Football Squares Off With No. 25 UCF Saturday

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CINCINNATI BEARCATS (2-2, 0-1 American)
Head Coach: Luke Fickell
Record at Cincinnati: 2-2 (First Year)
Overall Record: 8-9 (Second Year)

No. 25 UCF KNIGHTS (3-0, 1-0 American)
Head Coach: Scott Frost
Record at UCF: 9-7 (Second Year)
Overall Record: Same

GAME INFORMATION
Live Stats: GoBEARCATS.com
Facility: Nippert Stadium
Capacity/Surface: 40,000/UBU Speed Series M-6M
TV: ESPNU/WatchESPN (Click Here To Watch)
Radio: 700 WLW AM/Sirius 119, XM 380, Internet 964
Online: TuneIn.com
Series Record: Tied 1-1
At Cincinnati: Cincinnati leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 12, 2016 - UCF won 24-3

FOOTBALL SQUARES OFF WITH NO. 25 UCF SATURDAY
The University of Cincinnati football team looks to snap a two-game losing skid Saturday, welcoming No. 25 UCF to Nippert Stadium for an American Athletic Conference East Division matchup. The Bearcats and Knights will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU and 700 WLW AM. UC is 2-3 and coming off losses at Navy and vs. Marshall while UCF is 3-0 after a 40-13 win over Memphis on Sept. 30.

THE SERIES
Saturday marks the third meeting in the series between the Bearcats and Knights. Both teams have won games on their home field. UCF beat UC 24-3 on Nov. 12, 2016 in Orlando.

THE COACHES
Ohio native Luke Fickell was named the 42nd Football Head Coach at the University of Cincinnati in December 2017. Fickell took the reins of the Bearcats program after spending 15 years at his alma mater, Ohio State. An experienced 18-year coaching veteran at the FBS level, Fickell was a part of nine Big Ten Conference titles (seven as a coach, two as a player) and two national championship squads with 15 postseason games and 12 NFL Draft selections under his belt.

Scott Frost is 9-7 in his second season at UCF. A former national-champion quarterback at Nebraska, Frost was with Oregon from 2009-15, and took over as the Ducks' offensive coordinator in 2013. He has also made coaching stops at Northern Iowa, Kansas State and Nebraska.

STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS ...

• The University of Cincinnati football team plays its 130th season in 2017. The program dates to 1885 and is one of the 10 oldest in major college football. UC has won a league title in five of the last 10 seasons and played in a bowl game nine time in the past 11 years. 
• UC is one of 30 NCAA FBS teams with 100 wins since 2005. The Bearcats' .667 winning percentage since 2007 ranks among the Top-20 teams in the NCAA FBS, winning at least nine games seven times in the last 11 years.
• The Bearcats returned to Nippert Stadium in 2015 after a 20 month, $86-million renovation and drew 222,578 fans in the first year back at Nippert Stadium, a single-season record average of 37, 096. The Oct. 24, 2015 attendance of 40,124 was the largest in Nippert Stadium history. The previous stadium record was 40,101 set on Oct. 1 against Miami (Fla.).
• UC won back-to-back American Athletic Conference FB Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2015 & 2016.
• UC started 2017 with seven takeaways (2 INT, 5 FR) and five sacks after closing 2016 with 24 takeaways (17 INT/7 FR) and 21 sacks. UC forced only 14 takeaways (9 INT/5 FR) and 13 sacks during the 2015 season.
• UC had 28 players take the field for the first time during the opening three games of the 2017 season.
• Almost sixty-nine percent of UC's roster (77 of 112) is made of up freshmen, RS freshmen and sophomores.
• Due to Hurricane Irma, UC will now face USF on Oct. 14 at Raymond James Stadium and have their bye week on Oct. 28.
• UC recently wrapped up its first three-game road trip in 17 years. The Bearcats played at Michigan, at Miami (OH) and at Navy.
• UC's offense has struggled early in games this season, being outscored 42-17 in the first quarter, but the Bearcats set season highs in nearly every offensive category at Navy, including ringing up 439 yards of total offense on what was the No. 2 defense in the American.
• With the offensive struggles, UC trails in time of possession with 25:14 per game compared to 34:46 for Bearcats opponents.
• LB Jaylyin Minor has averaged 10.2 tackles per game, hitting for double-digits in four of five contests, good for second in The American.
• RB Mike Boone (53.7 ypg, 4 TDs), the Bearcats' leading rusher, returned against Marshall after missing two games with an ankle injury. RB Gerrid Doaks has averaged 52.5 yards per game with two TDs in the last three games.
• QB Hayden Moore has taken all the snaps for UC this season, completing 52.5 percent of his passes, going 106-of-202 for 1,097 yards and nine TDs to four interceptions in five starts.
• WR Devin Gray has hauled in nine receptions for 127 yards and a TD over the last two contests after entering the Navy game with only five catches for 59 yards on the season.