TicketsSurging Cincinnati Gridders Look to Open Week
Bearcats have extra time to prepare for Nov. 20 USF contest.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
11/9/2004
Unlike the last time they encountered an open date on the football schedule, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats will not be seeking any reversal of fortunes when they have a Saturday away from competition this week.
A month ago, UC limped into an ?off week? with a two-game losing streak, which included a setback to Army. The Bearcats, 2-4 at that time, took advantage of their time off to regroup and turn their season around.
Since that last open date, Cincinnati has won three straight to raise its record to 5-4. UC resumed play with a convincing 49-10 win over Memphis, a game in which it held the Tigers? No. 8-ranked offense to a meager 202 yards. The Bearcats defeated TCU, which boasted the 11th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, 21-10. Last Saturday, UC blasted No. 21 Southern Miss, 52-24, handing the Golden Eagles their worst loss ever in C-USA play.
The Bearcats have climbed back into contention in the C-USA race with those victories. UC has moved into sole possession of third place in the Conference USA standings with a 4-2 ledger, a half game out of second place.
Cincinnati needs a victory in one of its final two games to become bowl-eligible for one of the five postseason events with which Conference USA holds affiliation?the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, GMAC Bowl, Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl, and the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl.
Gino Guidugli?s play has been a major factor in the Bearcats? success. The senior quarterback has passed for 645 yards and nine touchdowns during the three victories, posting a lofty passing efficiency rating of 184.12 during that span to climb to No. 22 in the most recent national rankings.
Guidugli three a school-record five touchdown passes and finished with 308 yards on 19-of-26 passing in the win over Southern Miss to earn Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
UC?s defensive play has also played a major role. The Bearcats have given up an average of only 300 yards over the last three contests, including just 124 yards per game on the ground.
The Bearcats have played near mistake-free football during this span, committing no turnovers while compiling six takeaways.
Cincinnati will resume play hosting USF on Saturday, Nov. 20, then close regular season play at No. 14 and C-USA leader Louisville on Nov. 27.
The USF game has been designated Fan Appreciation Day with two special ticket offers available. The purchase of an adult ticket will entitle fans to a free youth ticket. Additionally, there is the 4 for 44 promotion, in which four tickets may be purchased for $44.
Kickoff for the USF game has been changed to 3:30 to accommodate regional television coverage on the Sunshine Network. The Bulls are 3-4 overall and 2-3 in league play with a game on Saturday, Nov. 13 at East Carolina.
Richard Hall, who is ranked 32nd nationally in rushing (91.8 yards per game), needs to average 87 yards over his final two games to become UC?s 13th 1,000-yard rusher.
Senior defensive ends Andre Frazier and Trent Cole will try to continue their climb through the UC career records lists. Frazier is second in career sacks and fifth in tackles for loss. Cole is fourth in career TFLs and fifth in sacks.
Cincinnati?s offensive line has not given up a sack in the last four games.
The Bearcat seniors will be recognized in ceremonies preceding the Nov. 20 USF contest. Twenty-four Bearcats will be playing their final home game.
UC Gets 500th Win
Cincinnati recorded the 500th football victory in the history of its program when the Bearcats defeated No. 21 Southern Miss on Nov. 6. UC has compiled a 500-522-51 ledger in its 116 seasons of competition.
UC Claims C-USA Honors
Conference USA Player of the Week honors continued to mount at the University of Cincinnati. Gino Guidugli, who passed for 308 yards and a school-record five touchdowns in last Saturday?s 52-24 win over No. 21 Southern Miss, was named Offensive Player of the Week.
Cincinnati claimed two of the three Conference USA player of the week awards following the Bearcats? 21-10 win over TCU on Oct. 30. Andre Frazier, who keyed the UC defense with eight tackles, four of them solo, and recorded a sack and two tackles for loss, was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week. Chet Ervin, who punted seven times for a 44.3-yard average and gave the UC defense good field position with five punts on or inside the TCU 20, earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
Trent Cole earned the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week award following his three-sack, four-tackles for loss performance in the Bearcats? 24-19 win over East Carolina on Sept. 25.
Richard Hall was the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week after his 238-yard rushing effort in the Sept. 11 victory over Miami (Ohio).
Bearcat Defense Responds
The Cincinnati defense has responded well to the challenge of stopping nationally-ranked offensive attacks during its winning streak.
? Last Saturday, UC held TCU, which entered the game with the nation?s No. 11 scoring offense (35.9 points per game), to 10 points and kept NCAA scoring leader Lonta Hobbs out of the end zone.
? Hobbs, No. 32 nationally in rushing (94.5 yards), was limited to 49 yards.
? Two weeks ago, the Bearcats held Memphis, No. 8 in total offense (477.7), to 202 yards, limiting the Tigers? No. 10-ranked passing attack (283.2) to 113 yards.
? UC contained Memphis? DeAngelo Williams, who was No. 7 nationally in rushing (147.3) to 57 yards. Tiger QB Danny Wimprine, No. 14 in total offense (275.0) managed just 37 yards vs. the Bearcats.
? Against Southern Miss, the UC special teams contained John Eubanks, who entered the game leading the nation in kickoff returns. Eubanks, who was averaging 34.4 yards per return, managed just 42 yards on two returns and had no yards in four punt returns. Bearcat sophomore Greg Moore forced Eubanks to fumble a kickoff in the first quarter which led to UC?s first touchdown.
Cole No. 3 in TFLs
After leading the nation in tackles for loss for two weeks, Trent Cole is ranked third for this week. Marshall?s Jonathan Goddard is first, averaging 2.63 with Washington?s Manase Hopoi second at 2.44 TFLs per outing with .
Gino on a Roll
Gino Guidugli is playing some of the best football of his four-year career. Guidugli set a new UC record when he threw five touchdown passes in last Saturday?s win over Southern Miss. The senior has completed 45 of 70 passes for 645 yards and nine touchdowns during the Bearcats? current three-game win streak. He has posted a passing efficiency rating of 184.12 during this span to climb to No. 22 in the national rankings.
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 passing yards and second in total offense yards. Guidugli has 10,845 career passing yards, trailing Timmy Chang of Hawaii (15,303) and David Greene of Georgia (11,025). Guidugli?s 11,043 yards in total offense is bettered only by Chang (15,094).
Sack Race
Andre Frazier and Trent Cole are competing for positions in the Cincinnati career rankings for sacks and tackles for loss. Frazier is second in career sacks with 21.5, trailing only former teammate Antwan Peek, now with the Houston Texans, who recorded 27 sacks between 1998-02. Frazier is fifth in tackles for loss with 40.5. Cole is third in tackles for loss with 45.5 and fifth in sacks with 16.5.
Milestone March
Several other Bearcats have a chance to leave their marks on the defensive records lists:
? Daven Holly moved into a six-way tie for fourth place in career interceptions. He recorded the ninth INT of his career in the Oct. 30 win over TCU. Last season, Holly tied the UC single season record with six interceptions.
? Doug Monaghan is tied for 10th place in career interceptions with eight.
? Monaghan, with 193 solo tackles, is in sixth place on that career list and is tied for No. 9 on the career total tackles list with 322 total stops.
? Tyjuan Hagler, with 33.5 tackles for loss, has moved into ninth place on the career list.
Starting Streak
Gino Guidugli will be making his 46th consecutive start when Cincinnati hosts USF on Nov. 20. 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 35 games, 14 at right tackle in 2002 and 21 at guard in 2003 and this season.
? Strong safety Doug Monaghan has started 43 of the 45 games in which he has played during his four-year career (he?s missed five games due to injury). Monaghan has a streak of 21 straight starts.
? Left offensive tackle Steve Eastlake has a string of 21 consecutive starts.
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.
What a Start!
Jeremy Jackson, who originally joined the Bearcats as a walk-on and whose service up until recently has been limited to appearances on the special teams, has stepped up in a very big way. The senior from Cincinnati got the nod to start at free safety for Saturday?s game at Southern Miss. Jackson performed well in his debut, sharing the team lead in tackles with nine. His interception set up UC?s first score in the 52-24 victory, and he also recorded a tackle for loss.
Leftovers from Last Saturday
? The Gino Guidugli-Hannibal Thomas 80-yard touchdown pass was Cincinnati?s longest since an 82-yard Eric Vibberts-to-Robert Tate TD pass vs. Kansas in 1995.
? Hannibal Thomas? three touchdown receptions tied the UC single game record. It is the fourth time the record has been reached, the most receint by Jon Olinger vs. East Carolina on Dec. 6, 2002.
? Thomas recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of the season and fourth of his career. It was his second two-touchdown reception game of the season and the third for the Bearcats.
? The Cincinnati offensive line extended its streak of games in which the Bearcats have not surrendered a sack to four.
? The 52 points scored by UC is the most since the Bearcats also tallied 52 in a 52-42 win over Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 30, 1999.
? The victory was the 500th win in UC football history. It marked the fourth time in school history that Cincinnati has defeated a ranked opponent and the first since a 27-24 win over No. 24 Southern Miss in 2000.
Celek Sets Mark
Brent Celek has set a UC mark for touchdown receptions by a tight end. The sophomore from Cincinnati caught his sixth TD pass of the season at Southern Miss, eclipsing the previous high of four set by Darryl Goosby in 1982 and tied by Joe Koynock in 1990.
Hall Pursuing 1,000
Richard Hall has rushed for 826 yards in Cincinnati?s first nine games, topping his season total for all of last season. The senior, who is ranked No. 32 in the national rushing statistics (91.8 yards per game) needs 174 yards over UC?s final three games to become the 13th Bearcat to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
Frosh Making Impact on Receiver Corps
Freshmen have been making their impression on the Cincinnati receiver corps.
? True freshman Earnest Jackson, who reported to UC as a quarterback candidate, is the team?s third-leading receiver with 18 receptions for 267 yards. He posted career bests of seven receptions for 89 yards vs. UAB on Oct. 2.
? Doug Jones, a redshirt frosh, has made 11 catches for 122 yards and a three TDs over his last four games.
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. Freshmen Butler Benton and Bradley Glatthaar have emerged as threats. Benton is the team?s second-leading rusher (314 yards), which included a 127-yard performance vs. East Carolina on Sept. 25. Glatthaar is third (182) with three games of 40-or-more yards. He had a career-high 47 vs. Memphis on Oct. 23 and has rushed for a TD in three straight games.
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.
Block That Kick
The Bearcats continue to add to their reputation for blocking kicks. UC has made four 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. Tyjuan Hagler deflected a punt in the Nov. 6 win over Southern Miss. Cincinnati blocked five opponent field goals in 2003 and returned two of those for touchdowns.
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 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 continues to make the big plays in the Cincinnati passing game. The senior, who leads the team in receiving (42 receptions, 748 yards), is ranked 28th nationally in receiving yards per game (83.1). Thomas tied a UC record with three touchdown receptions in the Nov. 6 win over Southern Miss. He finished with seven catches for 168 yards. Thomas caught five passes for a personal best 175 yards, and was on the receiving end of a 69-yard pass play, in the Sept. 11 win over Miami. Dating back to last season, Thomas has 12 TD catches in his last 13 games.
Up Next
Cincinnati returns to action on Nov. 20, hosting USF. The game time has been changed to 3:30 p.m. EST. The final home game of the 2004 season will feature senior day for two dozen Bearcats.
UC closes the season on Nov. 27 at No. 12 Louisville. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m.