TicketsNov. 11, 2006
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Speed Kills, goes the old driving safety slogan, and for the University of Cincinnati, West Virginia's speed was deadly in the Bearcats' 42-24 loss to the Mountaineers.
Steve Slaton, WVU's lightning-footed sophomore, broke loose for sprints of 65 and 63 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Mountaineers piled up 313 yards rushing on the Bearcats. UC entered the game with the nation's 13th stingiest defense against the rush and had limited its last five foes to an average of 63 yards on the ground per contest.
The victory put No. 10 West Virginia into a tie with Louisville for second place in the BIG EAST standings, both teams with 3-1 records, and boosted the 8-1 Mountaineers back into contention for a BCS bowl. The Bearcats, who host league leader and unbeaten Rutgers in a Nov. 18 home showdown, could play a role in those prospects. UC falls to 2-3 in league play and 5-5 overall.
Slaton finished with 148 yards, the most by an individual vs. UC this year. Patrick White, who had a 53-yard run turn into a touchdown, added 93 yards on the ground and 98 via 7-of-12 passing. White scored two TDs and passed for a third.
"We came into the game thinking that we needed to do a few things to win," stated UC head coach Mark Dantonio. "One of them was to eliminate their explosive plays and come up with two turnovers. We didn't do any of that."
Cincinnati scored the game's first points, a 40-yard field goal by Kevin Lovell late in the first quarter. Dustin Grutza completed four of six passes for 31 yards and ran for another 13 to key the march.
West Virginia scored three touchdowns in the third quarter and added three more in the third to turn the game into a lopsided affair. Slaton scored on runs of two and 65 yards and White tossed a 34-yard scoring strike to Brandon Miles to give WVU a 21-3 halftime lead.
The Bearcats showed a little speed of their own with Grutza hooking up with Derrick Stewart for a 45-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. A 63-yard run by Slaton set up White's two-yard TD plunge. White broke free for a 53-yard scamper, fumbling the ball on the UC 5 and Rayshaw Bolden recovered it in the end zone for a TD. Slaton scored his final TD on a two-yard run following a UC interception.
"I felt that West Virginia played very well," said Dantonio. "They played very well on the defensive side of the ball. You've got to give a lot of credit to Coach (Rich) Rodriguez conceptually. They came in here and showed us some things we had not seen on the tape of their previous games."
Cincinnati, with Nick Davila relieving Grutza at quarterback, scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Davila connected with sophomore tight end Connor Barwin for the scores, from 28 and 15 yards out.
Grutza completed 13 of 24 passes for 143 yards in three quarters of work. Davila was 10-of-17 for 167 in the final period as UC totaled a season-high 310 yards passing. The Bearcats ground attack, which had averaged just short of 200 yards over the last five games, was limited to 57 yards.
"This game is about belief and confidence," Dantonio observed. "We did not have those little indicators today like we did against Ohio State, Virginia Tech or Louisville."
UC will begin preparations for next Saturday's home season finale vs. No. 15 Rutgers, which upset No. 3 Louisville on Thursday. The 7 p.m. contest will include the recognition of the Bearcat seniors while prize drawing will be held as part of Fan Appreciation Day. Ticket discounts are available via GoBearcats.com or by contacting the UC Athletics Ticket Office at 877-CATS-TIX.
NOTES:
- Brent Celek extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 22. The senior tight end was limited to one catch for five yards.
- Connor Barwin set career highs with five receptions for 68 yards, along with his two TD receptions.
- West Virginia was the fourth Top 10-ranked team the Bearcats have faced this season, all games on the road. UC previously faced No. 1 Ohio State, No. 10 Virginia Tech and No. 7 Louisville.
- Brian Steel punted five times for a career-best 45.4-yard average.
- Anthony Hoke took over the team lead in sacks with his one sack for an eight-yard loss. Hoke has 4.5 sacks.
- UC dropped to 1-13-1 in the all-time series vs. West Virginia. The Bearcats achieved their only victory in their last visit to Mountaineer field, a 15-13 win in 2003.