TicketsUC Seeks Second C-USA Win vs. UAB
Bearcats host Blazers in Family Night at Nippert Stadium.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
9/27/2004
Butler Benton recorded his first 100-yard rushing game last week. |
Cincinnati vs. UAB
Date: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Nippert Stadium (35,000, FieldTurf), Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: None live. Highlights on the Mark Dantonio Show on WXIX-TV 19.
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Jim Kelly and Scott Springer). Also available on-line via UCBearcats.com
Records: Cincinnati 2-2, 1-0 C-USA
UAB 2-1, 1-0 C-USA
Series: Cincinnati leads, 5-2
Last Meeting: Oct. 11, 2003 in Birmingham, Ala.; UAB 31, Cincinnati 14
Tickets: $22 Adult Reserved, $17 Section C; $11 Youth (12 and under).
Two-for-one ticket coupons available at allSkyline Chili locations. 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.
UC Seeks Second C-USA Win vs. UAB
The University of Cincinnati will seek its second straight Conference USA victory of the season when hosting UAB on Saturday at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Bearcats and Blazers enter the contest in a five-way tie for first place. Both teams won their C-USA openers last weekend. UC turned back East Carolina, 24-19 while UAB upset previously unbeaten Memphis, 35-28.
Saturday?s contest will mark Family Night at Nippert Stadium and features a two-for-one ticket discount. Coupons are available at all area Skyline Chili locations and may be redeemed prior to or at the game.
UAB will bring one of C-USA?s most potent passing attacks to Nippert Stadium. Quarterback Darrell Hackney is ranked eighth nationally and first in C-USA in passing efficiency (170.7 rating) and is 37th nationally and third in C-USA in total offense (226.0 yards per game). Roddy White is 15th nationally and first in C-USA in receiving yards per game (100.0). The Blazers are 10th nationally and lead C-USA in passing efficiency.
The Bearcats climbed in the conference and NCAA defensive rankings following last week?s performance vs. East Carolina. UC held ECU to 11 yards rushing and 203 yards total offense in last week?s win. Cincinnati is 44th nationally and fourth in C-USA in rushing defense (115.0). The Bearcats, who have been stung on big passing plays, are 102nd nationally in passing efficiency defense.
The Bearcats? defense vs. East Carolina featured an aggressive pass rush. Cincinnati recorded six quarterback sacks against the Pirates, who had not previously surrendered a sack. All-American candidate Trent Cole recorded three sacks, one of which resulted in a safety.
Cole climbed into eighth place on the UC list for career sacks with 13 and moved into fifth place in career tackles for loss with 37.5.
Saturday?s game will mark the return to Cincinnati of Watson Brown. The UAB head coach and athletics director served as UC?s head coach for the 1983 season.
UC?s Richard Hall ranks 17th in the nation and second in Conference USA in rushing, gaining 108.0 yards per game. The Bearcats are ranked 29th nationally and third in C-USA in rushing offense, averaging 193.0 yards per game.
UC vs. UAB
Saturday?s game will be the eighth meeting between Cincinnati and UAB. The Bearcats hold a 5-2 lead in the series and are 3-1 in games played at Nippert Stadium.
About the Blazers
? UAB has the third highest winning percentage in Conference USA play over the past five-plus years, trailing only Southern Miss and Louisville. The Bearcats are tied with East Carolina for the fourth best percentage.
? The Blazers are definitely a homegrown team with 70 of the 107 players on their roster from the state of Alabama.
? UAB is one of the most veteran teams in C-USA, boasting 53 returning lettermen. Eighteen of the 22 offensive and defensive starters return from last year?s 5-7 team.
Last Meeting
Darrell Hackney passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns to lead UAB to a 31-14 win over Cincinnati on Oct. 11, 2003 in Birmingham. Roddy White was on the receiving end of both TD tosses while Corey White scored on a pair of short runs. George Murray scored UC?s lone TD on a 3-yard run, while Chet Ervin kicked a pair of field goals.
Last Time in Cincinnati
DeMarco McCleskey scored three touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter, to rally Cincinnati to a 31-23 win over UAB on Nov. 30, 2002. UAB had taken a 23-17 lead with 11:21 to play in the game. McCleskey was on the receiving end of a 15-yard TD pass from Gino Guidugli with 8:50 remaining. He scored the game-clinching TD on a 14-yard run with 3:30 to play.
Family Night Promotion
Saturday?s game will be Family Night at Nippert Stadium. To facilitate family attendance, Skyline Chili has coupons at its area locations which may be redeemed (limit four tickets per coupon) for a two-for-one price purchase of adult reserved tickets, either before or at the game.
Familiar Faces
There will be a couple of familiar faces to Bearcat fans on the UAB sidelines for Saturday?s game. UAB head coach Watson Brown was Cincinnati?s head coach for the 1983 season, guiding UC to a 4-6-1 record which included a season-opening road win over defending national champion Penn State. UAB assistant head coach Rick Christophel was a member of that staff and is a native of the Cincinnati suburb of Reading.
Old vs. New
Saturday?s game matches one of the nation?s oldest football programs with one of the newest programs in NCAA Division I-A. Cincinnati, which began football in 1884, is the nation?s fifth-oldest football program. UAB, which started football in 1991, are second to USF as the nation?s newest football program.
Streaks and Such
? Cincinnati?s win over East Carolina extended the Bearcats streak of victories in C-USA openers to five.
? The Bearcats enter Saturday?s home game vs. UAB with a string of four straight C-USA home opener victories. UAB is on the other end of that streak. The Blazers were the last team to beat UC in a home league opener, in 1999.
? Last Saturday?s win at East Carolina snapped a streak of seven straight road losses.
? Cincinnati held East Carolina to 203 yards total offense, the same total the Bearcats limited the Pirates in 2003.
50th Anniversary Team Honored
UC will recognize the 1954 Bearcat football team, which will be holding its 50th anniversary reunion this weekend, during halftime of Saturday?s game. That squad compiled an 8-2 record, under the coaching of Sid Gillman, which included a 34-7 win over Arizona State.
On This Date
Cincinnati is 6-4 in games played on Oct. 2. In 1993, David Small broke loose for a 31-yard run late in the game to lift UC to a 22-15 win over Tulsa which helped the Bearcats to an eventual 8-3 season.
1993 at Tulsa W, 22-15
1982 at South Carolina L, 37-10
1976 at Southern Miss W, 28-21
1971 at Texas A&M W, 17-0
1970 at Tulane L, 6-3
1965 Wichita State W, 14-6
1954 Tulsa W, 40-7
1948 Xavier L, 13-7
1937 Butler L, 13-0
1920 Kenyon W, 45-0
Double Rushing Trouble
Though Richard Hall is among the national rushing leaders, the senior is no longer a one-man force in the Cincinnati ground attack. Freshman Butler Benton emerged in last week?s win over UAB, gaining 127 yards in 25 carries and scoring a TD. Hall finished with 98 yards on 20 carries as the Bearcats piled up 217 yards on the ground. Hall, who is 16th in rushing in this week?s national stats, is averaging 108.0 yards per game and a whopping 7.0 yards per carry.
Jackson Joins Forces
True freshman Earnest Jackson was another Bearcat to have a breakout game last Saturday vs. East Carolina. Jackson led all receivers with four catches for 48 yards in his first extensive playing time with the offense. The former all-area high school quarterback from Detroit, Mich. made the switch to receiver during preseason practice.
Monaghan Making Catches
Doug Monaghan, owner of a couple of receiving records at his high school (Colerain), has revived his pass-catching skills as a member of the Cincinnati secondary during his collegiate career. The senior strong safety intercepted two passes in the Sept. 18 Syracuse game. His first interception snuffed out an SU scoring drive, which had reached the UC 16, in the first quarter. His second pick, which he returned 29 yards, set up the Bearcats? lone touchdown.
Monaghan is ranked fifth in the nation and first in C-USA in interceptions. His two picks upped his career total to eight and moved him into a tie for ninth place on the UC career INT list.
Block That Kick
The Bearcats continue to add to their reputation for blocking kicks. Already this season, UC has a pair of rejections. Mike Wright blocked a PAT try in the Sept. 11 Miami game, which was scooped up and returned for a defensive two-point PAT by Daven Holly. Adam Roberts blocked a field goal in the Sept. 18 contest vs. Syracuse. Cincinnati blocked five opponent field goals in 2003 and returned two of those blocks for touchdowns. Andre Frazier rejected two field goals. Other blocked kicks were recorded by Doug Monaghan, Daven Holly and Zach Norton, the latter a departed senior.
Hall of a Day
Richard Hall, who is ranked No. 17 nationally in rushing this week (108.0 yards per game), must take the Cincinnati-Miami football rivalry to heart. Hall, who rushed for a career-high 161 yards in the 2003 showdown vs. the RedHawks, topped that this season by gaining 238 yards, the sixth-highest single game rushing total in UC history, in UC?s 45-26 win on Sept. 11. 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. For his efforts, Hall was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week last week.
Thomas Makes Big Plays
Hannibal Thomas is ranked 33rd in receiving yards peer game, averaging 76.8 yards per outing. Thomas enjoyed a career performance in the Sept. 11 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. Thomas is fast making a name for himself as a big play performer. He has been involved in six of Cincinnati?s 14 plays of 20 yards or more. Thomas scored his second TD of the season on a diving catch at East Carolina last Saturday.
Cole, Frazier in the Record Book
Trent Cole and Andre Frazier are marching through the Cincinnati record book. Cole has leaped into fifth place in career tackles for loss with 37.5 and is eighth in sacks with 13.0. Frazier is No. 8 in tackles for loss with 35.5 and is No. 4 in sacks with 17.5. 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:
? Doug Monaghan has moved into a tie for ninth place in career interceptions with eight. Monaghan, with 179 solo tackles, is in inith place on that career list and is closing in on earning a spot on the career total tackles list.
? 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.
? Tyjuan Hagler, with 30 tackles for loss, can reach eighth place with two more TFLs.
Guidugli Tops Passing Marks
Every time Gino Guidugli throws a pass, he sets a new Cincinnati career record. The junior quarterback has broken all of the UC career passing and total offense records. His career accomplishments:
Total C-USA Rnk
Passes Attempted 1,323 4th
Passes Completed 727 4th
PassYng Yards 9,550 2nd
Touchdown Passes 57 8th
Total Offense Plays 1,532 4th
Total Offense Yards 9,674 3rd
Starting Streak
Gino Guidugli will be making his 41st consecutive start when Cincinnati hosts UAB 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 30 games, 14 at right tackle in 2002 and 16 at guard in 2003 and this season.
? Strong safety Doug Monaghan has started 38 of the 40 games in which he has played during his four-year career (he?s missed five games due to injury). Monaghan has a streak of 16 straight starts.
? Left offensive tackle Steve Eastlake has a string of 17 consecutive starts.
Veteran Bearcats
The University of Cincinnati opened the 2004 season boasting 27 seniors. On the Bearcats? depth chart for the 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.
Captains
The Cincinnati squad elected four seniors to serve as captains for 2004. 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.
Bearcats in the Pros
Eight former University of Cincinnati football players were on the rosters of NFL teams after final cuts for the 2004 season were made. The eight are: Antonio Chatman, wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers; Troy Evans, linebacker with the Houston Texans; Jason Fabini, offensive tackle with the New York Jets; Artrell Hawkins, defensive back with the Carolina Panthers; Mario Monds, defensive tackle with the New York Giants; Zach Norton, defensive back with the Baltimore Ravens; Antwan Peek, linebacker with the Houston Texans; and Robert Tate, cornerback with the Arizona Cardinals.
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.
Approaching 500
The University of Cincinnati is approaching the 500th victory mark in its football history. The Bearcats enter Saturday?s game vs. East Carolina with 497 wins. UC's all-time record is 497-520-51 (.489).
Up Next
The Bearcats are back on the road with an Oct. 9 visit to Army. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Cincinnati is then off for the week of Oct. 16. The Bearcats return to Nippert Stadium for games vs. Memphis on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. and TCU on Oct. 30 at 3 p.m., the latter UC?s Homecoming.