TicketsUC Hosts Explosive Memphis
Bearcats try to get back into the win column after an open week.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
10/18/2004
MLB Jamar Enzor will be one of the UC defenders trying to stop Memphis. |
Cincinnati vs. Memphis
Date: Saturday, Oct. 23, 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 2-4, 1-2 C-USA, Memphis 5-1, 2-1 C-USA
Series: Memphis leads, 18-11
Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2003 in Memphis, Tenn.; Memphis 21, Cincinnati 16
Tickets: $22 Adult Reserved, $17 Section C; $11 Youth (12 and under). Youth (12 and under) receive a free ticket when accompanied by an adult purchasing a regular priced ticket; purchase must be made in advance. 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 Hosts Explosive Memphis
The University of Cincinnati will be challenged by one of the nation?s top offensive teams when the Bearcats host Memphis on Saturday (Oct. 23) at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. EDT.
The invading Tigers boast the nation?s eighth most productive offense, averaging 477.7 yards per game. That attack is fairly balanced between Memphis? ground game, which is ranked No. 23 (194.5 yards per game), and its passing attack, which is No. 10 (283.2). Memphis is 5-1 overall, its lone loss to UAB, and is 2-1 in Conference USA play following last week?s 49-24 win over Tulane.
The Bearcats, who had an open date last week, hope that the time off will help them regroup from two straight setbacks to make a strong run in the second half of the season. Cincinnati lost to Army, 48-29, on Oct. 9 in its last outing, and enters the second half of the campaign 2-4 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Saturday?s game will be Youth Night with youth (age 12 and under) receiving a free ticket when accompanied by an adult purchasing a regular priced ticket in advance of the game. It will also be Parents Night at Nippert Stadium. UC?s student-athletes will be recognized for their academic success during halftime ceremonies.
This week?s national stat rankings have good news for a member of the Bearcat defense. Senior defensive end Trent Cole is the national leader in tackles for loss, averaging 2.5 per contest.
UC quarterback Gino Guidugli is ranked second among active Division I-A players in career passing and total offense yards. Guidugli, who recorded the 13th 300-yard passing performance of his career when he threw for 350 yards and a UC record-tying four TDs vs. Army, has career totals of 10,200 passing yards and 10,344 yards total offense yards, trailing only Hawaii?s Timmy Chang.
Guidugli will garner another record when Cincinnati hosts Memphis, one which underscores the senior quarterback?s endurance. Guidugli will be making his 43rd consecutive start.
Richard Hall continues to rank among the nation?s rushing leaders. Hall is 35th nationally in rushing, averaging 92.5 yards per game.
UC vs. Memphis
Saturday?s game will be the 30th meeting between Cincinnati and Memphis. The Tigers own an 18-11 lead in the series, having won the first eight games of this rivalry, which began in 1966. Cincinnati has won three of the last four contests.
About the Tigers
? Memphis boasts one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. The Tigers are ranked 23rd in rushing offense (194.5 yards per game), 10th in passing offense (283.2), eighth in total offense (477.7) and fifth in scoring offense (39.5 points per game).
? Running back DeAngelo Williams is seventh nationally and first in Conference USA in rushing (147.3 yards per game) while quarterback Danny Wimprine is 14th nationally and leads C-USA in total offense (275.0).
? Memphis? 9-4 record in 2003, which included a victory over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, marked the school?s first winning season in nine years and its best mark in 40 campaigns. The Tigers? 14-5 record over the past two seasons is their best two-year record since the 1973 and 1974 teams combined for 15 victories.
Last Meeting
Darron White?s 3-yard TD run with 5:57 to play lifted Memphis to a 21-16 win over Cincinnati last season (Nov. 22, 2003) in Memphis. The Bearcats rebounded from a 65-yard halfback pass, White tossing to Chris Kelly four minutes into the game, to lead for much of the contest. A missed extra point, a drive which yielded no points after reaching the Memphis 4, and an interception thrown up for grabs, led to UC?s downfall. The interception was returned to the UC 9, which set up the game-winning score.
Last Time in Cincinnati
DeMarco McCleskey rushed for three touchdowns and Cincinnati?s defense forced six turnovers to spark the Bearcats? 48-10 win over Memphis on Oct. 26, 2002. UC outgained Memphis, 438 to 220, and had an 11 minute advantage in time of possession.
Tough Schedule
Challenging is an understatement for the second half of Cincinnati?s schedule. The Bearcats will face five of the seven teams ahead of them in the C-USA standings. Those five foes entered the week with a combined 18-9 overall record.
On This Date
Cincinnati is 4-6 in games played on Oct. 23. In 1982, UC lost at Alabama, 21-3, in the final season of legendary Bear Bryant?s coaching career. The Bearcats have played at home only twice previously on this date, and won both of those games.
1999 at Southern Miss L, 28-20
1993 at Toledo W, 31-24
1982 at Alabama L, 21-3
1976 at No. 10 Georgia L, 31-17
1965 at Tulsa L, 49-6
1954 Xavier W, 33-0
1948 at Butler W, 16-7
1937 at Indiana L, 27-0
1920 at Carnegie Tech L, 27-17
1915 Denison W, 35-0
Cole No. 1 in TFLs
Trent Cole continues to lead the nation in tackles for loss. The Bearcat senior defensive end has 15 TFLs through his first six games, an average of 2.50 per game.
Cole In The Record Book
Bearcat defensive end Trent Cole continues to march through the Cincinnati record book.
? Cole has leaped into fourth place in career tackles for loss with 41. Ahead of him are Phillip Curry (1994-97) with 45, Nate Dingle (1990-93) with 46 while the record of 56 is held by Antwan Peek (1998-02), who is currently with the Houston Texans.
? Cole is seventh in sacks with 14.5. Four more sacks would put him in second place.
Gino Second Among Active Players
Gino Guidugli, who in his last outing became the first Bearcat to top the 10,000-yard marks in career passing and total offense yardage, is second nationally, among active players, in both categories. Guidugli has 10,200 career passing yards and 10,344 yards in total offense. Hawaii?s Timmy Chang leads all active Division I-A players with totals of 14,473 passing yards and 14,265 yards in total offense.
Milestone March
Several other Bearcats have a chance to leave their marks on the defensive records lists:
? Andre Frazier is No. 4 in sacks with 17.5 and is No. 8 in tackles for loss with 35.5. The UC career records are 27.0 for sacks and 56.0 for tackles for loss, both set by Antwan Peek, of the Houston Texans, to whom Frazier served as an understudy his first two years as a Bearcat.
? Doug Monaghan and Daven Holly have moved into a tie for ninth place in career interceptions with eight.
? Monaghan, with 187 solo tackles, is in seventh place on that career list and is closing in on earning a spot on the career total tackles list.
? Tyjuan Hagler, with 31.5 tackles for loss, can reach ninth place with a half a TFL.
Starting Streak
Gino Guidugli will be making his 43rd consecutive start when Cincinnati hosts Memphis on Saturday. No other player has made more consecutive starts at UC. A couple of other members of the senior class also have impressive starting stats.
? Kyle Takavitz has started the last 32 games, 14 at right tackle in 2002 and 18 at guard in 2003 and this season.
? Strong safety Doug Monaghan has started 40 of the 42 games in which he has played during his four-year career (he?s missed five games due to injury). Monaghan has a streak of 18 straight starts.
? Left offensive tackle Steve Eastlake has a string of 19 consecutive starts.
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 the Sept. 25 win over East Carolina, gaining 127 yards in 25 carries and scoring a TD to lead the UC ground assault. Another freshman, Brad Glatthaar, from Cincinnati?s Elder High, was the Bearcats? leading rusher the following game, on Oct. 2 vs. UAB. Glatthaar gained 45 yards on six carries.
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 26th in the nation and second 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. UC has made three rejections this season. 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. Trent Cole blocked a PAT vs. Army. Cincinnati blocked five opponent field goals in 2003 and returned two of those 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.
Jackson With the Hot Hands
True freshman Earnest Jackson has been making an impact in the receiving corps. Over the last three games, Jackson has caught 13 passes for 187 yards. He had seven catches for 89 yards in last Saturday?s UAB contest. Jackson reported to UC as a quarterback candidate after earning all-area honors at the position in high school. He made the switch to receiver during preseason practice.
Hall of a Day
Richard Hall, who is ranked No. 35 nationally in rushing this week (92.5 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 on Sept. 13.
Thomas Makes Big Plays
Hannibal Thomas is ranked 25th nationally in receiving yards per game, averaging 82.7 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. Against UAB, Thomas recorded touchdown receptions of 19 and 6 yards. He had seven catches for 138 yards and a TD vs. Army. Dating back to last season, Thomas has eight TD catches in his last 10 games.
Awards Lists
The University of Cincinnati is well-represented on the watch lists for several of the national player of the year awards.
Lombardi Award Trent Cole
Kyle Takavitz
Nagurski Award Trent Cole
Butkus Award Jamar Enzor
Davey O?Brien Award Gino Guidugli
Johnny Unitas Award Gino Guidugli
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.
Time Change
Cincinnati?s Nov. 20 home game vs. USF has been changed to a 3:30 p.m. start, to accommodate a regional telecast by the Sunshine Network.
Up Next.
Cincinnati plays host to TCU on Oct. 30. The 3 p.m. contest will cap Homecoming festivities on the UC campus. The Bearcats will pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces during the game.