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No. 5/6 Football Welcomes Louisville For The 49th Battle For The Keg Of Nails Saturday

No. 5/6 Football Welcomes Louisville For The 49th Battle For The Keg Of Nails SaturdayNo. 5/6 Football Welcomes Louisville For The 49th Battle For The Keg Of Nails Saturday

Oct. 21, 2009

Homecoming Web Site | Game Notes | Roster | | Live Audio

AT A GLANCE
Date: Oct. 24, 2009
Time: 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Venue: Nippert Stadium
Capacity: 35,000
Surface: FieldTurf
Live Stats: GoBEARCATS.com
Series Record: UC leads 26-21-1
In Cincinnati: UC leads 14-12

ON THE AIR
The game will be televised nationally by ESPNU. Todd Harris (play-by-play), Charles Arbuckle (analyst), and Melissa Knowles (sideline) will have the call.

The game will air over the Cincinnati Bearcats Radio Network presented by IMG College starting at 3 p.m. on 700 WLW AM, XM 203, and Sirius 127. Dan Hoard (play-by-play), Jim Kelly Jr. (analyst), Tom Gelehrter (sideline), and Mo Egger (host/engineer) make up the UC broadcast team.

The radio broadcast can also be heard over the internet at GoBEARCATS.com.

Westwood One will air the game nationally with John Tautges (play-by-play) and Eddie George (analyst) calling the action.

No. 5/6 Football Welcomes Louisville For The 49th Battle For The Keg Of Nails Saturday
The No. 5/6 University of Cincinnati football team welcomes BIG EAST Conference rival Louisville into Nippert Stadium in the 49th Battle For The Keg Of Nails on Saturday. UC (6-0, 2-0 BIG EAST) looks to extend an eight-game home winning streak. Louisville (2-4, 0-2 BIG EAST) has taken the past five meetings between the two schools at Nippert, dating back to 1999. The Bearcats feature the No. 4 scoring offense in the country (40.67 ppg) and a defense that leads the country in tackles for a loss (10.17 per game), and ranks second nationally in sacks (4.17 spg).

THE SERIES
The schools have met 48 times on the field with UC leading the all-time series 26-21-1, along with a 14-12 mark at home.

THE COACHES
Brian Kelly, the two-time reigning BIG EAST Coach of the Year, is in his third full season at the helm of the Cincinnati football program with a 28-6 record and a 19-year career mark of 165-57-2. Kelly led the Bearcats to a school-record 11 wins, a BIG EAST Championship, and a Bowl Championship Series game berth in 2008. 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.

Steve Kragthorpe is 13-17 in his third season as the Cardinals' head coach. He went 6-6 in 2007 and 5-7 in 2008. He is 42-39 all-time in his eighth season overall and is 1-1 against the Bearcats.

A LOOK AHEAD
UC will be back on the road for a Halloween matchup at the Carrier Dome with Syracuse at noon on ESPNU. The two schools will meet for the 10th time with UC holding a 5-4 edge in the all-time series. The Orange lead 3-2 in games played at the Carrier Dome, but UC has won two straight in Syracuse and four straight overall in the series. UC will spend the entire month of November in Cincinnati, playing three-straight games at Nippert Stadium.

STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS ...

  • UC will add some new accessories to the traditional black uniforms Saturday, celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness with a helmet decal, as well as pink wristbands and mouthpieces.
  • UC achieved its best-ever ranking entering the week, checking in at No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and Bowl Championship Series standings, and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
  • UC is 14-7-1 all -time when ranked.
  • Quarterback Tony Pike is day-to-day after suffering an injury in the second half of the USF game. His left (non-throwing) arm is in a cast and his status for the UofL game is unknown.
  • Pike was relieved by Zach Collaros who ran for a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.
  • Jacob Rogers was named the BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week after contributing 10 points to UC's win over USF. Rogers averaged 45.1 yards on seven punts, made a pair of field goals (37, 29) and had two kickoffs go for touchbacks.
  • UC leads the nation in tackles for a loss (10.2 per game) and ranks second in sacks (4.2 per game) while also ranking in the top-10 in turnover margin (5th/1.5).
  • The Bearcats have scored 244 points in six games (42.0 ppg) and are 6-0 for the second time in three years (2007).
  • Cincinnati ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense, averaging 40.7 points per game, and 10th in passing offense (310.2).
  • UC has turned the ball over four times in 2009, all on INTs. That ranks tied for the fewest turnovers in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision along with Air Force and Oregon State.
  • QB Tony Pike has thrown a touchdown pass in 15-straight starts and leads the BIG EAST in total offense (306.8 ypg).
  • WR Mardy Gilyard has caught a touchdown pass in each of UC's five games in 2009, extending his TD reception streak to seven. games. He has 38 catches for 517 yards and 7 TDs in 2009.
  • Gilyard leads the league in all-purpose yards (166.4)
  • Under third-year coach Brian Kelly, Cincinnati had its second straight 10-win season in 2008. Before Kelly arrived, Cincinnati had exactly one 10-win season (1951).
  • Cincinnati was picked third in the BIG EAST preseason media poll, despite the Bearcats' receiving as many first-place votes (eight) as favorite Pittsburgh.