TicketsSept. 26, 2006
This Saturday's matchup between the University of Cincinnati and Miami University marks the 11th meeting between the schools, in a series that dates back to 1888. The UC-MU series is the sixth most played series in college football. Entering the 2006 meeting, the series record is 59-44-7 in favor of Miami.
This week, GoBearcats.com will highlight some of the greatest games in the oldest series west of the Allegheny mountains. The winner of the contest is awarded the Victory Bell and Southwest Ohio football supremacy.
On Nov. 23rd, 1968, one of the most exciting football games in UC history took place right here in Nippert Stadium. The scene for the game saw the Bearcats, ranked eighth in the NCAA in total offense (442.7 yards per game), facing a Redskin squad that led the nation in total defense (213.0 yards per game).
Going into the game, UC head coach Homer Rice had a lethal passing attack with quarterback Greg Cook and a pair of talented receivers in Tom Rossley and Jim O'Brien. Miami head coach Bo Schembechler had relied on a strong run defense and had posted four shutouts on the year, including one the previous week to Dayton, 14-0.
The teams battled for few yards through much of the first quarter, until Miami's fourth series. A 55-yard run by quarterback Kent Thompson opened a 7-0 lead for the Redskins.
Cincinnati's highly touted Cook was held to just one-of- nine passing for nine yards in the first four possessions for the Bearcats.
UC's first chance to score came on the first drive of the second quarter, as the Cats went 54 yards in 12 plays. With a third down and two situation from the Redskin six-yard line, Cook had a pass deflected and intercepted. Cincinnati limped to just 142 yards of total offense in the first half and trailed 7-0 at the break. Cook had been a first half bust, completing nine-of-24 passes for 112 yards and had thrown a pair of interceptions.
Miami quickly capitalized on its first drive of the third quarter, taking the ball 67 yards in 15 plays, capped off by a four-yard run by fullback Don Wade. The Redskins had opened a 14-0 hole, and in the process, had run off nearly eight minutes in the drive.
Cincinnati went three-and-out in each of the next two series, to end the quarter 14-0. As poorly as UC had played to that point, few of the 13,028 in the stands would have guessed what would happen next.
UC opened the fourth quarter with the ball and Cook, looking more like the Superman he had played like during the season, guided the Bearcats 90 yards in 13 plyas to its first score of the game. Tom Rossley hauled in the eight-yard strike, to narrow the deficit to 14-7. Cook completed nine-of-ten passes in the drive and threw for 80 of the 90 yards.
The Redskins pushed the lead back to 14 points in the next series. Wade scored his second touchdown of the day on a one-yard plunge and with 6:03 to play, MU led 21-7.
After the kickoff, Cincinnati received a break when on a long pass, Jim O'Brien tipped a Cook pass away from a pair of defenders and raced the final 15 yards free to complete a 53-yard touchdown score. With 4:35 to play, Cincinnati had narrowed the gap to 21-14.
With Miami's offense grinding the clock throughout much of the second half, Coach Rice gambled and had O'Brien onside kick the ball. The gamble paid off as Bruce Bertholf recovered the kick for the Bearcats at the 43-yard line.
Cook made the Redskins pay for not coming up with kick by hitting slotback Denny Jackson with a screen pass. Jackson went up the field for 53 yards for the touchdown. Having lost three consecutive games to Miami, Coach Rice called for a two-point conversion and Cook overthrew Rossley, to leave the game at 21-20 in favor of the Redskins.
With 4:18 to play, Rice once again called for the onside kick and while Bertholf nearly recovered again, it was Miami's Ted Pechaitis who wound up with the ball.
The Redskins went three-and-out and punted into the end zone for a touchback. With 2:45 to play, Cincinnati now had the chance it wanted to win the contest.
UC moved 23 yards in five plays and ended its drive when Cook was sacked for a 10-yard loss and fumbled. Miami had recovered and needed only to run the final 1:39 off the clock for the win.
With the football resting at the Cincinnati 47-yardline, the Redskins were only about 15 yards away from field goal range. Once again Cincinnati's defense came to the forefront, forcing yet another three-and-out series. The Miami punt landed in the end zone for a touchback and the Bearcats had the ball at their own 20 with 1:09 left.
Greg Cook's final drive as a UC Bearcat was nothing short of a masterpiece. Cook threw for 50 yards in the final 1:09 on four-of-four passing. The final strike was an 11-yard catch by Rossley at the Miami 37-yardline with three seconds to play. Without the aid of a timeout the UC field goal unit raced onto the field and from the right hash mark, Jim O'Brien hit the 47-yard field goal at the gun to give Cincinnati the 23-21 come-from-behind decision.
Cook hit on 18-of-22 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns in just the fourth quarter alone. For the day, Cook was 31-of-52 for 407 yards. Tom Rossley collected 11 receptions for 136 yards and Jim O'Brien added six catches for 117 yards.
The victory gave the Bearcats a winning record for the first time in four years and earned a special place in UC football history.