TicketsSept. 4, 2006
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The University of Cincinnati opens BIG EAST Conference play hosting Pittsburgh in a Friday night (Sept. 8) prime time contest that will be televised nationally by ESPN2 and ESPN Mobile. Kickoff is 8 p.m. at Nippert Stadium.
The matchup of the two 1-0 teams features an experienced Bearcat defense facing a talented Panther offense. UC's defense stole the show in the Bearcats' 31-0 season opener win over Eastern Kentucky last Saturday, posting the school's first shutout in 123 games. Pitt enters the game after rolling up 38 points in a 38-13 victory over Virginia.
UC's offense will be led by the quarterback tandem of Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila. Last week, the pair combined to complete 19-of-34 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Moreover, they engineered an offense that did not commit a turnover.
The Cincinnati-Pittsburgh matchup is titled the River City Rivalry. The first of three trophy games on UC's schedule, the River City Rivalry trophy is comprised of a riverboat telegraph--a brass device for signaling the engine room--and a silhouette of the Ohio River.
Cincinnati is looking for its first win in the series, which dates back 85 years. Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, 5-0. The Panthers won last year's meeting, 38-20.
The game is Youth Football Night as well as NCAA Take a Kid to the Game Night. UC will provide tickets to all area youth football teams (8th grade and below) with reduced price tickets available for all parents and family members. Any child (age 13 and under) will be admitted free with a paid adult admission.
Countdown to Kickoff
10 Ten of UC's projected starters for this week's game call Greater Cincinnati home.
9 Head Coach Mark Dantonio is going for his ninth win at Nippert Stadium. In his third season, Dantonio is 8-3 (.727) in home tilts.
8 Eight different players caught a pass for the Bearcats in the season opener.
7 Quarterback Dustin Grutza has thrown a touchdown pass in seven of his last eight games.
6 Tight end Brent Celek led the team with six catches for a career-high 81 yards against Eastern Kentucky.
5 Cincinnati has opened the home season with a win five straight seasons.
4 Four Bearcats have starting streaks of 12 games or more. Senior tight end Brent Celek boasts the longest, at 21 games, dating back to the 2004 campaign.
3 Three different Bearcats (Haruki Nakamura, Dominic Ross and DeAngelo Smith) recorded interceptions against EKU.
2 Defensive tackle Tony Carvitti registered two sacks in his first career start.
1 The Bearcats are looking for their first win against Pitt and their first BIG EAST win of the season.
Bearcats on the Air Each University of Cincinnati football game is aired live on radio through the Clear Channel network. Due to conflicts with the Cincinnati Reds, this week's game will air on WCKY-AM (1530 Homer). Dan Hoard is back for his seventh year as play-by-play voice. Former Bearcat players Jim Kelly, a wide receiver in the 1970s, and Deontey Kenner, a quarterback in the early 2000s, handle the analysis. Scott Springer hosts the pregame and postgame shows.
The Mark Dantonio Show The 30-minute program is televised by WXIX-TV (FOX 19) on Friday nights at 12:30 a.m. and is aired on the Ohio News Network on Saturday's at 12:30 p.m. It is also available via podcast from the UC web site: GoBearcats.com.
Mark Dantonio Radio Show The one-hour call-in show is broadcast live from 8-9 p.m. each Thursday from Rick's Tavern in Fairfield, Ohio. Head Coach Mark Dantonio and Jim Kelly enjoy an hour of college football talk on 700WLW, XM Radio channel 173 and 700wlw.com.
UC Hosts Pitt in BIG EAST Opener Cincinnati lines up for its first BIG EAST Conference game of the season on Friday night when UC entertains Pittsburgh at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff in the River City Rivalry is slated for 8:00 p.m. on ESPN 2 and ESPN Mobile at Nippert Stadium. The two teams enter the BIG EAST opener with 1-0 records. UC is coming off its first shutout in 123 games, a 31-0 whitewashing of Eastern Kentucky. Pitt rolled to a 38-13 win over Virginia on Saturday. Dave Pasch, Trevor Matich, Rod Gilmore and Rob Simmelkjaer will call the game for ESPN 2 and ESPN Mobile. Dan Hoard, Jim Kelly and Deontey Kenner broadcast the game on WCKY-AM (1530 Homer).
A Quick Look at the Bearcats
The Bearcats will likely continue their two-quarterback offense against Pittsburgh. Last week, the duo of Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila produced four touchdowns, each throwing for a TD score. The Bearcat defense was paced by Anthony Hoke, who had seven stops and 2.5 tackles for loss.
The team's leading tackler a year ago, Haruki Nakamura finished with six stops and an interception. Senior safety Dominic Ross and sophomore cornerback DeAngelo Smith also collected interceptions. UC recorded the school's first shutout in 11 seasons in the 31-0 win over Eastern Kentucky.
Tight end Brent Celek lead the Bearcats with six catches for 81 yards in the season opener. Wide receiver Dominick Goodman scored on touchdown passes of 16 and six years and finished with four catches for 48 yards. Eight different Bearcats registered a catch.
Kicker Kevin Lovell was perfect on placements, converting 4-of-4 PAT attempts and converting his lone field goal try, a 34-yarder against EKU. Punter Brian Steel notched three punts inside the EKU 20 yard line in his first action as a starter.
UC vs. Pennsylvania Programs
Cincinnati has been playing against teams from Pennsylvania since 1899, when the Bearcats dropped a 20-0 decision to Washington & Jefferson. UC owns an all-time mark of 7-24-1 (.234) against teams from Pennsylvania.
Cats from the State of Independence The Bearcats' roster contains four players from Western Pennsylvania. Antoine Horton, Lance Jeter and Donnell McKenzie all hail from Beaver County.
Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
Friday's game marks the sixth meeting between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and the second as a BIG EAST Conference matchup. After a 22-year break between matchups, the Panthers won last year's fray 38-20 at Heinz Field. Pitt has won all five contests in the series. Cincinnati has allowed 38 points in each of the past two meetings with Pitt. The two sides coined the title "River City Rivalry" for the game and created a trophy for the winner prior to the 2005 season.
UC-Pitt Ties Pittsburgh offensive line coach Paul Dunn held the same position in Cincinnati for the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Pitt kicker David Abdul and UC offensive lineman J.P. Simon were teammates as Massillon (Ohio) Washington High. UC's Anthony Hoke and Delbert Ferguson and Pitt defensive back Mike Phillips played on some of the same teams at Warren (Ohio) Harding High. Pittsburgh defensive back Darrelle Revis and linebacker Tommie Campbell, and Cincinnati defensive end Donnell McKenzie played together at Aliquippa (Pa.) High. Cincinnati's Butler Benton and Pittsburgh's Branden Ballard played together at Detroit's Martin Luther King. UC's Robby Armstrong and Pitt's Francis Johns both played at Franklin Regional High in Murrysville, Pa. UC strong safety Haruki Nakamura and Pitt' offensive lineman Joe Thomas both played at St. Edward High in Lakewood, Ohio.
Homecoming for Pitt Player One Pitt player hails from Greater Cincinnati. Sophomore DB Eric Thatcher (Moeller) is the Panther from the Queen City.
Defense Gives Rude Welcome with Shutout of Colonels Cincinnati served as an unfriendly host to Eastern Kentucky's offense in the 31-0 triumph. In the first meeting between the two programs, UC's defense limited the Colonels to just 250 yards of total offense. EKU quarterback Justin Greco, the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 2,861 yards last season, was limited to 159 yards passing through the air. Stingy all night, through the first 30 minutes the UC defense yielded just 60 yards on 29 plays. The Bearcat defense was impressive in the first quarter, holding EKU to minus-11 yards of total offense. It took the Colonels more than 17 minutes to record their first first down.
Carvitti Makes the Most of Start vs. EKU After recording one sack as a backup a year ago, senior Tony Carvitti notched two sacks in his first career start at defensive tackle in Saturday's win over Eastern Kentucky. The Cincinnati native's two sacks led the team. He set a career high with four tackles. The Bearcat defensive unit totaled four quarterback sacks and eight tackles for loss in the 31-0 triumph over EKU.
Hoke Sets New Highs on His Way to Leading the Defensive Front Defensive end Anthony Hoke paced the Bearcat defense with a career-high seven tackles (four solo, three assists). Hoke was credited with 2.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries in the victory.
Nakamura Stops Threat with First of Three UC Interceptions Haruki Nakamura finished with six stops (5 solo, 1 assist) in the first game of the season. The junior intercepted a Colonel pass and returned it 14 yards to halt an EKU scoring threat and maintain the shutout late in the third quarter. It was the third interception of the free safety's career.
Senior free safety Dominic Ross and sophomore cornerback DeAngelo Smith also picked off passes in the victory.
Goodman Provides Good Target Touted by the coaching staff throughout preseason camp, sophomore wide receiver Dominick Goodman caught four passes for 48 yards, including two for touchdowns in the season opener. Goodman made scoring catches of 15 and six yards in the 31-0 victory.
A former high school quarterback, Goodman recorded the first multiple receiving TD game since Hannibal Thomas tied the UC mark with three TD catches vs. Southern Miss. on Nov. 6, 2004.
Young Bearcats See First Action A total of 13 Bearcats saw their first action in a college game in Cincinnati's season-opening victory over Eastern Kentucky. Four were first-year freshmen and seven were redshirt freshmen.
Two of the rookies were starters. Jeffrey Linkenbach and Marcus Waugh, both redshirt freshmen, started at left tackle and fullback, respectively.
Celek Totals Career Day Tight end Brent Celek set a new career high with 81 receiving yards. Celek, who made six catches, extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one reception to 13.
The senior from Cincinnati recorded catches of 20 and 23 yards in the first 30 minutes. He made one catch for 10 yards in the second half.
Leg of Steel
Replacing Chet Ervin, who rewrote the UC record book for career punts and punting yardage over his four seasons was the task for Brian Steel. The junior made good in his debut as the starter. Steel boomed three punts inside the EKU 20. Five of his six punts required fair catches. The Colonels were unable to return a punt.
Starting on the Right Foot
After recording a 31-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the lid-lifter, Cincinnati improved to 71-38-10 (.639) in season openers. UC has opened the season with a win in seven of its last 10 seasons.
Kicking Off the Year at Home
The 2006 campaign marks the second year in a row in which UC started the slate with a home game. When opening the season at home, UC owns an impressive 37-14-3 record (.713) all-time.
Beginning the Home Slate with a Victory
Last weeks' 31-0 win over Eastern Kentucky marked Cincinnati's fifth 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 51-37-3 (.577) all-time in home openers. They have started the home schedule with a win in seven of the last eight years.
There's No Place Like Home
Head Coach, Mark Dantonio's squads are 8-3 (.727) 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
Off to a 1-0 start at home, Cincinnati is hoping that playing seven home games is its 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 Cincinnati hosted seven games. That squad finished 4-3 in the Queen City and advanced to the New Orleans Bowl.
On This Date...
Cincinnati is 2-1 all-time in games played on Sept. 8. It is 1-0 in home tilts on Sept. 8.
On Sept. 8, 2001, the Bearcats invaded Michie Stadium and topped Army, 27-24. On Sept. 8, 1984, Cincinnati won its season opener in dramatic fashion, 28-27 over Akron.
Captains
Seniors, tight end Brent Celek and strong safety Dominic Ross, will lead Cincinnati onto the field as teams captains throughout the 2006 campaign. Both are entering their third year as starters. They were elected by their teammates.
BIG EAST Champion
John Bowie already has a pair of BIG EAST Conference championships. The senior cornerback won the 100 meters and anchored UC's winning 4x100 relay at the league championship meet in June. He also placed third in the 200 meters. It was the first season in which he had competed in track since high school.
Quartet with Starting Strings
Four Bearcats own starting streaks of 12 games or more. Terrill Byrd, Brent Celek, Dustin Grutza and Haruki Nakamura started all 11 games in 2005, plus the 2006 opener.
Celek owns the longest streak of consecutive starts, having made 22 starts in-a-row. The tight end has not missed a start since the 24-19 win at East Carolina on Sept. 25, 2004.
Smith Named to Butkus List
Cincinnati 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 Salem, N.J., 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 is on his way to becoming Cincinnati's all-time leading receiver from the tight end position. Celek entered the season with career totals of 56 receptions for 654 yards and needs just 19 catches and 56 receiving yards to reach the career records for tight end.
The senior has already established a new mark for touchdown catches by a TE with 11.
Academic Honors Cincinnati placed nine players on the BIG EAST All-Academic team last season. Holdovers from those selections are seniors Tony Carvitti, Brent Celek, Bill Poland and Dominic Ross; juniors Digger Boujnoch and Jon Carpenter and redshirt freshman Ryan Manalac.
The UC football program earned honorable mention status in the American Football Coaches Association's Academic Achievement Award recognition. UC was one of 28 schools to achieve a graduation rate of 70 percent or better for the entering freshmen class of 2000-01. It marked the second time in the past four years that the Bearcats have been honored.