TicketsBy Bill Koch
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI – There's a certain charm, almost a quaintness, to the football rivalry between the University of Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) University known as the Battle for the Victory Bell, the longest non-conference rivalry in the country.
The rivalry doesn't receive much national attention, but when it comes to longevity, there are few that can match it. The two schools, located just 39 miles apart, first played each other in 1888 when they battled to an 0-0 tie at Miami in the first college game played in Ohio. They did not play in 1943 or 1944, but played every year from 1909 through 1942 and every year from 1945 until now.
And thanks to a new agreement that was announced this week, they're assured of playing each other through 2029, with three of those games scheduled for Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.
This game is so much of a strictly local tradition that Luke Fickell knew very little about it until he became the UC head coach last December, event though he grew up just a few hours up the road in Columbus. He studied up on it over the summer and sought out members of his staff who played in it during their days at UC to bring him up to snuff. But he won't truly get a feel for it until Saturday night when the Bearcats (1-1) take on the RedHawks (1-1) at 8 o'clock at Yager Stadium in Oxford.
Fickell knows a lot about rivalries, though, in particular the Ohio State-Michigan version, which he both played and coached in and which is the direct opposite of the Victory Bell rivalry in terms of its national scope.
"I've learned an incredible amount about what rivalries are all about," Fickell said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "And I can tell you this, it's not about who's the most talented, it's not about who schemed up who more. It's really about preparation and practice. I want to make sure our guys understand that.
"Everybody will be fired up for Saturday. Both teams want to win. Both teams are going to be excited. There's going to be incredible emotion and energy, but it's really about the preparation. It's really about our heart and soul. Who's willing to sacrifice more, who's willing to fight and scratch and claw for it. That's what it comes down to. You can say that about every game, but none more than a rivalry game. It's really about respecting not just the game but the entire week and how you go about your business and the mindset that you have."
The Bearcats have dominated this rivalry almost to the point of absurdity in recent years, having won 11 straight – the longest winning streak for either team in the history of the rivalry . But they still trail in the overall series 59-55-7. UC gained control of the series under head coach Mark Dantonio with a 24-10 win in 2006, the year after Miami had prevailed in a 44-16 rout. Since then, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones and Tommy Tuberville have come and gone as Bearcat coaches. They all had different levels of overall success at UC, but none of them lost to Miami.
In the early years of UC's winning streak, the Bearcats romped to easy victories with scores such as 47-10, 45-20, 37-13, 45-3, 27-0 and 52-14. But lately the RedHawks have made a game of it. Each of the last three games has been decided by seven points or fewer.
Last year, the Bearcats trailed, 20-17, entering the fourth quarter but rallied to win behind Josh Pasley's 23-yard field goal with 12:11 left and Tion Green's 2-yard touchdown run with 5:09 left to give UC a 27-20 victory at Nippert Stadium.
"I haven't lost to Miami since I've been here," said UC senior tackle Korey Cunningham. "I'm looking forward to keeping the tradition going here at UC. They gave us a good shot every time we've played them since I've been here. Last year it came down to the fourth quarter and we were able to pull it out at the end."
The two rivals headed off in different directions last year after the Victory Bell game. Miami recovered to win its last six regular-season games before losing to Mississippi State, 17-16, in the St. Petersburg Bowl. UC lost its last five games to finish 4-8, leading to the departure of Tuberville, who was 4-0 against the RedHawks.
Fickell said this could be the week that sophomore quarterback Ross Trail sees his first action of the season for the Bearcats. Trail has been struggling with an ab strain since before the end of training camp. Junior Hayden Moore will start for the third straight week, but Fickell said there's a "very good chance" that Trail could play Saturday.
"It's only Tuesday," Fickell said, "and we haven't practiced yet today, but he got some reps for us yesterday, so I think he's becoming a much more viable option for us this week and moving forward as well."
Fickell reiterated what he said after the Michigan game last week, that redshirt freshman running back Gerrid Doaks will be worked into the offense more prominently as a complement to starter Mike Boone. Doaks gained 15 yards last week on his first career carry and finished with 25 yards on six carries.
Josh Pasley, who kicked last week against Michigan, and Andrew Gantz, who kicked in the season opener against Austin Peay, will compete again this week, Fickell said, to see who gets the call against Miami. Given how close this game has been in each of the last three years, that could be a key decision.
"People want to talk about you guys have won the last 11," Fickell said. "But I'm not sure we outplayed them the last three games and that's reality. I've talked to our guys about that. The thing about rivalries is that what happened last year was last year. That doesn't matter. You can't think like that. This is an entirely different way of approaching things."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January, 2015.
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI – There's a certain charm, almost a quaintness, to the football rivalry between the University of Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) University known as the Battle for the Victory Bell, the longest non-conference rivalry in the country.
The rivalry doesn't receive much national attention, but when it comes to longevity, there are few that can match it. The two schools, located just 39 miles apart, first played each other in 1888 when they battled to an 0-0 tie at Miami in the first college game played in Ohio. They did not play in 1943 or 1944, but played every year from 1909 through 1942 and every year from 1945 until now.
And thanks to a new agreement that was announced this week, they're assured of playing each other through 2029, with three of those games scheduled for Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.
This game is so much of a strictly local tradition that Luke Fickell knew very little about it until he became the UC head coach last December, event though he grew up just a few hours up the road in Columbus. He studied up on it over the summer and sought out members of his staff who played in it during their days at UC to bring him up to snuff. But he won't truly get a feel for it until Saturday night when the Bearcats (1-1) take on the RedHawks (1-1) at 8 o'clock at Yager Stadium in Oxford.
Fickell knows a lot about rivalries, though, in particular the Ohio State-Michigan version, which he both played and coached in and which is the direct opposite of the Victory Bell rivalry in terms of its national scope.
"I've learned an incredible amount about what rivalries are all about," Fickell said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "And I can tell you this, it's not about who's the most talented, it's not about who schemed up who more. It's really about preparation and practice. I want to make sure our guys understand that.
"Everybody will be fired up for Saturday. Both teams want to win. Both teams are going to be excited. There's going to be incredible emotion and energy, but it's really about the preparation. It's really about our heart and soul. Who's willing to sacrifice more, who's willing to fight and scratch and claw for it. That's what it comes down to. You can say that about every game, but none more than a rivalry game. It's really about respecting not just the game but the entire week and how you go about your business and the mindset that you have."
The Bearcats have dominated this rivalry almost to the point of absurdity in recent years, having won 11 straight – the longest winning streak for either team in the history of the rivalry . But they still trail in the overall series 59-55-7. UC gained control of the series under head coach Mark Dantonio with a 24-10 win in 2006, the year after Miami had prevailed in a 44-16 rout. Since then, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones and Tommy Tuberville have come and gone as Bearcat coaches. They all had different levels of overall success at UC, but none of them lost to Miami.
In the early years of UC's winning streak, the Bearcats romped to easy victories with scores such as 47-10, 45-20, 37-13, 45-3, 27-0 and 52-14. But lately the RedHawks have made a game of it. Each of the last three games has been decided by seven points or fewer.
Last year, the Bearcats trailed, 20-17, entering the fourth quarter but rallied to win behind Josh Pasley's 23-yard field goal with 12:11 left and Tion Green's 2-yard touchdown run with 5:09 left to give UC a 27-20 victory at Nippert Stadium.
"I haven't lost to Miami since I've been here," said UC senior tackle Korey Cunningham. "I'm looking forward to keeping the tradition going here at UC. They gave us a good shot every time we've played them since I've been here. Last year it came down to the fourth quarter and we were able to pull it out at the end."
The two rivals headed off in different directions last year after the Victory Bell game. Miami recovered to win its last six regular-season games before losing to Mississippi State, 17-16, in the St. Petersburg Bowl. UC lost its last five games to finish 4-8, leading to the departure of Tuberville, who was 4-0 against the RedHawks.
Fickell said this could be the week that sophomore quarterback Ross Trail sees his first action of the season for the Bearcats. Trail has been struggling with an ab strain since before the end of training camp. Junior Hayden Moore will start for the third straight week, but Fickell said there's a "very good chance" that Trail could play Saturday.
"It's only Tuesday," Fickell said, "and we haven't practiced yet today, but he got some reps for us yesterday, so I think he's becoming a much more viable option for us this week and moving forward as well."
Fickell reiterated what he said after the Michigan game last week, that redshirt freshman running back Gerrid Doaks will be worked into the offense more prominently as a complement to starter Mike Boone. Doaks gained 15 yards last week on his first career carry and finished with 25 yards on six carries.
Josh Pasley, who kicked last week against Michigan, and Andrew Gantz, who kicked in the season opener against Austin Peay, will compete again this week, Fickell said, to see who gets the call against Miami. Given how close this game has been in each of the last three years, that could be a key decision.
"People want to talk about you guys have won the last 11," Fickell said. "But I'm not sure we outplayed them the last three games and that's reality. I've talked to our guys about that. The thing about rivalries is that what happened last year was last year. That doesn't matter. You can't think like that. This is an entirely different way of approaching things."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January, 2015.