Tickets| RV/RV CINCINNATI AT SMU | |
| Date | Saturday, Oct. 27 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Venue | Dallas, Texas | Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000) |
| Preview Info | Game Notes | Press Conference Video |
| Records | Cincinnati (6-1, 2-1 AAC East) | SMU (3-4, 2-1 AAC West) |
| Head Coaches | Luke Fickell (Second Year) | Sonny Dykes (First Year) |
| Series Record | Cincinnati leads 2-1 |
| Last Meeting | Oct. 21, 2107 - SMU won 31-28 in OT |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Watch | CBS Sports Network | CBS Sports App |
| Listen | 700 WLW AM | TuneIn Radio | Sirius 133, XM 201, Internet 967 |
| @GoBearcatsFB | @GoBEARCATS | |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Gameday Information | Gameday Information | Ford Stadium Policies (Clear Bag Policy In Effect) |
CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati football team is back on the road Saturday, heading to Dallas to take on SMU at 3:30 p.m. ET in Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The Bearcats (6-1, 2-1 AAC) are coming off a 24-17 overtime loss at Temple while the Mustangs (3-4, 2-1 AAC) return home after finishing a two-game road trip with a 27-23 win at Tulane. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network and via radio on 700 WLW AM, Sirius 133, XM 201 and Sirius XM Internet Channel 967.
THE SERIES
Saturday marks just the third meeting between the two schools. UC leads the series 2-1. The 2017 matchup was SMU's first win in the series, a 31-28 overtime triumph at Nippert Stadium.
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.
Sonny Dykes is in his first season at SMU after head coaching stints at Cal (2013-16) and Louisiana Tech (2010-12). He spent 2017 at TCU as an offensive analyst. Dykes holds a career record of 44-50 in eight seasons as a head coach.
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 the NCAA FBS. UC has won a league title five times in the last 11 years and will play in its 10th bowl games in the last 13 seasons.
- With six wins on the year, UC is now bowl eligible for the first time since 2015 when the Bearcats played in the Hawai'i Bowl.
- One of the youngest teams in the country, UC is made up of 72-percent underclassmen, including 35 true freshmen. The Bearcats feature players from 16 states and five countries with 64 of 112 student-athletes hailing from Ohio and 24 from the Cincinnati area.
- The Bearcats are defeating opponents by an average of 20.1 ppg, which includes home wins over Alabama A&M, Ohio and Tulane and road triumphs at UCLA, Miami (OH) and UConn.
- UC leads the American Athletic Conference in eight categories, scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense, pass defense efficiency, punting, opponent 1st downs, opponent 3rd down conversions and opponent 4th down conversions and rank in the Top-20 of the NCAA FBS in 10 categories, net punting (2), team passing efficiency defense (4), total defense (6), scoring defense (8), 3rd down conversion pct. defense (8), 4th down conversion pct. defense (7), first downs defense (8), passing yards allowed (9), punt return defense (9) and rushing offense (12).
- UC has had four comeback wins in 2018, coming back from being down 10 at UCLA, 21 vs. Ohio, seven at UConn and four vs. Tulane.
- UC has 24 rushing touchdowns on the year, more than doubling last year's total of 11. RB Michael Warren II has 12 of those 24 scores.
- RB Michael Warren II has 796 yards and 12 TDs, totaling 100 or more yards in each of UC's last four games. He's the first Bearcats back to accomplish the feat since 1998 and had a career-long, 81-yard TD run against Tulane, the second-longest TD rush in UC history.
- QB Desmond Ridder has completed nearly 61 percent of his passes in six starts, throwing for 10 TDs and adding another 324 yards rushing along with four more scores.
- TE Josiah Deguara has a team-high 24 catches for 321 yards and three TDs. He has a reception in all six games and entered the season with 15 career receptions for 145 yards and no scores.
- LB Perry Young leads the team with 38 tackles and has eight or more tackles in each of UC's last three games.
- DT Cortez Broughton ranks No. 3 in the American in sacks (0.71 per game) and no. 3 in tackles for loss (1.86 per game). His season numbers (5.0 sacks, 13.0 TFL) surpass his career numbers entering 2018 (3.5 sacks, 10 TFL).
- P James Smith is No. 7 in the NCAA FBS and No. 2 in the AAC averaging 46.2 ypp. He had a career-long 72-yard boot at Temple.