TicketsOct. 22, 2007
STORY LINES
Receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today Coaches' Top 25 polls, this week Cincinnati enjoys its lone off week in the regular-season schedule. After being victorious in its first six games of the season, UC dropped back-to-back decisions to move to 6-2 overall and 1-2 in BIG EAST Conference action.
Idle this coming Saturday, the Bearcats look ahead at four consecutive BIG EAST tilts to close the 2007 regular season. Dating back to 2000, Cincinnati owns a 6-4 record after an off week in the schedule.
The Bearcats have outscored their first seven foes 301-128. Getting off to a fast start has been a key to the Bearcats' success. They have outscored their opponents 75-22 in the first quarter this season. Averaging 37.6 points per game, Cincinnati is 14th in the country and third in the BIG EAST. UC is allowing 16.0 points on average, which lists it seventh nationally and second in the league in scoring defense.
USING THE OFF WEEK AT THE RIGHT TIME: Cincinnati heads into the open week after suffering back-to-back setbacks against BIG EAST Conference foes Louisville and Pittsburgh. With four regular-season games remaining, the Bearcats (6-2 overall, 1-2 in BIG EAST) are still in contention for the BIG EAST title and a postseason bowl bid.
VOTERS TAKE NOTICE: Receiving votes in the Associated Press poll for an unprecedented seventh consecutive week, after its second loss in as many weeks, Cincinnati finds itself outside of the Top 25. After enjoying its longest period as a nationally ranked team in the program's history, this week, Cincinnati received 10 votes from the USA Today Coaches' Poll and one tally from an AP voter.
RETURNING TO THEIR WINNING FORM: The Bearcats hope to return to the win column after the idle week. They had won their last two matchups immediately following a loss before falling in consecutive games. Cincinnati dropped back-to-back decisions for the first time since losing three in-a-row (33-15 vs. Pitt, 37-7 at Ohio State and 29-13 at Virginia Tech) during the 2006 campaign.
KELLY BOASTS IMPRESSIVE RECORD: Dating back to the 2007 International Bowl, Brian Kelly is 7-2 as head coach of the Bearcats. The only first-year coach to ever start his tenure 7-0 at UC, Kelly has an idle week to prepare his team.
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) 71-13 .845
2. Urban Meyer (Florida) 66-14 .825
3. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) 93-20 .823
4. Mark Richt (Georgia) 66-19 .776
5. Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee) 141-44 .762
6. Bobby Bowden (Florida State) 370-116-4 .759
7. Lloyd Carr (Michigan) 119-38 .758
8. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) 163-52-2 .756
9. Joe Paterno (Penn State) 369-123-3 .748
10. Jim Tressel (Ohio State) 205-71-2 .741
11. Paul Johnson (Navy) 103-38 .730
12. Brian Kelly (Cincinnati) 144-53-2 .729
13. Dan Hawkins (Colorado) 98-37-1 .724
14. Gary Patterson (TCU) 58-24 .707
15. Dennis Erickson (Arizona State) 155-65-1 .704
AS A RANKED TEAM: Outside of the Top 25 for the first time in a month, Cincinnati spent four straight weeks among the country's Top 25. Last week's 24-17 loss at Pittsburgh moved UC's record to 3-5-1 all-time as a ranked team.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: With a reputation for defense, Cincinnati has added a potent offensive punch in 2007. The Bearcats have scored 301 points (37.6 per game), a number never attained before in the first eight games of any season in school history. Cincinnati's propensity for points is almost 75 percent of the way to eclipsing 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 89.2 percent of its drives (33-of-37) inside the opposition's Red Zone, including 28 touchdowns. Defensively, UC has yielded scores on 72 percent of the opposition's scoring drives (18-of-25), but has allowed only 10 touchdowns inside the Red Zone.
PLAYING TAKEAWAY: UC is 13th nationally with a giveaway/takeaway margin of +1.13 per game. The Bearcats have yielded eight interceptions and nine fumbles, but have created 26 turnovers (9 fumble recoveries, 17 interceptions).
TURNING THE DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE: Taking advantage of the opponents' miscues, the Bearcats have scored 100 points off of opponents' turnovers.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 6-6-1 all-time when playing on Oct. 20. UC dropped its first two contests on Oct. 27 before going 4-0-1 in its next five games on Oct. 27. The last time Cincinnati played on this date was Oct. 27, 2001. On that day, UC dropped a 28-13 decision to Louisville.
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 honored.
SWEAT IN THE WEIGHT ROOM ALREADY PAYING DIVIDENDS: Director of strength and conditioning Paul Longo has already proved himself a welcome addition to the Cincinnati athletics department. Given a mission by Brian Kelly when he came on board in January 2007, Longo has molded the Bearcats into a new team able to handle the rigors of the tempo and pace preached by the head football coach. The numbers below show the marked improvement in Longo's brief tenure:
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 14th nationally in scoring (37.6 points per game) and 28th in total offense (436.3 yards per game). The Bearcats employ three and four wide receivers and one back in a variety of formations and personnel groupings.
PENCHANT FOR POINTS: Cincinnati has scored 301 points, a number never reached in the first eight games of any season in school history. No team has matched the 37.6 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 171.5 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 USES HIS LEGS AT PITT: Ben Mauk's 55-yard rush on Cincinnati's first play from scrimmage against Pittsburgh was not only his longest rush of the season, but also the longest run of his collegiate career. Counting his opening scamper, Mauk totaled 94 yards on 10 carries at Heinz Field. Earlier in the season, Mauk carded 18-yard scampers against Marshall and at San Diego State. His previous career-long rush went for 27 yards, on Nov. 27, 2004, in a 13-7 victory for Wake Forest over Maryland.
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. At Pitt, he had his string of at least one touchdown pass in each game he has played snapped at six games. In his last four outings, Mauk has tossed 10 touchdowns against four 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 15th nationally with a passer rating of 152.82 and has completed 63.4 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 33-of-37 red zone trips (89.2 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 434 yards on 89 attempts. UC's active leader with 1,671 career rushing yards, Benton is averaging 4.9 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 38 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 37 catches for 449 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 four 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 nine catches for 82 yards. Connor Barwin has made 16 receptions for 208 yards. Doug Jones scored his second rushing touchdown of the year at Pitt on a three-yard plunge and has three receptions for 21 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 16.0 points per game, to rank No. 8 in the country in scoring defense. Topping the national board with 26 takeaways, the `Cats are listed 22nd in rush defense (108.4 ypg), and 55th in total defense (364.4 ypg).
STINGY BEARCATS: Second in the BIG EAST and seventh nationally in scoring defense, the Bearcats have allowed 128 points (16.0 ppg) this season. The last time Cincinnati allowed fewer than 128 points through its first eight games of the season was the 1977 campaign. In 1977, UC used three shutouts and gave up 101 points on its way to a 5-2-1 start.
BEARCAT SACK ATTACK: Cincinnati is ranked 27th in the nation with 22 sacks for a 2.75 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 108.4 rushing yards per game, UC has allowed two opponents to surpass the century mark when Southeast Missouri State tallied 175 yards and Pittsburgh rushed for 260.
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 the team lead with four pickoffs. He returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown at Miami (OH). One ahead of fellow cornerback Mike Mickens for the team lead with nine passes defended, Smith is listed in a tie for 49th nationally in the category.
UC TOUGH IN THE RED ZONE: No pushover on defense, Cincinnati has allowed only 72.0 of opponents' drives (18-of-25) inside its own 20 yard line to result in scores. UC has given up 10 touchdowns on 25 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 is second on the team lead with 50 tackles (24 solo, 26 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 195 career stops, Nakamura paced the team with 76 tackles during the 2005 campaign.
SENIORS BOOKEND 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 26 tackles to his credit. The Cleveland native has 16 tackles for loss and seven 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 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 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 46.7 yards on 32 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 13 punts inside the opposition's 20 and four 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 7-of-12 on field goals and 32-of-34 on PAT kicks. He has converted 31 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 16 kickoffs for 351 yards, a 21.9 yards per return average. Ramsey saw limited action on kickoff coverage a year ago. Dominick Goodman has 12 returns for 244 yards (20.3 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.