TicketsOct. 15, 2007
STORY LINES
Listed No. 23 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches' Top 25 polls, this week Cincinnati travels to Heinz Field to face Pittsburgh. In a series coined the River City Rivalry, the schools share in common the Ohio River. The river serves as the southern border of Cincinnati, more than 400 miles away from its start at Point State Park in Pittsburgh.
Owning a 6-1 mark to start the season and a 7-1 record under head coach Brian Kelly, Cincinnati is looking to rebound from a 28-24 loss at the hands of Louisville. Dating back to the 2006 season, UC has won its last two games the week after a loss.
The Bearcats have outscored their first seven foes 284-104. Getting off to a fast start has been a key to the Bearcats' success. They have outscored their opponents 65-19 in the first quarter this season. Averaging 40.6 points per game, Cincinnati is ninth in the country and third in the BIG EAST in scoring. UC is allowing 14.9 points on average, which lists it seventh nationally and second in the league in scoring defense.
TWO OUT OF THREE WOULDN'T BE BAD FOR UC IN TROPHY GAMES: Cincinnati is looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss that snapped its nine-game winning streak and start a new string when it travels to Pittsburgh. Rated at No. 23 in both the Associated Press Poll and the USA Today Coaches' Poll this week, Cincinnati is 6-1 overall for the fourth time in program history. The Bearcats face rival Pittsburgh (2-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) on Saturday at Noon on ESPN Regional television.
VOTERS TAKE NOTICE: Listed in the Associated Press rankings for a fourth consecutive week, this week the AP ranked Cincinnati No. 23. This is UC's longest period as a nationally ranked team in the program's history. The Bearcats' longest run as a nationally ranked team came during the 1954 season when they were listed among the Top 20 for three straight weeks before missing the final poll. This week, Cincinnati received 192 votes from the coaches' poll and 191 votes in the AP selection.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: After suffering a 48-45 loss in double overtime to Navy, Pittsburgh (2-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) entertains Cincinnati and holds the River City Rivalry trophy. In his third year as head coach of the Panthers, Dave Wannstedt has guided his alma mater to a 13-16 record. Playing their fifth home game of the year, the Panthers opened the campaign with wins at home over Eastern Michigan and Grambling State. They have suffered four losses in-a-row including a 34-14 BIG EAST decision against Connecticut at Heinz Field.
RETURNING TO THEIR WINNING FORM: The Bearcats hope to return to the win column and the momentum that started in 2006. They have won their last two matchups immediately following a loss and 10 of their last 12 tilts.
BEARCATS' STREAK COMES TO A HALT: With the 28-24 loss against Louisville, Cincinnati saw its nine-game win string grind to a halt. The longest streak in program history since UC won 16-straight over the 1953-54 season it was the second-longest streak in the nation.
KELLY BOASTS REMARKABLE RECORD: Dating back to the 2007 International Bowl, Brian Kelly is 7-1 as head coach of the Bearcats and off to one of the fastest starts in history. Kelly is the first rookie mentor ever start 7-0 at UC.
KELLY AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE COACHES: People in Cincinnati know Brian Kelly is an excellent football coach, but do they know he is one of the winningest active coaches in Division I Bowl Subclassification? Utilizing winning percentage, Kelly is listed 12th among active head coaches with a minimum of five full years.
Rank Coach (School) Record Pct.
1. Pete Carroll (USC) 70-13 .843
2. Urban Meyer (Florida) 65-14 .823
3. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) 92-20 .821
4. Mark Richt (Georgia) 66-19 .776
5. Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee) 141-43 .766
6. Bobby Bowden (Florida State) 370-115-4 .761
7. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) 163-51-2 .759
8. Lloyd Carr (Michigan) 118-38 .756
9. Joe Paterno (Penn State) 368-123-3 .748
10. Jim Tressel (Ohio State) 204-71-2 .740
11. Paul Johnson (Navy) 103-37 .736
12. Brian Kelly (Cincinnati) 144-52-2 .732
13. Dan Hawkins (Colorado) 98-36-1 .730
14. Gary Patterson (TCU) 58-23 .716
15. Dennis Erickson (Arizona State) 155-65-1 .704
AS A RANKED TEAM: At No. 23/23, Cincinnati is among the Top 25 for the fourth straight week. Last week's 28-24 loss against Louisville moved UC's record to 3-4-1 all-time as a ranked team. The Bearcats' record as an AP ranked team is listed below:
Poll Date Rank Opponent Result
Oct. 7, 2007 15 LOUISVILLE L, 28-24
Sept. 30, 2007 20 at No. 21 Rutgers W, 28-23
Sept. 23, 2007 25 at San Diego State W, 52-23
Oct. 25, 1976 20 at No. 5 Maryland L, 21-0
Nov. 8, 1954 8 at Wichita State L, 20-16
Nov. 1, 1954 13 at Arizona State W, 34-7
Oct. 25, 1954 20 DETROIT-MERCY T, 0-0
Nov. 12, 1951 20 XAVIER L, 26-0
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: With a reputation for defense, Cincinnati has added a potent offensive punch in 2007. The Bearcats have scored 284 points (40.6 per game), a number never attained before in the first seven games of any season in school history. Cincinnati's propensity for points is more than halfway to surpassing its highest scoring output for a season of 409 points, which was accomplished over 14 games during the 2002 campaign.
READY IN THE RED ZONE: For the year, Cincinnati has scored on 90.9 percent of its drives (30-of-33) inside the opposition's Red Zone, including 26 touchdowns. Defensively, UC has yielded scores on 67 percent of the opposition's scoring drives (14-of-21), but has allowed only eight touchdowns inside the Red Zone.
PLAYING TAKEAWAY: UC is fourth nationally with a giveaway/takeaway margin of +1.57 per game. The Bearcats have yielded seven interceptions and seven fumbles, but have created 25 turnovers (9 fumble recoveries, 16 interceptions).
TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE: Taking advantage of the opponents' miscues, the Bearcats have scored 100 points off of opponents' turnovers through the first seven games.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Off to a 3-1 start at home in 2007, over the past four seasons, the Bearcats are 20-7 (.741) when playing at Nippert Stadium. They posted a 6-1 mark at home in 2006.
ON THIS DATE: Cincinnati is 5-6 all-time when playing on Oct. 20. UC won in three of its first four contests on Oct. 20. The last time Cincinnati played on this date was Oct. 20, 2001. On that day, UC trailed Houston 28-17 early in the fourth quarter, but keyed by DeMarco McCleskey's 100 yards on 15 carries, Cincinnati scored the final 12 points of the game to win 29-28.
IT'S ACADEMIC: Cincinnati's football program was honored by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as one of 32 teams in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision to graduate 70 percent or more of their student-athletes. The survey involved the freshman class from the academic year of 2001-02 UC was one of four BIG EAST teams to be honored.
SCOUTING REPORT: Noted for his ingenious offensive schemes, Brian Kelly has moved Cincinnati to a no-huddle offense that emphasizes stretching the field and finding openings to attack via the run or pass. UC is listed ninth nationally in scoring (40.6 points per game) and 27th in total offense (447.4 yards per game). The Bearcats employ three and four wide receivers and one back in a variety of formations and personnel groupings.
THE MATCHUP: Cincinnati's offense matches up with a Pittsburgh defense that gave up 166 passing yards and 497 yards of total offense in a 48-45 double-overtime loss last week against Navy. Six games into the season, the Panthers defense is listed sixth against the pass (158.9 yards per game) and 19th in total defense (306.5 yards per game). The Panthers defense is led by Scott McKillop, who is third in the country with 71 tackles this season.
PENCHANT FOR POINTS: Cincinnati has scored 284 points, a number never reached in the first seven games of any season in school history. In 1912 the Bearcats scored 230 points in the first seven games, including a 124-0 romp of Transylvania in the season opener, but no team has matched the 40.6 points per game accomplished thus far by the 2007 Bearcats.
RUNNING THE SPREAD AND SPREADING THE RUN: seeing the shotgun formation, fans expect to see the pigskin flying from all angles, but Cincinnati has shown an ability to run the football at a rate of 178.7 yards per game. UC has rushed for more than 200 yards in three contests this season. Cincinnati amassed 314 yards on the ground against Southeast Missouri State, 217 vs. Marshall and 263 at San Diego State.
MAUK SHOWS HIS MOXIE AGAINST CARDINALS: Quarterback Ben Mauk enjoyed another banner day, completing 26-of-45 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns, in the loss to Louisville. Mauk established new career highs in attempts, completions and yardage in the 28-24 loss. He has thrown at least one touchdown in each game he has played and has multiple touchdowns in five of his six games played. In his last three outings, Mauk has tossed 10 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
MAUK'S SECOND QUARTER AT QUALCOMM STADIUM: Ben Mauk fired four touchdowns, all in the second quarter on his way to earning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week at San Diego State. He completed 17-of-23 pass attempts for 257 yards and an interception against the Aztecs. Mauk connected on touchdowns of 11, 4, 80 and 11 yards in the second frame to give Cincinnati a 35-10 lead at the half.
THE BIONIC ARM CONTINUES COMEBACK: A graduate-transfer, Ben Mauk continues to live his comeback season at Cincinnati. Twelve months after suffering a catastrophic arm injury, that required three screws in his shoulder and eight pins in his arm at Wake Forest, Mauk was the starting quarterback for UC in its first game of the 2007 season. The Kenton, OH product is 11th nationally with a passer rating of 159.0 and has completed 63.0 percent of his pass attempts. The season opener marked the third straight season in which Mauk handled his team's first snap from center. In both 2005 and 2006 he started the season opener for Wake Forest.
GRUTZA PROVES READY TO START ONCE AGAIN: After seeing no action in the first two games, signal caller Dustin Grutza received the call to start on short notice against Marshall. Minutes before kickoff, Grutza was given the order to start for the second week in-a-row. The junior completed 14-of-20 passes for 142 yards, including two touchdowns against the Herd. The previous week, Grutza completed 25-of-35 passes for a career-high 290 yards and two touchdowns at Miami (OH).
ENJOYING THE RED ZONE: Cincinnati has been nearly perfect at scoring when penetrating the opposition's 20 yard line. UC scored on its first 12 drives inside their opponents' red zone before a missed field goal at Miami (OH) stopped the streak. Cincinnati has converted 30-of-33 red zone trips (90.9 percent) into points.
RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE: The senior triumvirate of Butler Benton, Bradley Glatthaar and Greg Moore, have all eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for their careers and are splitting the carries for the fourth and final year together. The group keyed a ground game that rushed for 263 yards at San Diego State. Sharing the load was evident at Miami (OH), where Glatthaar collected 43 yards, Benton rushed for 42 and Moore gained 41 of UC's 141 rushing yards.
BENTON LEADING THE GROUND GAME: One of three senior running backs, Butler Benton is pacing the Bearcats' ground attack with 399 yards on 77 attempts. UC's active leader with 1,636 career rushing yards, Benton is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. His 12 carries for 101 yards vs. Southeast Missouri State marks the Bearcats' lone 100-yard rushing performance of the year.
MOORE PROVIDES MORE: The Bearcats' top rusher in 2006 with 709 yards, Greg Moore is a threat as a rusher and receiver. UC's leading rusher in three games, Moore totaled 60 yards on 14 carries at Rutgers. He led the team with 12 carries for 84 yards at San Diego State. Moore paced UC with 70 yards against Marshall.
ALL HE DOES IS SCORE TOUCHDOWNS: Bradley Glatthaar is the most efficient rusher in the running back rotation, totaling six touchdowns on 37 carries this year. Glatthaar's three-yard run at Rutgers moved him into a tie for seventh in the UC record books with the 19th rushing score of his career.
RAMSEY RUNS WILD: Sophomore running back Jacob Ramsey provided the final blow with a 42-yard dash to pay dirt, in the 40-14 triumph over Marshall. Third on the team with 236 rushing yards, Ramsey is averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
PLENTY OF RECEIVING TARGETS: Bearcats' quarterbacks sighted 10 different receivers in the season opener and have had four different players listed as the top target through seven games. Fifteen different Bearcats have caught passes this year.
BEARCATS NOTCH ANOTHER 100-YARD RECEIVER: Junior Dominick Goodman made 11 receptions for 141 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown against Louisville for UC's fourth 100-yard receiving effort this year. Goodman snagged seven passes for 101 yards at San Diego State. In the season opener, Marshwan Gilyard totaled eight catches for 134 yards against Southeast Missouri State. Connor Barwin made six receptions for 109 yards at Miami (OH). Cincinnati listed two 100-yard receiving days during the 2006 season.
GOODMAN LEADS RECEIVERS: The top receiver a year ago, Dominick Goodman serves as the leader of a talented receiving corps. Goodman has 32 catches for 405 yards this season after finishing with 40 catches, including five for touchdown in 2006. The former prep quarterback has totaled four touchdowns over the last three games.
GOODMAN SURPASSES 1,000 RECEIVING YARDS: With his career-highs of 11 catches for 141 yards against Louisville, Dominick Goodman eclipsed the 1,000 receiver yards mark for his career. Goodman used now has 1,020 career receiving yards and is tied for ninth in the UC record book with 11 career touchdown catches.
TIGHT END COMPETITION: UC has three veterans vying for time at tight end. A converted wide receiver, Earnest Jackson has eight catches for 77 yards. Connor Barwin has made 14 receptions for 196 yards. Doug Jones scored on a five-yard run at Miami (OH) and has two receptions for 13 yards to his credit this season.
SCOUTING REPORT: Boasting seven returning starters on one of the BIG EAST's top defensive units, the Bearcats are allowing 14.9 points per game, to rank No. 7 in the country in scoring defense. Topping the national board with 25 takeaways, the `Cats are listed 13th in rush defense (86.7 ypg), and 49th in total defense (355.4 ypg).
THE MATCHUP: Cincinnati's defense faces a Pittsburgh offense that is utilizing a pair of true freshmen in quarterback Pat Bostick and running back LeSean McCoy. McCoy is 21st in the nation in rushing at 111.3 yards per game and has nine touchdowns. In four games, Bostick has connected on 65-of-101 passes for 602 yards through the air and three scores. Top target Oderick Turner is averaging 15.9 yards per catch to go with four touchdowns. The Panthers are listed 72nd nationally in rushing offense (143.7 ypg) and 76th in scoring offense (24.5 ppg).
STINGY BEARCATS: Second in the BIG EAST and seventh nationally in scoring defense, the Bearcats have allowed 104 points (14.9 ppg) this season. The last time Cincinnati allowed fewer than 104 points through its first seven games of the season was the 1977 campaign. In 1977, UC used three shutouts and gave up 53 points on its way to a 4-2-1 start.
BEARCAT SACK ATTACK: Cincinnati is ranked 23rd in the nation with 20 sacks for a 2.9 sacks per game average. Terrill Byrd, Angelo Craig and Anthony Hoke listed one sack each against Louisville. Led by Terrill Byrd's two sacks, Cincinnati carded a season-high five quarterback sacks in the triumph at Miami (OH). The five quarterback sacks were the most by UC since it notched five on Oct. 29, 2005 in a 22-16 win at Syracuse.
STUFFING THE GROUND GAME: Cincinnati proved its good against the top rushing offenses in the county by holding Rutgers to 98 yards on 43 attempts for a 2.3 yards per carry average. Yielding 86.7 rushing yards per game, UC has allowed only one foe to surpass the century mark when Southeast Missouri State tallied 175 yards on the ground in the season opener. Minus the season opener, UC has yielded an average of 72.0 rushing yards per game.
MICKENS IS AROUND THE FOOTBALL: Heralded cornerback Mike Mickens snatched an interception and also recovered a fumble in the first quarter of Cincinnati's 40-14 victory over Marshall. Mickens leads the Bearcats with five turnovers created this season. The junior started his season with two interceptions and six tackles in the victory over Southeast Missouri State. Mickens' first pick off stopped a drive in the end zone; he stepped in front of a pass and returned the second interception 45 yards for a touchdown. He added his third interception at Miami (OH). The two-time all-BIG EAST performer has finished each of his first two seasons in the top 10 nationally in passes defended.
STOPPING ANOTHER HEISMAN HOPEFUL: Cincinnati has stopped a pair of preseason Heisman Trophy hopeful running backs. The Bearcats limited Rutgers' Ray Rice to 94 yards on 34 carries for a 2.8 yards per carry average. Rice's longest run of the night went for 10 yards. Oregon State's Yvenson Bernard found little running room against the Cincinnati defense. UC held the 2006 all-Pac-10 running back to 30 yards on 16 carries and 17 yards on seven receptions to put a halt to the hype.
SMITH MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF: In his first year as a starter, cornerback DeAngelo Smith has had no trouble making a name for himself. Smith is tied for second on the team with three pickoffs. He returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown at Miami (OH). Tied with fellow cornerback Mike Mickens for the team lead with seven passes defended, they are tied for 61st nationally in the category.
UC TOUGH IN THE RED ZONE: No pushover on defense, Cincinnati has allowed only 66.7 of opponents' drives (14-of-21) inside its own 20 yard line to result in scores. UC has given up only eight touchdowns on 21 drives inside their own Red Zone.
BEARCATS RECORD SIX PICKOFFS: The Cincinnati defense collected six interceptions, the second-highest single-game total in UC history during the 34-3 victory over Oregon State. The last time the Bearcats tallied six interceptions in a game came in a 35-13 loss to North Texas State on Nov. 5, 1966
NAKAMURA PACKS A PUNCH: The leader of the secondary, Haruki Nakamura shares the team lead with 43 tackles (19 solo, 24 assists). Nakamura totaled six tackles and two interceptions in the victory over Oregon State. The senior safety paced Cincinnati with eight tackles (2 solo, 6 assists) and a forced fumble vs. Southeast Missouri State. The Bearcats' active leader with 182 career stops, Nakamura paced the team with 76 tackles during the 2005 campaign.
SENIORS BOOKEND THE DEFENSIVE FRONT: The duo of senior defensive ends Angelo Craig and Anthony Hoke provide a steady presence for the Bearcats defensive front. In his first year as a full-time starter, Craig has 24 tackles to his credit. The Cleveland native has 16 tackles for loss and six sacks in his career. Hoke leads the squad with 7.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. The Warren, OH product has tallied 14 career sacks. He joined UC's top 10 list with a sack at Rutgers.
BYRD UNCAGED: Having to sit out the first game of the season, junior defensive tackle Terrill Byrd has responded with 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 quarterback sacks. In his first action of the season, he totaled three tackles, including one for loss against Oregon State. One week later, Byrd tallied two sacks at Miami (OH). He totaled five tackles, including 2.5 for loss in the victory over Marshall. The 2004 Gatorade National High School Defensive Player of the Year, Byrd is a returning first-team all-BIG EAST performer.
SCOUTING REPORT: Special teams have already played a large role this season in the Bearcats' success. Three first-year starters junior punter and holder Kevin Huber, redshirt freshman long snapper Mike Windt and redshirt freshman kicker Jake Rogers are making names for themselves as specialists.
HUBER LEADING THE NATION: Junior Kevin Huber entered the season with seven career punts for a 38.1 average, but has shown to be one of the best in the country in the early going. Huber is averaging 48.1 yards on 27 punts this season. Huber boomed a career-long 62-yard punt at Miami (OH) and then kicked two 62-yarders in the victory over Marshall. Not only kicking long, Huber has notched 11 punts inside the opposition's 20 and three have been downed on the opposition's 1.
HUBER SETS RECORD DAY: Behind a pair of 62-yard punts, Kevin Huber established a Cincinnati single-game record with a 59.7 yard per punt average on three kicks against Marshall.
ROGERS REBOUNDS AFTER SHAKY START: Redshirt freshman Jake Rogers rebounded from his shaky start to convert field goals of 38 and 55 yards in the 34-3 victory over Oregon State. One week after converting 1-of-3 PAT kicks and missing a 47-yard field goal, his 55-yarder was the second-longest field goal in UC history. Rogers is currently 6-of-10 on field goals and 30-of-32 on PAT kicks. He has converted 29 consecutive PATs.
KICKING UP THE KICK RETURN GAME: Dominick Goodman who averaged 25.8 yards per return is back for another year as the deep kickoff return man. DeAngelo Smith, who averaged 20.2 yards on four kickoff returns last season, is also ready to return kickoffs. An experienced kickoff and punt returner, Mike Daniels is an able reserve. Daniels is seventh on UC's all-time list in kickoff returns (40) and eighth in kickoff return yardage (777).
NEW NAMES IN RETURN GAME: Sophomore Jacob Ramsey has been the Bearcat top returner early this season. Ramsey has returned 14 kickoffs for 325 yards, a 23.2 yards per return average. Ramsey saw limited action on kickoff coverage a year ago. Dominick Goodman has nine returns for 194 yards (21.6 yards per return) to his credit this season. Marshwan Gilyard averaged 22.0 yards on eight kickoff returns in 2005 and has one return for 19 yards this season.
NAKAMURA PROVIDES STEADY HANDS ON PUNT RETURNS: Not known for owning breakaway speed, Haruki Nakamura has carded 65 yards on 10 punt returns. Nakamura registered a career-long 24-yard return at Rutgers. He totaled five punt returns for 2.8 yards per return a year ago.
BLOCK THAT KICK, AGAIN! One week after Cincinnati's Marshwan Gilyard contributed a blocked punt against Oregon State, Gilyard repeated the feat at Miami (OH). Against Oregon State, Gilyard's block was recovered in the end zone by Marcus Barnett. For the Bearcats, it was the first punt blocked and returned for touchdown since Antwuan Giddens accomplished the feat against Marshall in the 2004 Fort Worth Bowl. Against Miami (OH), the Bearcats' 2006 scout team special teams player of the year's block went through the end zone for a safety.