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Football Takes On Connecticut Saturday In BIG EAST Matchup

Football Takes On Connecticut Saturday In BIG EAST MatchupFootball Takes On Connecticut Saturday In BIG EAST Matchup

Oct. 21, 2008

Game Notes | Season Statistics | Live Video | | Listen


PREVIEWING THE CONNECTICUT GAME


GAME 7: CINCINNATI at CONNECTICUT

Saturday, Oct. 25 | Noon EDT | Rentschler Field (40,000) | East Hartford, Conn.

Series: Cincinnati leads 4-0
Last Meeting: UC 27, UConn 3, Nov. 10, 2007, Nippert Stadium
Television: BIG EAST Network: Mike Gleason (PXP), John Congemi (ANA), Quint Kessenich (SL)
Streaming: www.ESPN360.com
Radio: 700 WLW & XM Channel 173: Dan Hoard (PXP), Sam Garnes (ANA) Tom Gelehrter (SL), & Mo Egger (Host/ENG)


UC HITS ROAD FOR BIG EAST MATCHUP AGAINST CONNECTICUT
The University of Cincinnati football team puts a four-game winning streak on the line Saturday night, traveling to Connecticut's Rentschler Field for a matchup with the Huskies. The game will be televised by the BIG EAST Network and is available on WKRC Channel 12 in Cincinnati, on ESPN Game Plan and ESPN360.com. The Bearcats enter at 5-1 on the season, 1-0 in BIG EAST play and are coming off their second bye week of the season. UConn is 5-2, 1-1 in BIG EAST play and has dropped its past two games. Both teams enter having played multiple quarterbacks this season, UC with four and UConn with three.

THE SERIES
Cincinnati and Connecticut meet for the fifth time Saturday with UC the winner in the previous four matchups. UC won last season's meeting 27-3 in Nippert Stadium and earned a 26-23 victory in its only trip to Rentschler Field in 2006.

THE COACHES
Brian Kelly, the 2007 BIG EAST Coach of the Year, is in his second full season at the helm of the Cincinnati football program with a 16-4 record and an 18-year career mark of 153-55-2. Kelly led the Bearcats to a school-record-tying 10 wins in 2007 and a victory in the Papajohns.com Bowl. He won two NCAA Division II National Championships at Grand Valley State and led Central Michigan to the 2006 Mid-American Conference Championship. He is the leader in victories among active BIG EAST coaches and is the only current BIG EAST coach with 150 or more career wins.

Randy Edsall is 55-57 in his 10th season with the Huskies. He is 0-4 against UC.



STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS

  • Quarterback Tony Pike has been medically cleared to play after missing the past two games due to a broken left arm suffered in the fourth quarter of UC's win at Akron.
  • Chazz Anderson started UC's past two games and led UC to a 33-10 win at Marshall and a 13-10 win over Rutgers.
  • UC has used four quarterbacks this season, Anderson, Zach Collaros, Dustin Grutza, and Pike. Grutza started the first two games before breaking his right fibula at Oklahoma, and Collaros led UC to a 17-15 come-from-behind win at Akron.
  • The UC defense has produced eight sacks in its last three games after recording three in the first three games of the season.
  • Defensive end Connor Barwin has six sacks on the season, leading the BIG EAST and tied for 10th best nationally.
  • Wide receiver Dominick Goodman needs one receiving touchdown to tie for UC's all-time lead Jim O'Brien (21).
  • Cornerback Mike Mickens snagged his 12th career interception at Marshall to move into a tie for UC's career lead with Blue Adams and Jocelyn Borgella. He leads UC with 39 tackles.