 12-10, in 2000.
About the Orange
? Syracuse will be seeking its 100th victory in the Carrier Dome when hosting Cincinnati on Saturday in its home opener. The Orange have compiled a 99-43-2 record and a .694 winning percentage in the Carrier Dome since moving into the facility in 1980.
? Tailback Walter Reyes, who last season set Syracuse season records for rushing touchdowns (20), total touchdowns (21) and points (128), ranks second among active Division I tailbacks in career rushing touchdowns with 37. Only Cedric Benson of Texas with 45, has more.
? Syracuse?s 51-0 loss to Purdue in its season opener marked the first time the Orange was shutout and was the worst margin of defeat since a 59-0 setback to the Miami Hurricanes in 2001.
Last Meeting
Jason Mammarelli kicked a 47-yard field goal on the final play of the game to lift Cincinnati to a 12-10 win over Syracuse on Sept. 9, 2000 in Cincinnati. Syracuse entered the fourth quarter with a 7-0 lead, but the Bearcats got three field goals from Jonathan Ruffin to capture the lead with 4:37 to play. Syracuse regained the lead on a field goal with 43 seconds remaining. UC moved 46 yards in 38 seconds to set up the game-winning kick by Mammarelli, his first career field goal.
Last Time in Syracuse
Donovan McNabb tied a school record by throwing four touchdown passes to lead No. 24 Syracuse to a 63-21 win over the Bearcats on Oct. 10, 1998. The Orange jumped out to 35-0 lead in the first half. Syracuse piled up 601 yards in total offense, 353 on the ground.
Coaching Contrasts
Saturday?s game will be only the third contest of Cincinnati mentor Mark Dantonio?s coaching career. On the opposite sideline, Syracuse?s Paul Pasqualoni is in his 19th campaign and will be coaching his 209th contest. Pasqualoni is one of the nation?s winningest active coaches. His 136-71-1 record (102-54-1 at Syracuse) ranks 10th in win total and 14th in winning percentage among the nation?s active coaches.
UC-Syracuse Ties
Unlike the past two games, in which several Cincinnati coaches staff had previously coached and/or played at opponents Ohio State and Miami, there are no ties between the UC and Syracuse staffs. There is one link between the two future BIG EAST members. Bearcat radio play-by-play voice Dan Hoard is a graduate of Syracuse and began his career there.
On This Date
Sept. 18 marks the anniversary of one of the biggest victories in Cincinnati football history. In 1999 on this date, the Bearcats upset No. 9 Wisconsin, 17-12, at Nippert Stadium.
Cincinnati is 5-2 in games played on Sept. 18, and one of those losses, a 7-3 setback in 1976 to Southwestern Louisiana, was later reversed by forfeit.
1999 No. 9 Wisconsin W, 17-12
1993 Miami (Ohio) W, 30-23
1976 S.W. Louisiana L, 7-3* *UC later won by forfeit
1971 Kent State W, 42-20
1965 Dayton W, 28-0
1954 Detroit W, 21-13
1937 Morehead State L, 7-0
Tallahassee Reunion
The Carrier Dome is far removed from Tallahassee, Fla., but five products of Florida?s capital city will be on the field when Cincinnati visits Syracuse on Saturday. SU wide receiver Landel Bemo and linebacker Marcus Clayton are products of Tallahassee Godby High. Cincinnati receiver George Murray and linebacker Jamey Murphy played at Rickards High and running back Terry Arnold prepped at Lincoln High.
Hall of a Day
Richard Hall must take the Cincinnati-Miami football rivalry to heart. Hall, who rushed for a career-high 161 yards in last year?s showdown vs. the RedHawks, topped that on Saturday by gaining 238 yards, the sixth-highest single game rushing total in UC history. Hall, who scored three touchdowns in the ?oldest rivalry West of the Alleghenies,? put Cincinnati on the scoreboard first with a 70-yard TD run. He later broke free for a 79-yard jaunt, the longest rush in six seasons and tied for the sixth-longest run in UC history, to set up the Bearcats? final TD. The effort boosted Hall to No. 7 in the NCAA national rushing rankings. He is averaging 139.0 yard per game and 9.9 yards per carry.
For his efforts, Hall was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week.
Thomas Makes Big Plays
Hannibal Thomas enjoyed a career performance in Saturday?s win over Miami. The senior caught five passes for a personal best 175 yards. Thomas scored on a 69-yard pass play from Gino Guidugli, and was involved in receptions of 53, 26 and 24 yards. His 115 yards-per-game receiving average ranks No. 13 nationally.
Iron-men Performance
Cincinnati?s starting five offensive linemen got their first break from game action of the 2004 season in the final quarter of Saturday?s win over Miami. The five?left tackle Steve Eastlake, left guard Kyle Takavitz, center Adam Shorter, right guard Matt Mercer and right tackle Clint Stickdorn?had played every play together up to that point, a total of 114 snaps. That quintet has not surrendered a quarterback sack in either of Cincinnati?s first two contests.
Starting Streak
Gino Guidugli will be making his 39th consecutive start when Cincinnati visits Syracuse 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 28 games, 14 at right tackle in 2002 and 14 at guard in 2003 and this season.
? Strong safety Doug Monaghan has started 36 of the 38 games in which he has played during his four-year career (he?s missed five games due to injury). Monaghan has a streak of 14 straight starts.
Frazier in the Record Book
Andre Frazier is marching through the Cincinnati record book. The senior defensive end is No. 4 in career sacks with 17.5, and is No. 7 in tackles for loss with 34. 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 five solo tackles away from reaching the top 10 and needs 27 total tackles to make that career list.
? Trent Cole has moved into a tie for eight hplace in career tackles for loss (32), and with 10 sacks, needs two more to reach the UC top 10.
? Tyjuan Hagler, with 29 tackles for loss, can reach eighth place with 3.0 TFLs.
9th Largest Crowd
The crowd of 30,368 that attended lasts Saturday?s Cincinnati-Miami game was the ninth-largest home attendance at Nippert Stadium. Miami has been the opponent in seven of the top 18 attended games at Nippert.
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. Only four other schools have more graduates playing for them this fall.
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.
500 Mark
The University of Cincinnati is approaching the 500th victory mark in its football history. The Bearcats enter Saturday?s game vs. Syracuse with 496 wins. UC's all-time record is 496-519-51 (.489).
Up Next
The Bearcats open Conference USA play at East Carolina on Sept. 25. Kickoff is 7 p.m. EDT. Cincinnati returns to Nippert Stadium to host UAB on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. The UAB game is Family Night, with Skyline Chili offering two-for-one ticket coupons at its area locations.