TicketsAug. 28, 2006
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The of football team opens the 2006 season hosting on Saturday, Sept. 2 with Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Nippert Stadium. It wil be the lid lifter for both teams.
The Bearcats, who boast the fifth-oldest Division I-A program in the nation, will launch their 119th season against a brand new foe as UC and EKU have never previously met on the gridiron.
The game will be Motorsports Night at Nippert Stadium. Displays, courtesy of the Richard Petty Driving Experience, will feature prizes, an IRL show car, the No. 38 M&M simulator car, and a Get Your Picture with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. photo booth.
The Bearcats are kicking off their 119th football season. , which began grid play in 1885, boasts the nation's fifth-oldest Division I-A program, with only (1869),
(1879), Navy (1880) and (1883) having longer histories. is no newcomer to college football, having fielded teams since 1909.
is 70-38-10 (.636) in season openers and are 50-37-3 in home openers. UC has won six of its last nine lid-lifters.
Unlike a year ago, when the Bearcats had just nine returning starters that made them the third-youngest team in the nation, has starters back at 19 positions. The biggest benefactor is the UC defense, which after starting five true freshman most of the 2005 campaign has starters back at 10 of the 11 positions.
Hosts EKU in Opener
opens its much-anticipated 2006 football season this Saturday, when UC hosts at Nippert Stadium. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and is the second straight season in which starts under the lights at Nippert Stadium.
Saturday's game marks the 10th season opener at Nippert Stadium for the Bearcats in the last 11 campaigns.
The three-man team of Jeff Piecoro, Jim Kelly and Deontey Kenner will broadcast the game live on 700WLW. There is no live television scheduled for the game.
A Quick Look at the Bearcats
returns seven starters on offense and 10 more on defense. Quarterbacks Dustin Grutza, the starter in 2005, and Nick Davila entered the final week of practice battling for the starting spot under center. Tight end Brent Celek is one of the BIG EAST's best at the position, catching 32 passes for 361 yards and three scores a year ago. Wideouts Bill Poland, Earnest Jackson and Dominick Goodman lead the corps. The group combined for eight receiving touchdowns in 2005. Expect to see Derrick Stewart and Jared Martin as reserves. Tailbacks Butler Benton, Greg Moore and Bradley Glatthaar lead the Bearcat ground game. Doug Jones and Marcus Waugh remain in a fight for the starting fullback duties.
The Bearcats return starters Digger Bujnoch and Jeff Reinstatler to the right side of the line. Three-fourths of the Bearcats' starting defensive line return led by Terrill Byrd. Senior Kevin McCullough leads a linebacker corps that includes Corey Smith, Ryan Manalac and Leo Morgan. The starting secondary includes Dominic Ross, Mike Mickens, Haruki Nakamura and John Bowie.
UC vs. the
Steeped in tradition on the gridiron, has been facing off against teams from the since 1892. UC owns an all-time mark of 59-53-14 (.524) against teams from the Blue Grass State. The record against each program is listed to the right:
Bearcats from
The Bearcats currently boast plenty of "Unbridled Spirit" on its roster. They claim six players from the State of , including senior Jeff Reinstatler and freshman Ben Guidugli who both hail from .
Homecoming for EKU Players
Seven members of the football team are from the Greater Cincinnati area. products include sophomore DB Zach Denton (McNicholas HS), redshirt freshman FB Jake Tamaska (Taylor) and sopho more OL Micah Vance (). Junior LB Derrick Hugg (Hamilton) and sophomore DB Chuck Elam (Edgewood) are from Hamilton with sophomore C Shawn Dedden (Scott) and junior OL Mike Brooks ( ) from .
Opening on the Right Note
is 70-38-10 (.636) all-time in season openers. UC has opened the season with a win in six of its last nine seasons.
Kicking Off the Year at Home
The 2006 campaign marks the second year in a row in which UC starts the slate with a home game. When opening the season at home, UC owns an impressive 36-14-3 record for a .708 winning percentage all-time.
Hoping to Start the Home Slate with a Win
Last season's 28-26 win over Eastern Michigan in the season opener marked Cincinnati's fourth consecutive victory in a home opener. The streak dates back to the Sept. 2, 2002, when UC needed overtime to outlast TCU, 36-29. The Bearcats are 50-37-3 (.572) all-time in home openers. They have started the home schedule with a win in six of the last seven years.
There's No Place Like Home
Head Coach, Mark Dantonio's squads are 7-3 (.700) when playing at Nippert Stadium. In 2004, Dantonio's club went 4-1 at home. Last year's team finished 3-2 at home.
Lucky Seven Home Dates
With the Bearcats playing seven home games, they are hoping seven is their lucky number. No strangers to playing seven home dates, UC has played seven or more home games 24 times in program history.
In 1953, Sid Gillman's squad notched the only 7-0 home mark in UC history on its way to a 9-1 record. Most recently, in 2002 hosted seven games. That squad finished 4-3 in the and advanced to the New Orleans Bowl.
On This Date...
is 1-4-1 all-time in games played on Sept. 2. It is 1-2-1 in home tilts played on Sept. 2. On Sept. 2, 2002, UC outlasted TCU 36-29, in overtime. On Sept. 2, 1989, the Red & Black played to a 17-17 tie.
Quartet with Starting Strings
Four Bearcats on the opening roster -- Terrill Byrd, Brent Celek, Dustin Grutza and Haruki Nakamura -- started all 11 games in 2005. Celek owns the longest streak, having started 20 games in-a-row. The tight end has not missed a start since the 24-19 triumph at on Sept. 25, 2004.
Captains
A pair of seniors, tight end Brent Celek and strong safety Dominic Ross, will lead onto the field as teams captains throughout the 2006 campaign. Both are entering their third year as starters. They were elected by their teammates.
Daniels to Miss Season
Mike Daniels will miss the 2006 season after suffering a season-ending injury in the Bearcats' intrasquad game on Aug. 22. Daniels, a native underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. Daniels is seventh on UC's all-time list in kickoff returns (40) and eighth in kickoff return yardage (777). He finished third on the team in all-purpose yardage a year ago with 488 yards.
Smith Named to Butkus List
sophomore Corey Smith has been named to the watch list for the 2006 Butkus Award. The award, initiated in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, Fla., annually honors the nation's top linebacker. Smith, a 6-1, 220-pound native of , was the Bearcats' third-leading tackler from his outside linebacker position as a first-year freshman in 2005. He recorded 64 stops before suffering an injury which sidelined him for the final two games.
Other Bearcat Honors
Eight Bearcats earned were cited by various preseason football publications. Trevor Anderson, Mike Mickens (first team), Earnest Jackson, Haruki Nakamura (second team) and Freddie Lenix (third team) were named to the preseason All-BIG EAST team by Phil Steele's College Football. Brent Celek, Terrill Byrd, Lenix and Mickens were nationally ranked at their respective positions.
Celek Approaches TE Marks
Brent Celek will try to become 's all-time leader receiver from the tight end position during his senior campaign. Celek enters the season with career totals of 56 receptions for 654 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has already established a new mark for TD catches by a TE.
Academic Honors
placed nine players on the BIG EAST All-Academic team last season. Holdovers from those selections are seniors Tony CarvittiBrent Celek, Bill Poland and Dominic Ross; juniors Digger Boujnoch and Jon Carpenter and redshirt freshman Ryan Manalac.
BIG EAST Champion
John Bowie already has a pair of BIG EAST Conference championships. The senior corner back won the 100 meters and anchored UC's winning 4x10 relay at the league championship meet in June. He also placed third in the 200 meters. It was the first season he had competed in track since high schoo.
For Fans Sake
Cattitude, the popular pregame party before every home football game on the UC campus, moves to the Sheakley Lawn just east of Nippert Stadium in front of the new . Renamed Cattitude at , the event features food, drinks, music, promotions, tented seating and visits by the UC Band, Cheerleaders and Dance Team. The party starts two and a half hours before kickoff.
Also back this year is the Bearcats Kids Zone. Located in the Marge Schott Baseball Stadium, next to Cattitude at , the Kids Zone features inflatable games, music, give-aways and visits from the UC Bearcat. The Kids Zone opens two and a half hours before kickoff.