TicketsBearcats Battle TCU for Homecoming
UC looks for second straight win and a shot at getting into the C-USA race.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
10/25/2004
Gino Guidugli has thrown 10 touchdown passes in the last three games. |
Cincinnati vs. TCU
Date: Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004
Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Nippert Stadium (35,000, FieldTurf), Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: ESPN GamePlan. Highlights on the Mark Dantonio Show on WXIX-TV.
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Jim Kelly and Scott Springer). Also available on www.ucbearcats.com
Records: Cincinnati 3-4, 2-2 C-USA, TCU 4-3, 2-2 C-USA
Series: Tied, 1-1.
Last Meeting: Nov. 15, 2003 in Ft. Worth, Texas. No. 9 TCU 43, Cincinnati 10
Tickets: $22 Adult Reserved, $17 Section C; $11 Youth (12 and under).
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.
Bearcats Battle TCU for Homecoming
The University of Cincinnati will try to take another big step and stay in the Conference USA football race when the Bearcats host TCU on Saturday (Oct. 30) at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is 3 p.m. EDT.
The Cincinnati-TCU football game will cap Homecoming festivities on the UC campus. The annual Homecoming parade, which starts at 12 noon, highlights those activities. UC will also recognize members of the military services from the area who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
UC, 3-4 overall, enters the contest sharing fourth place in the C-USA standings with Memphis and Saturday?s foe TCU, as all teams sport 2-2 league ledgers. Three of Cincinnati?s four remaining games are against teams above or tied with UC in the standings.
The Bearcats are coming off their most impressive performance of the season and one of the team?s most dominating victories in some time. Cincinnati defeated Memphis, 49-10, last Saturday. UC held the Tigers, who entered the contest leading C-USA in passing and second in total offense, to a mere 202 total yards while ripping the Memphis defense, which was giving up only 85.2 yards rushing per game, for 242 yards via the ground.
Gino Guidugli passed for three touchdowns in last Saturday?s victory. The senior quarterback has fired 10 TD passes over his last three games. Guidugli has completed 62 percent of his passes for 832 yards during this span for a lofty passing efficiency rating of 152.2. He has moved up to No. 35 in the national passing rankings.
Senior defensive ends Andre Frazier and Trent Cole will be out to continue their climb in the UC career records lists. Frazier moved into second place in career sacks last weekend while Cole is fourth in tackles for loss and sixth in sacks.
TCU, which compiled an 11-2 record last season and appeared in the first PlansCapital Fort Worth Bowl, boasts the nation?s leading scorer. Tailback Lonta Hobbs is averaging 12 points per game and is ranked 32nd nationally in rushing.
The Bearcats hope that history is on their side. Cincinnati has a 44-21-3 record in its previous 68 homecoming contests. In addition, UC defeated TCU in 2002 in the only other meeting of the two teams in Cincinnati.
UC vs. TCU
Saturday?s game will be third meeting between Cincinnati and TCU, and the second to take place in Cincinnati. The two teams first played in the Labor Day season-opener for the 2002 season (Sept. 2), with UC winning, 36-29, in overtime. Last year, TCU downed the Bearcats, 43-10, in Fort Worth.
About the Horned Frogs
? Gone but not forgotten: TCU kicker Nick Browne tied a C-USA record in the first UC-TCU meeting by kicking five field goals. He then duplicated that feat in last season?s rematch. Browne was a senior in 2003.
? Home grown: Only 15 players on the TCU roster are from outside the state of Texas.
? TCU cornerbacks coach Charles McMillian served as secondary coach at Cincinnati in 2001, helping UC to the Motor City Bowl.
? TCU is 13-8 in road games during Gary Patterson?s four seasons as head coach.
? Lonta Hobbs is bidding to become the second consecutive TCU player to win C-USA scoring honors. The tailback tops C-USA scorers, averaging 12.0 points per game. Last season, kicker Nick Browne was the scoring champ, averaging 9.4 points per game. Hobbs is also leading the nation in scoring this week.
? TCU is 9-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less over the past two seasons and is 13-5 in one-TD games during the four-year tenure of head coach Gary Patterson.
Last Meeting
TCU converted three Cincinnati turnovers and a blocked punt into 20 points in a 43-10 win over the Bearcats last season in Fort Worth on Nov. 15. UC actually outgained the No. 9 Horned Frogs, 373 yards to 298, with Gino Guidugli passing for 254 yards. Nick Browne kicked five field goals for TCU.
Last Time in Cincinnati
Gino Guidugli led Cincinnati back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter, then scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime to lead Cincinnati to a 36-29 victory on Sept. 2, 2002. Guidugli completed a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jon Olinger on UC?s first offensive play of the game, but had to engineer two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to erase a 29-14 deficit. He ran for the two-point PAT which tied the game. Doug Monaghan sealed the victory with an interception in TCU?s half of the overtime.
Bearcats in Control
Cincinnati enters the week tied for fourth place in the Conference USA standings. The Bearcats have the opportunity to determine their fate in the C-USA race as they have games remaining with three of the teams tied with or ahead of them in the standings, including co-leaders Southern Miss and Louisville.
On This Date
Cincinnati is 4-7 in games played on Oct. 30. In 1999, the Bearcats won a 52-42 shootout over the rival Miami RedHawks, the most points scored in the 108-game history of that fabled rivalry.
1999 at Miami (Ohio) W, 52-42
1993 Memphis W, 23-20
1982 at Temple L, 41-7
1976 at Maryland L, 21-0
1971 Memphis L, 45-21
1965 North Texas St. L, 28-24
1954 Pacific W, 34-7
1948 Kentucky L, 28-7
1937 At Ohio Wesleyan L, 20-6
1920 Wittenberg L, 13-9
1915 Ohio Wesleyan W, 17-6
Gino on a Roll
Gino Guidugli has been playing his best football of his four-year career recently. The senior quarterback has had the best three-game run of his Bearcat tenure. Guidugli has completed 67 of 109 passes for 832 yards and 10 touchdowns over UC?s last three contests. He has been intercepted only twice during this span, and has a passing efficiency rating of 152.2 to raise his season efficiency rating 17.3 points, to 133.4. He has climbed to No. 35 in the national passing efficiency ratings.
Cole No. 4 in TFLs
After leading the nation in tackles for loss the past two weeks, Trent Cole enters the week ranked fourth. Cole has averaged 2.29 TFLs per game. Manase Hopoi of Washington has taken over the national lead with a 2.71 average, boosted by a 6-TFL performance on Saturday.
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 42. 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 sixth in sacks with 15.5. Three more sacks would put him in second place.
Gino Third Among Active Players
Gino Guidugli, the first Bearcat to top the 10,000-yard marks in career passing and total offense yardage, is third nationally, among active players, in both categories. Guidugli has 10,382 career passing yards trails Timmy Chang of Hawaii (14,791) and David Greene of Georgia (10,511). Guidugli?s 10,529 yards in total offense is bettered only by Chang (14,586) and Frye (10,546).
Guidugli Tops Passing Marks
Every time Gino Guidugli throws a pass, he sets a new Cincinnati career record, and also closes in on a Conference USA record. The senior quarterback has broken all of the UC career passing and total offense records. Last week, he moved into third place in career completions with 794, and needs four more completions to reach second place, held by Tulane?s Patrick Ramsey. Guidugli needs one more TD pass to climb into fourth place in C-USA.
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 18.5 and is No. 7 in tackles for loss with 36.5. 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 191 solo tackles, is in sixth place on that career list and is No. 11 on the career total tackles list with 311 total stops.
? 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 44th consecutive start when Cincinnati hosts TCU 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 33 games, 14 at right tackle in 2002 and 19 at guard in 2003 and this season.
? Strong safety Doug Monaghan has started 41 of the 43 games in which he has played during his four-year career (he?s missed five games due to injury). Monaghan has a streak of 19 straight starts.
? Left offensive tackle Steve Eastlake has a string of 19 consecutive starts.
Leftovers from Last Saturday
? The 39-point victory margin by Cincinnati was the Bearcats largest in the 30-game series with Memphis and the 49 points was also UC?s largest in the series and the most since UC scored 52 vs. Miami (Ohio) in 1999.
? Freshmen Antwan Giddens and Brad Glatthaar and senior Collin Carey scored their first collegiate touchdowns.
? Glatthaar?s 45 yards rushing tied his career high.
? Mike Daniels returned three punts for 66 yards, which included returns of 34 and 21 yards, both of which set up UC touchdowns.
? The 57 yards by Memphis? DeAngelo Williams was his lowest output since he gained one yard vs. Mississippi on Sept. 7, 2002. The 52 yards passing by QB Danny Wimprine was his lowest total since he had three yards vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 3, 2001.
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, and also had a 45-yard effort on nine carries vs. Memphis on Oct. 23.
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 21st 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 four games, Jackson has caught 14 passes for 193 yards. He had seven catches for 89 yards in the Oct. 2 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. 42 nationally in rushing this week (90.6 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 34th nationally in receiving yards per game, averaging 76.7 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 nine TD catches in his last 11 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.
Up Next
Cincinnati hits the road for a Nov. 6 visit to C-USA co-leader Southern Miss. Game time is 3 p.m. ET. The Bearcats have an open date on Nov. 13, then wrap up their home schedule hosting USF on Nov. 20. The kickoff for that game has been changed to 3:30 p.m.