Tickets| CINCINNATI VS. OHIO | |
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 22 | Noon ET |
| Venue | Cincinnati, Ohio | Nippert Stadium (40,000) |
| Preview Info | Game Notes | Press Conference Video |
| Records | Cincinnati (3-0) | Ohio (1-1) |
| Head Coaches | Luke Fickell (Second Year) | Frank Solich (14th Year) |
| Series Record | Cincinnati lead 1-0 |
| Last Meeting | Sept. 5, 2015 - Cincinnati won 52-10 |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Watch | ESPNU | ESPN App |
| Listen | 700 WLW AM | TuneIn Radio |
| @GoBearcatsFB | @GoBEARCATS | |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Gameday Information | 2018 Gameday Page |
CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati football team welcomes the Ohio University Bobcats to Nippert Stadium Saturday for the first time since Nov. 10, 1979. The two former conference foes will meet for the 51st time in a rivalry which began in 1896. The game will air on ESPNU and the ESPN app and via radio on 700 WLW AM, XM 381, Sirius XM Internet 975 and TuneIn.com.
THE SERIES
Saturday marks the first meeting of the two schools since Oct. 3, 1981, 36 years ago. The all-time series, which began in 1896, is knotted at 23-23-4 with the Bearcats besting the Bobcats in six of seven previous meetings.
THE COACHES
Luke Fickell was named the 42nd Football Head Coach at the University of Cincinnati in December 2016. He took the reins of UC's program after spending 15 years at his alma mater, Ohio State. A veteran of nearly 20 years coaching 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.
Frank Solich is 98-72 in his 14th year at Ohio and 156-91 in 20 years as a collegiate head coach. He has led the Bobcats to bowl eligibility in nine of the last 10 seasons with 76 wins since 2006, the most among Mid-American Conference East Division schools. He previously was head coach at Nebraska (1998-03) and was on the Huskers staff from 1979-2003.
STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS ...
- The University of Cincinnati football team plays its 131st season in 2018.
- The program dates to 1885 and is one of the 10 oldest in major college football. UC has won a league title five times in the last 11 years and played in nine bowl games in the last 12 seasons.
- Entering 2018, UC is one of 36 NCAA FBS teams with 100 wins since 2005.
- The Bearcats' .638 winning percentage since 2007 ranks among the Top-30 teams in the NCAA FBS, winning at least nine games seven times in the last 12 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.
- UC won back-to-back-to-back American Athletic Conference FB Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2015, 2016 & 2017.
- UC was picked fourth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason poll and is the only team in the conference to return its leading rusher (Gerrid Doaks), passer (Hayden Moore) and receiver (Kahlil Lewis) from the 2017 season.
- Almost sixty-nine percent of UC's roster (77 of 112) is made of up freshmen, RS freshmen and sophomores.
- UC is one of the five youngest teams in college football, featuring 81 underclassmen (29 sophomores, 17 redshirt freshmen, 35 true freshmen) on its 112-person roster.
- The 2018 roster is composed of student-athletes from 16 states and five countries. Sixty-four Bearcats hail from Ohio, with 24 from Cincinnati, followed in order by Florida (10), Georgia (9), Indiana (6), Illinois (4), Kentucky (4), Virginia (4), Alabama (3), Michigan (2) with single players from California, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.
- UC started the season with two straight road games for the 12th time, winning both games for only the second time in program history and the first time since 1898. UC hadn't started a season with two-straight road games since 1991 when the Bearcats opened with three-straight away from home against Penn State, North Carolina and Bowling Green.
- The Bearcats are off to their best start since the 2012 season.
- UC sits in the Top-20 of NCAA FBS teams in: first downs defense (5), net punting (13), team passing efficiency defense (4), passing yards allowed (11), red zone offense (t-1), rushing defense (12), rushing offense (16), scoring defense (t-2), time of possession (17) and total defense (3)
- Cincinnati leads the American Athletic Conference in: first downs defense, net punting, red zone offense, rushing defense, scoring defense, team passing efficiency defense and total defense.