Tickets| 2019 AAC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP • No. 20 CINCINNATI @ No. 17 MEMPHIS | |
| Date | Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Venue | Memphis, Tennessee | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (58,325) |
| Preview Info | Game Notes | Press Conference Video | Friday Press Conference |
| Records | No. 20 Cincinnati (10-2) | No. 17 Memphis (11-1) |
| Head Coaches | Luke Fickell (Third Year) | Mike Norvell (Fourth Year) |
| Series Record | Memphis leads 22-13 |
| Last Meeting | Nov. 29, 2019 - UC L, 34-24 |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Watch | ABC | Watch Live |
| Listen | 700 WLW AM | TuneIn Radio | Sirius 206 / XM 201 / Internet 964 |
| @GoBearcatsFB | @GoBEARCATS | |
| Tickets | Click HERE to Buy |
| Gameday Information | Memphis Gameday Information | AAC Championship Central |
Coaches' Pregame Press Conference
Countdown To Kickoff - American Digital Network Preview
Saturday, December 7
American Digital Network Live Pregame Show - 2:30 p.m. ET
Cincinnati at Memphis - 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Championship Trophy Ceremony - ESPN3
CINCINNATI - Eight days after a nip-and-tuck battle, the No. 20 University of Cincinnati football team returns to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for a rematch against No. 16 Memphis with the American Athletic Conference title on the line. The Bearcats (10-2) won the American's East Division and face the Tigers (11-1) on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on ABC and air on 700 WLW AM. The winner of The American Championship will be eligible to be chosen for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic as part of the College Football Playoff selection process. The American Digital Network will have exclusive pregame and postgame coverage from Memphis Friday and Saturday.
THE SERIES
Friday marks the 36th meeting all-time between the two squads and second in a week in a series that dates to 1984. The Tigers lead the all-time series 22-13. Memphis has won four in-a-row in the series. Memphis jumped out to a 17-3 lead last week before UC tied things up at 17 in the second quarter. The Bearcats battled back within three at several points in the second half, but were unable to secure the win.
THE COACHES
Luke Fickell, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, is in his third season at Cincinnati. The 42nd head coach in program history, Fickell took the reins in December 2016 after 15 years at his alma mater, Ohio State. A veteran of nearly 20 years in the FBS ranks, Fickell was a part of nine Big Ten Conference titles (seven as a coach, two as a player) and two national championship squads with 16 postseason games and 13 NFL Draft selections under his belt.
Mike Norvell is in his fourth year at Memphis with a 37-15 school and career mark. He has led the Tigers to a pair of AAC West Division titles and a number of dynamic offenses. He came to Memphis after three seasons as the OC at Arizona State and also had coaching stops at Pitt and Tulsa. He started his coaching career at his alma mater, Central Arkansas.
TV: ABC
• Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch Analyst: Greg McElroy Field Analyst: Tom Luginbill
• Online: WatchESPN.com / ESPN App
RADIO: BEARCATS SPORTS NETWORK
• Play-by-Play: Dan Hoard Analyst: Jim Kelly Jr. Sideline: Tony Pike
• Local: 700 WLW AM Satellite: Sirius 206 / XM 201 / Internet 964
• Online: TuneIn Radio
STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS ...
• The Bearcats play their 132nd football season in 2019. UC's 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 12 years and has played 10 bowl games in the past 13 years.
• UC has won four-straight American Athletic Conference FB Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018.
Cincinnati was the only school in the country in 2018-19 to tally 11 football wins, including a bowl win, and earn 24 or more wins in baseball, men's and women's basketball and volleyball.
• UC, picked second in the AAC preseason media poll, had 11 wins a year ago, marking only the third time in program history the feat has been achieved (2008, 2009). The Bearcats returned more than 85% of the roster, over 5,000 yards of total offense, 10 of the Top-15 tacklers and 14 starters from the 2018 squad.
• The 2019 roster features players from 14 states and six countries with 72 hailing from Ohio and 26 from the Cincinnati area. Forty-five percent of the roster (53/117 players) is made up by freshmen and redshirt freshmen.
• UC is 21-4 since the start of 2018, ranked No. 20 in the CFP and No. 21 in the AP and Coaches Polls, making the first conference championship game appearance in school history and seeking the fourth 11-win season in school history.
• UC is 1-0 in postseason games in Memphis, having knocked off Vanderbilt 31-24 in the 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
• The AAC Championship game is not the first time UC has played in a stadium during the regular and postseasons. In 2002, UC faced Tulane in the Superdome on Oct. 12 and played North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 17.
• Redshirt freshman QB Ben Bryant got the start last week in Memphis with QB Desmond Ridder down with a shoulder injury. Bryant went 20-of-32 for 229 yards with a TD, two interceptions and a 12-yard rushing score.
• UC is going for its third American Athletic Conference Championship of 2019 in Memphis. UC's MBB squad won the AAC Tournament at FedEx Forum in March 2019, UC XC runner Aaron Bienenfeld won the AAC title at Shelby Farms in East Memphis and Saturday the football team battles Memphis for the AAC crown at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
2020 SEASON TICKET DEPOSITS
The Athletics Ticket Office is now accepting deposits for season tickets in the 2020 season. Any fan who was not a season ticket holder in 2019 should click here to place their deposit for the 2020 season. New season ticket holders who make a deposit will have access to season ticket locations ahead of the general public during the spring 2020 selection window. Deposits are only needed for fans who did not have season tickets in 2019.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati football, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati football (@GoBearcatsFB) and Coach Fickell (@CoachFick) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.