TicketsBearcats Visit No. 7 Louisville
UC to be tested by UofL's nation-leading offense.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
11/22/2004
Cincinnati vs. Louisville
Date: Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004
Time: 2:30 p.m. EST
Site: Papa John?s Cardinal Stadium (42,000, turf), Louisville, Ky.
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Barnett, Bill Curry, David Norrie, Heather Cox)
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Dan Hoard, Jim Kelly and Scott Springer). Also available on-line via UCBearcats.com
Records: Cincinnati 6-4, 5-2 C-USA
Louisville 8-1, 6-0 C-USA
Series: Cincinnati leads, 26-16-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 27, 2003 in Cincinnati;
Louisville 43, Cincinnati 40
Tickets: Sold out.
Bearcats Visit No. 7 Louisville
The University of Cincinnati closes regular season football play on Saturday with a visit to Conference USA leader and Top 10-ranked Louisville at Papa John?s Cardinal Stadium. Kickoff has been moved to 2:30 p.m. EST to accommodate a national telecast by ESPN2.
Louisville, 8-1, is ranked No. 7 in this week?s Associated Press poll and No. 8 by ESPN/USA Today. The Cardinals have already clinched at least a tie for the C-USA title and are 6-0 in league play.
Cincinnati, 6-4, rides a four-game winning streak into Saturday?s game. The Bearcats are tied with UAB for second place in C-USA, both teams with 5-2 records.
The game will be the 44th meeting of the regional rivals, who will battle for one of college football?s most unusual trophies, the Keg of Nails. Cincinnati owns a 26-16-1 lead in the series, but Louisville has walked away with the Keg from five of the last six games.
Louisville boasts the nation?s No. 1 offense. The Cardinals are averaging 543.4 yards per game total offense, tops in the country, and 47.6 points, which ranks second nationally. Quarterback Stefan LeFors leads the nation in passing efficiency and is No. 22 in total offense.
Cincinnati has been posting impressive offensive numbers. During their four-game win streak, the Bearcats have averaged 460.3 yards and 41.8 points. UC ranks 20th in total offense, averaging 428.2 yards for the season.
Gino Guidugli has played a major role in Cincinnati?s offensive production. The senior quarterback has completed .708 percent of his passes (75 of 106) for 1,022 yards and 12 TDs for a passing efficiency of 189.1 during the win streak. Guidugli is No. 17 nationally in passing efficiency and No. 28 in total offense.
UC rushing leader Richard Hall needs 112 yards in Saturday?s game to become the 13th Bearcat to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Hannibal Thomas needs 90 yards to become the fourth Cincinnati player to get 1,000 receiving yards. Gino Guidugli is one TD pass away from the UC single season record of 25.
Saturday?s game will be the final for both schools as members of Conference USA. Next year, Cincinnati and Louisville begin play in the BIG EAST.
UC vs. Louisville
Saturday?s game will be the 44th meeting between Cincinnati and Louisville. The Bearcats own a 26-16-1 lead in the series, which began in 1929, chiefly through winning the first 12 contests between the two schools. Louisville ended the streak in 1970 with a 28-14 victory. The Cardinals have won five of the last six contests.
Battle for the Keg of Nails
The winner of Saturday?s game gets the Keg of Nails, one of the more unique rivalry trophies with a somewhat vague origin. The trophy is a replica of a keg used to ship nails. The exchange is believed to have been initiated by fraternity chapters on the UC of UofL campuses, signifying that the winning players in the game were ?tough as nails.?
The present keg is actually a replacement for the original award, which was misplaced by Louisville, ironically lost during some construction of office facilities. It is adorned with the logos of both schools and the scores of the series games.
About Louisville
? Louisville boasts the nation?s most productive offense. The Cardinals lead the nation in total offense, averaging 543.4 yards per game, and are second in scoring, averaging 47.6 points per outing.
? The Cardinals have scored 30 or more points 16 times over the past two seasons. UofL has topped the 40-point mark in all six C-USA games, including five times over 50 points.
? Louisville is ranked first in nine team statistical categories in Conference USA. The Cardinals lead the league in all five team offensive stat categories and are No. 1 in four of the five defensive categories.
? UofL defensive coordinator Mike Cassity held the same position at Cincinnati for the 1994 season.
? The Cardinals? 8-1 start matches their best since the 2001 team won eight of its first nine games en route to an 11-2 record. Louisville is 16-5 over the past two seasons.
? Louisville has a 33-9 record at Papa John?s Cardinal Stadium since moving into the new stadium in 1998.
Last Meeting
Stefan LeFors threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to J.R. Russell with 1:10 remaining to rally Louisville to a 43-40 win over Cincinnati on Nov. 27, 2003 at Nippert Stadium. The see-saw contest saw the lead change hands three times in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati, which began the second half trailing by two TDs, scored 17 points to take a 31-28 lead early in the fourth quarter. Louisville regained the advantage 15 seconds later but the Bearcats regained the lead, 40-35, with 2:20 remaining.
Last Time in Louisville
DeMarco McCleskey rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lift Cincinnati to a 24-14 win over Louisville on Nov. 7, 2002 in Louisville. Antwan Peek returned a fumble 15 yards for UC?s first score, early in the third quarter. Louisville took a 14-7 lead by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown but the Bearcats took control from that point. McCleskey, who finished with 82 yards, scored on a pair of 1-yard plunges and Jonathan Ruffin added a clinching field goal.
On This Date
Cincinnati is 4-5 in games played on Nov. 27. On seven of those nine dates, UC played its rivalry contest with Miami (Ohio).
2003 Louisville L, 43-40
1982 at Miami (Fla.) L, 19-13
1958 Miami (Ohio) W, 18-7
1952 Miami (Ohio) W, 34-9
1947 Miami (Ohio) L, 38-7
1930 Miami (Ohio) W, 6-0
1924 Miami (Ohio) W, 8-7
1919 Miami (Ohio) L, 14-0
1913 Miami (Ohio) L, 13-7
Bearcats Tied for Second Place
Cincinnati is tied with UAB for second place in Conference USA. Both teams sport 5-2 league ledgers. Louisville has already clinched a share of the C-USA championship and the worst UC could finish is in a tie for third place. The Bearcats have finished in the top two of C-USA play in three of the previous four seasons, winning a co-championship in 2002.
Bearcats Light Up the Scoreboard
With Saturday?s 45-23 win over USF, Cincinnati has topped the 40-point mark four times this season. This feat was last accomplished in 1953 when the Sid Gillman-coached Bearcats topped 40 points five times. UC?s 305 points scored this season is the fifth-highest single season total in school history.
Gino on a Roll
Gino Guidugli is playing some of the best football of his four-year career. During the Bearcats? four-game win streak, Guidugli has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,022 yards with 12 touchdowns and no INTs. He has a passing efficiency rating of 189.09 during this span to raise his season efficiency to 148.03. Guidugli set a new UC record when he threw five touchdown passes in the Nov. 6 win over Southern Miss. Last Saturday, he passed for a career-high 377 yards vs. USF, the sixth-highest total by a Bearcat. With 24 touchdown passes, he is one shy of the UC single season record of 25 set by Greg Cook in 1968.
A Look at the Win Streak
There are several factors involved in Cincinnati?s mid-season turnaround. You might say it has been a total team effort:
? UC has averaged 460.3 yards per game in total offense, up from the average of 406.8 in the first six games.
? The Bearcats have been more efficient on offense, averaging 41.8 points over the last four games compared to 23.0 in the first six contests.
? UC?s defense has surrendered averages of 307.7 yards and 18.8 points during the win streak. The Bearcats had surrendered 374.7 yards and 28.2 points over their first six games.
? The Bearcats have played near mistake-free football during this span, holding a 6-1 advantage in turnovers.
? The four teams that Cincinnati defeated had a combined record of 18-9 entering the game vs. the Bearcats, and UC has defeated those opponents by an average of 25.0 points.
Season Similarities
After Cincinnati lost to Army on Oct. 9 to fall to 2-4, Bearcat senior quarterback Gino Guidugli reminded his teammates and coaches that UC was in a similar situation in 2002. That team had fallen to 3-5, but reversed its fortunes with a 48-10 win over Memphis. UC won five of its last six contests, the lone loss a non-league fray vs. No. 25 Hawaii, to capture the C-USA co-championship and advance to the New Orleans Bowl. This year, the Bearcats began their resurgence with a 49-10 victory over Memphis and have won four straight to move into a tie for second place.
Cole No. 2 in TFLs
After leading the nation in tackles for loss for two weeks, Trent Cole is ranked second this week, averaging 2.05 TFLs per game. Marshall?s Jonathan Goddard is first, averaging 2.55. Washington?s Manase Hopoi is third at 2.00.
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 second nationally, among active players, in passing yards and third in total offense yards. Guidugli has 11,222 career passing yards, trailing Timmy Chang of Hawaii (15,846). Guidugli?s 11,418 yards in total offense is bettered by only by Chang (15,626) and Akron?s Charlie Frye (11,478).
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 501-522-51 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 the 52-24 win over No. 21 Southern Miss on Nov. 6, was named Offensive Player of the Week.
? Andre Frazier, who keyed the UC defense with eight tackles, four of them solo, and recorded a sack and two tackles for loss in the 21-10 win over TCU on Oct. 30, was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.
? Chet Ervin, who punted seven times for a 44.3-yard average vs. TCU and gave the UC defense good field position with five punts on or inside the 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).
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 45.0 and fifth in sacks with 17.5.
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 195 solo tackles, is in sixth place on that career list and is No. 8 on the career total tackles list with 328 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 47th consecutive start when Cincinnati visits Louisville. No other quarterback 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 36 games, 14 at right tackle in 2002 and 22 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 22 straight starts.
? Left offensive tackle Steve Eastlake has a string of 22 consecutive starts.
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 the Nov. 6 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.
Bearcat Defense Responds
The Cincinnati defense has reponded well to the challenge of stopping nationally-ranked offensive attacks during its winning streak.
? 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.
? 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.
Leftovers from the USF Win
? Cincinnati?s 577 yards of total offense was the team?s second most this season and tied for the sixth highest single game total in UC history.
? Bill Poland recorded his first career touchdown reception on a 49-yard pass play from Gino Guidugli.
? Doug Jones established career highs with six receptions for 51 yards.
? Hannibal Thomas tied a career high with 10 receptions. He caught 10 passes almost a year ago to the day, vs. Memphis in 2003. Thomas? 162 yards receiving was the fifth century performance of his career and fourth of the season.
? Cincinnati?s four-game win streak matches the longest since the 2000 Bearcats won their final four contests of the regular season.
Celek Sets Mark
Brent Celek has set a UC mark for touchdown receptions by a tight end. The sophomore from Cincinnati has caught seven TD passes, eclipsing the previous high of four set by Darryl Goosby in 1982 and tied by Joe Koynock in 1990. Celek has grabbed a TD pass in three straight games and four of his last five.
Hall Pursuing 1,000
Richard Hall has rushed for 888 yards. The senior, who is ranked No. 37 in the national rushing statistics (88.8 yards per game), needs 112 yards 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 20 receptions for 290 yards. He posted career bests of seven receptions for 89 yards vs. UAB on Oct. 2.
? Doug Jones, a redshirt frosh, has made 17 catches for 173 yards and a four TDs over his last five games.
Double Rushing Trouble
The Bearcats have been utilizing a three-headed rushing attack. While senior Richard Hall is the workhorse of the backfield, having gained 888 yards and six TDs, his workload has been lightened by the development of freshmen Butler Benton and Bradley Glatthaar. Benton is the team?s second-leading rusher with 384 yards and three touchdowns. He had 70 yards and scored on a 48-yard romp in Saturday?s win over USF. Glatthaar, with 236 yards, has scored a touchdown in each of the past four contests.
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 (52 receptions, 910 yards, 9 TDs), is ranked 17th nationally in receiving yards per game (83.1). He needs 90 more yards to become the fourth receiver in UC history to top the 1,000-yard mark.
Thomas matched a career high with 10 receptions in Saturday?s win over USF and 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 14 games.
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 Miami Dolphins; 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.
All-Conference USA Bearcats
University of Cincinnati seniors Andre Frazier, Trent Cole, Daven Holly and Kyle Takavitz were named to the All-Conference USA preseason football team, selected by the league's coaches. All were first team selections. Cole and Takavitz were first team All-C-USA in 2003 with Frazier and Holly earning second team plaudits.