TicketsMEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - The University of Cincinnati football team arrived in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday afternoon, ahead of the 2019 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game against Memphis.
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 American Digital Network will have exclusive pregame and postgame coverage from Memphis Friday and Saturday.
Both head coaches met with the media Friday afternoon and their quotes are below.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
December 6, 2019
CINCINNATI HEAD COACH LUKE FICKELL
Opening Statement
We're excited to be here. This is our fist time since joining the conference to represent the East, and we're excited. It's unique coming back here two weeks in a row, but you guys have made it feel a lot different with everything that is behind this. It's exciting, it's unique, but I think it's going to be an exciting game.
On playing Memphis in back-to-back weeks
Like I said It's unique. I don't think they're going to change their personnel. It's the same guys that will be out there, which is similar to what we are. They will be a few tweaks here and there, and after the first quarter, I think it'll be back to the same battle it was a week ago. There's not a whole lot you can do differently. If you're Memphis at 11-1, they aren't going to change a whole lot. What they have done has been really successful, so I would imagine the will continue to do the things they have done with little wrinkles here and there.
On taking in the success of this season and being East champions…
I don't do a great job of that. I tried to remind the players Sunday and every day we practiced that 90-something percent of college football teams would trade places with them – to have the opportunity to play in a championship game. It's an incredible honor. It's hard to step back and think about it and appreciate what we have an opportunity to do when you have quite a task in front of you. Not in just that we played them last week, but a lot goes through your head even more so because you played them last week. It doesn't allow for a lot of time to sit back and realize how much it has taken to get here and how appreciative we are. But we try to remind our players of that so they can stay in the moment and realize this is the one goal we had as a program that we didn't really talk about a whole lot when we started the season.
On quarterbacks Ben Bryant and Desmond Ridder
Ben did a good job last week. For this first time, he really got to play. Last year he probably got in a little more than he had this year because of the nature of the games a year before, even as a redshirt guy in those four games. He hasn't seen a lot of action this year, but he's a guy we have an incredible amount of confidence in. Regardless of the outcome and the three turnovers, I was impressed how he handled it. I was impressed with how our guys rallied behind him. He never worried, even when we turned it over twice in a row. If he's what we're going with tomorrow, then I think they'll be right along with him and believing in what he's done. I think he'll grow a lot from what happened last week.
We've said from the get-go that Des is our quarterback. We have to make sure he feels right. We have enough respect for Des just like we did two weeks ago to say 'hey, you have to be honest with us. You got to look me in the eye and tell me what you really feel.' If he feels it and believes in himself, which he does – it's hard for a guy like him and a competitor like he is to say, 'hey, I don't know if I've got it today.' That's something we have to take a peek at and watch. I got a lot of respect for him. I think we respect him enough that he'll be honest with us, and then we have to evaluate it as well, even in warm-ups.
On the flea-flicker play Memphis ran last week
No, I don't think we had seen it exactly. But I knew there was something. We saw something right before half there that they weren't just going to take a knee on the ball. I think there were a lot of things in there that could have been brought out. I'm sure it could be brought out again tomorrow afternoon. Regardless if you're a defensive guy or offensive guy, you can't go into every game trying to defend everything – 'what if they do this? Or what if they do that?' You have to play. You can't sit back and worry or wonder about what's the next trick play you have to react and respond to. Sometimes those things do catch you by surprise. It worked for them, but hopefully it doesn't work for them tomorrow.
On withholding plays last week to prepare for this week…
You'd like to say yes, we held things back like a preseason game. We were already in the championship game and we'd get to play again whether it was at home or here, but no. You go in and prepare to play and win a game. There isn't a lot you hold back. Are there things mentally for an 18-22 year-old knowing they are in the championship game? I can't say there's not. We tried to combat that as much as we could last week. I didn't want any coaches to think like that by any means, so I surely didn't want the players to think like that. It wasn't as if we were holding something back believing, 'hey, if we play these guys again we'll have a few plays left in the barrel.' You go through 12 games of a season, everybody has a good idea of what each other has. I don't know if there are a lot of secrets left when you get down to the end like this. It's going to come down who can make plays and who can stop the big plays.
On potential New Year's Six auto-bid for The American and playoff expansion…
If you haven't heard me speak much, you might not know I kind of leave that to (American Athletic Conference Commissioner) Mike Aresco. He does a really good job being the mouthpiece for our conference. I don't get into things we don't have control over. I have 100-something 18-22 year-olds who take a lot of your time and things to do than sit here and worrying a whole lot of what our destination is based on what happens or what the league will be able to do. I know that this is a really good league. From top to bottom the parody in this league continues to impress me. Last week was the first time we'd played them. I'd watched them and seen them in crossover games, but I think where the league has gone and where we've gone, I think it's starting to be recognized more and more. I don't think it's that one team. 'Well, it was UCF two years ago that went undefeated and it was an anomaly.' No, I think you're seeing year in and year out that there are really good teams. I think it's going to be more difficult to run a table like UCF did because of the depth of the league. If that's the case, we'll have to continue to push to fight to get our own bid legitimately because of what we have done – not just in one or two years but in four, five and six years.
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH MIKE NORVELL
Opening Statement
Obviously, we're excited to be back in the American Athletic Conference Championship game. This has been a great year, I've been really pleased with our football team and the development we've seen, the maturity that we've shown. This is a team that's definitely grown from week one to where we are now. We've had some adversity, some key players go down throughout this year, but it provided an opportunity for new faces to showcase the heart and character that they have. Being able to host the conference championship is big, not only for this program, but also for this city. We're looking forward to the matchup, it is definitely unique coming off back-to-back weeks, playing the same opponent. But it reiterated the respect that we have for the Cincinnati program and the talent that they have. We know it's going to be one heck of a matchup tomorrow. I'm proud of our team, it's something special to be here once again three-straight years in a row representing the West Division. It's a feat in itself, and we're looking forward to tomorrow, hopefully doing the things necessary to find a way to be successful and accomplishing our goal and our objective and win a conference championship.
On the progression in Norvell's career at Memphis
It's been a special journey. From the first day that I got the job to where we've been able to build and progress to, there have been so many highlights. This year has probably been the most rewarding of all of them, just with the circumstances that have shown up. Looking at our football team, and staff, we've had to replace all three coordinators, lost a couple of outstanding playmakers, All-Americans, to the NFL Draft early, like I said, all the injuries, all the circumstances. But this team has shown the heart and character that they have, the work they've put into it since January. Some of the new faces have come in and done remarkable things, we've recruited at a high level, it's been special. Not only what we've been able to do on the field, but the impact we've had off of it. The GameDay experience, that weekend, that's something I'll never forget. That was special for the city of Memphis, being able to host GameDay, to feel the energy and the excitement, everybody coming together to celebrate this program, celebrate this city as a whole. To walk on that field and see 59,000 people dressed in blue, that has been a pipedream for this program for much of our history. We've had sellouts before, but I don't know if we've had sellouts that have looked like that, where it's been all about Memphis. To be a part of it, it's been a tremendous honor, and to coach the young men that I get to, to impact a community, something bigger than just a football team, it's been special. Now to host the conference championship, it's all a part of our progression as a program, and we're definitely looking forward to taking that next step.
On keeping players focused for the same opponent two weeks in a row
Coming off of last week, it is a challenge to play an opponent back-to-back. You learn things about the personnel, the different matchups, schematically, but the thing that came out of last week was a great respect for our opponent. That was a game that, if a handful of plays go the other way, it could have been a much different outcome. For us our focus is the same that it's been since January, ourselves. It hasn't mattered who we played this season, whether it was opening the season against an SEC opponent, a nationally-ranked opponent, a primetime game, it's all been about us and our growth and our development as a team, as individuals and as coaches. That's what our message has been, and was once again this week, I've been proud of how our guys prepared. We're looking forward to this game, it's special. You get to play in a championship game; it's something you should be commended for and be proud of. But we didn't plan on just getting here, we want to come here, put ourselves in the best position to be successful, and if we play to the best of our abilities, I'll be able to live with whatever outcome shows up.
On preparing for multiple quarterbacks
Last two weeks, we've been preparing for Desmond Ridder. We expected him to play last week, with (Ben) Bryant playing, he had an impressive performance. The young guy, with the talent he has, on a big stage and in a big game, I thought he did a lot of great things. We expect Ridder to play tomorrow, that's what we've prepared for this week. Obviously, if Bryant does play, we'll adapt and adjust to that, but it shows the talent and depth that they have within their program, and our guys fully understand and respect that.
On the difference in the team from the first conference championship game to now
Probably not just within the week, but the season. This offseason, I spent a lot of time looking back at the championship games over the last couple of years. We had leads in both games, obviously lost both of those late on the road, really succumbed to the momentum swings, and things that were disappointing for me and the program. We try to plan everything from January forward to prepare for this moment, and there were a lot of things that showed up through the season, how we responded in games, how we finished games. Some of the adversity that showed up, and our guys always responded. I think it's about how we train, and the maturity of the guys that we have. It's really been the same focus, we are excited to practice and play on Championship Week. To say that there's been some big change, it's been the same expectation from the first practice to this morning, our last regular season practice, we're just trying to get better in every aspect.
On having the experience from the previous championship games
I think the experiences that we've been able to build on from this year. There have been games, like Navy, early in the season, where we were down at half, things weren't going our way, you saw a great response from all three phases in that game. You go through a variety of games, I think in the last five games, we've had times where we played well, there have been times where we've been behind and had to respond. This team plays such complimentary football. All three phases have had to make an impact in specific games to allow us to be victorious, and they've answered the call. As for tomorrow, I don't know what it's going to look like, but I know there are going to be adjustments to be made from last week, there are going to be new schemes, new plans of attack, it's all going to come down to the responses. These are two top-25 football programs going against each other, I have a great deal of respect for their coaching staff we're competing against, it's going to be a heavy-weight battle. We're excited that we've put ourselves in this opportunity, we've just got to be ready for the response and whatever shows up throughout the game, and that maturity and experiences we're going to have to rely on.
On overcoming adversity and outside noise
There's always going to be the outside noise. There are always things trying to distract you. Our focus is on this game, on this opportunity. Honestly, the last three years, there have been all of these things, and we talk about it at various times. At the end of the day, we can control what we can control. We don't have any influence on what's written, what's said on the outside. Our players don't have any impact on when somebody gets injured, or how we have to respond. All of our energy, all of our focus has been on this week, it will take our best effort, individually and as a group, to put ourselves in a position to be successful. We're excited about the opportunity to play tomorrow.
On Brady White
Brady's been a great quarterback for us the last two years. He's played at a high level this year, I think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country. You look at what he's done to lead this team, the way he's developed in the consistency, the way he's been able to push the ball down the field, making the right decisions, protecting the football. On the flip side, one of the best things he's done, most fans don't realize it, is the way he's prepared for games, the understanding, the volume of schematic things we have him look at, that's what makes him special. He takes ownership of this program, and it's my job to make sure he's in a good position to showcase all his skills.
On accolades motivating players and coaches
At the end of the day, you're always working to earn respect. What you do on the field is going to provide everybody that tunes in and everybody that you compete against a new impression. We've had plenty of guys on award watch lists, we've had a lot of recognition for our coaches and players, but I tell my guys you are what you see on the field come Saturday. I can tell you, we're going to go out and play to the best of our abilities, and if that's worthy of being all-conference, individual awards are great, but we want to be conference champions. If we want to do that, we've got to show it come Saturday.
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 American Digital Network will have exclusive pregame and postgame coverage from Memphis Friday and Saturday.
Both head coaches met with the media Friday afternoon and their quotes are below.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
December 6, 2019
CINCINNATI HEAD COACH LUKE FICKELL
Opening Statement
We're excited to be here. This is our fist time since joining the conference to represent the East, and we're excited. It's unique coming back here two weeks in a row, but you guys have made it feel a lot different with everything that is behind this. It's exciting, it's unique, but I think it's going to be an exciting game.
On playing Memphis in back-to-back weeks
Like I said It's unique. I don't think they're going to change their personnel. It's the same guys that will be out there, which is similar to what we are. They will be a few tweaks here and there, and after the first quarter, I think it'll be back to the same battle it was a week ago. There's not a whole lot you can do differently. If you're Memphis at 11-1, they aren't going to change a whole lot. What they have done has been really successful, so I would imagine the will continue to do the things they have done with little wrinkles here and there.
On taking in the success of this season and being East champions…
I don't do a great job of that. I tried to remind the players Sunday and every day we practiced that 90-something percent of college football teams would trade places with them – to have the opportunity to play in a championship game. It's an incredible honor. It's hard to step back and think about it and appreciate what we have an opportunity to do when you have quite a task in front of you. Not in just that we played them last week, but a lot goes through your head even more so because you played them last week. It doesn't allow for a lot of time to sit back and realize how much it has taken to get here and how appreciative we are. But we try to remind our players of that so they can stay in the moment and realize this is the one goal we had as a program that we didn't really talk about a whole lot when we started the season.
On quarterbacks Ben Bryant and Desmond Ridder
Ben did a good job last week. For this first time, he really got to play. Last year he probably got in a little more than he had this year because of the nature of the games a year before, even as a redshirt guy in those four games. He hasn't seen a lot of action this year, but he's a guy we have an incredible amount of confidence in. Regardless of the outcome and the three turnovers, I was impressed how he handled it. I was impressed with how our guys rallied behind him. He never worried, even when we turned it over twice in a row. If he's what we're going with tomorrow, then I think they'll be right along with him and believing in what he's done. I think he'll grow a lot from what happened last week.
We've said from the get-go that Des is our quarterback. We have to make sure he feels right. We have enough respect for Des just like we did two weeks ago to say 'hey, you have to be honest with us. You got to look me in the eye and tell me what you really feel.' If he feels it and believes in himself, which he does – it's hard for a guy like him and a competitor like he is to say, 'hey, I don't know if I've got it today.' That's something we have to take a peek at and watch. I got a lot of respect for him. I think we respect him enough that he'll be honest with us, and then we have to evaluate it as well, even in warm-ups.
On the flea-flicker play Memphis ran last week
No, I don't think we had seen it exactly. But I knew there was something. We saw something right before half there that they weren't just going to take a knee on the ball. I think there were a lot of things in there that could have been brought out. I'm sure it could be brought out again tomorrow afternoon. Regardless if you're a defensive guy or offensive guy, you can't go into every game trying to defend everything – 'what if they do this? Or what if they do that?' You have to play. You can't sit back and worry or wonder about what's the next trick play you have to react and respond to. Sometimes those things do catch you by surprise. It worked for them, but hopefully it doesn't work for them tomorrow.
On withholding plays last week to prepare for this week…
You'd like to say yes, we held things back like a preseason game. We were already in the championship game and we'd get to play again whether it was at home or here, but no. You go in and prepare to play and win a game. There isn't a lot you hold back. Are there things mentally for an 18-22 year-old knowing they are in the championship game? I can't say there's not. We tried to combat that as much as we could last week. I didn't want any coaches to think like that by any means, so I surely didn't want the players to think like that. It wasn't as if we were holding something back believing, 'hey, if we play these guys again we'll have a few plays left in the barrel.' You go through 12 games of a season, everybody has a good idea of what each other has. I don't know if there are a lot of secrets left when you get down to the end like this. It's going to come down who can make plays and who can stop the big plays.
On potential New Year's Six auto-bid for The American and playoff expansion…
If you haven't heard me speak much, you might not know I kind of leave that to (American Athletic Conference Commissioner) Mike Aresco. He does a really good job being the mouthpiece for our conference. I don't get into things we don't have control over. I have 100-something 18-22 year-olds who take a lot of your time and things to do than sit here and worrying a whole lot of what our destination is based on what happens or what the league will be able to do. I know that this is a really good league. From top to bottom the parody in this league continues to impress me. Last week was the first time we'd played them. I'd watched them and seen them in crossover games, but I think where the league has gone and where we've gone, I think it's starting to be recognized more and more. I don't think it's that one team. 'Well, it was UCF two years ago that went undefeated and it was an anomaly.' No, I think you're seeing year in and year out that there are really good teams. I think it's going to be more difficult to run a table like UCF did because of the depth of the league. If that's the case, we'll have to continue to push to fight to get our own bid legitimately because of what we have done – not just in one or two years but in four, five and six years.
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH MIKE NORVELL
Opening Statement
Obviously, we're excited to be back in the American Athletic Conference Championship game. This has been a great year, I've been really pleased with our football team and the development we've seen, the maturity that we've shown. This is a team that's definitely grown from week one to where we are now. We've had some adversity, some key players go down throughout this year, but it provided an opportunity for new faces to showcase the heart and character that they have. Being able to host the conference championship is big, not only for this program, but also for this city. We're looking forward to the matchup, it is definitely unique coming off back-to-back weeks, playing the same opponent. But it reiterated the respect that we have for the Cincinnati program and the talent that they have. We know it's going to be one heck of a matchup tomorrow. I'm proud of our team, it's something special to be here once again three-straight years in a row representing the West Division. It's a feat in itself, and we're looking forward to tomorrow, hopefully doing the things necessary to find a way to be successful and accomplishing our goal and our objective and win a conference championship.
On the progression in Norvell's career at Memphis
It's been a special journey. From the first day that I got the job to where we've been able to build and progress to, there have been so many highlights. This year has probably been the most rewarding of all of them, just with the circumstances that have shown up. Looking at our football team, and staff, we've had to replace all three coordinators, lost a couple of outstanding playmakers, All-Americans, to the NFL Draft early, like I said, all the injuries, all the circumstances. But this team has shown the heart and character that they have, the work they've put into it since January. Some of the new faces have come in and done remarkable things, we've recruited at a high level, it's been special. Not only what we've been able to do on the field, but the impact we've had off of it. The GameDay experience, that weekend, that's something I'll never forget. That was special for the city of Memphis, being able to host GameDay, to feel the energy and the excitement, everybody coming together to celebrate this program, celebrate this city as a whole. To walk on that field and see 59,000 people dressed in blue, that has been a pipedream for this program for much of our history. We've had sellouts before, but I don't know if we've had sellouts that have looked like that, where it's been all about Memphis. To be a part of it, it's been a tremendous honor, and to coach the young men that I get to, to impact a community, something bigger than just a football team, it's been special. Now to host the conference championship, it's all a part of our progression as a program, and we're definitely looking forward to taking that next step.
On keeping players focused for the same opponent two weeks in a row
Coming off of last week, it is a challenge to play an opponent back-to-back. You learn things about the personnel, the different matchups, schematically, but the thing that came out of last week was a great respect for our opponent. That was a game that, if a handful of plays go the other way, it could have been a much different outcome. For us our focus is the same that it's been since January, ourselves. It hasn't mattered who we played this season, whether it was opening the season against an SEC opponent, a nationally-ranked opponent, a primetime game, it's all been about us and our growth and our development as a team, as individuals and as coaches. That's what our message has been, and was once again this week, I've been proud of how our guys prepared. We're looking forward to this game, it's special. You get to play in a championship game; it's something you should be commended for and be proud of. But we didn't plan on just getting here, we want to come here, put ourselves in the best position to be successful, and if we play to the best of our abilities, I'll be able to live with whatever outcome shows up.
On preparing for multiple quarterbacks
Last two weeks, we've been preparing for Desmond Ridder. We expected him to play last week, with (Ben) Bryant playing, he had an impressive performance. The young guy, with the talent he has, on a big stage and in a big game, I thought he did a lot of great things. We expect Ridder to play tomorrow, that's what we've prepared for this week. Obviously, if Bryant does play, we'll adapt and adjust to that, but it shows the talent and depth that they have within their program, and our guys fully understand and respect that.
On the difference in the team from the first conference championship game to now
Probably not just within the week, but the season. This offseason, I spent a lot of time looking back at the championship games over the last couple of years. We had leads in both games, obviously lost both of those late on the road, really succumbed to the momentum swings, and things that were disappointing for me and the program. We try to plan everything from January forward to prepare for this moment, and there were a lot of things that showed up through the season, how we responded in games, how we finished games. Some of the adversity that showed up, and our guys always responded. I think it's about how we train, and the maturity of the guys that we have. It's really been the same focus, we are excited to practice and play on Championship Week. To say that there's been some big change, it's been the same expectation from the first practice to this morning, our last regular season practice, we're just trying to get better in every aspect.
On having the experience from the previous championship games
I think the experiences that we've been able to build on from this year. There have been games, like Navy, early in the season, where we were down at half, things weren't going our way, you saw a great response from all three phases in that game. You go through a variety of games, I think in the last five games, we've had times where we played well, there have been times where we've been behind and had to respond. This team plays such complimentary football. All three phases have had to make an impact in specific games to allow us to be victorious, and they've answered the call. As for tomorrow, I don't know what it's going to look like, but I know there are going to be adjustments to be made from last week, there are going to be new schemes, new plans of attack, it's all going to come down to the responses. These are two top-25 football programs going against each other, I have a great deal of respect for their coaching staff we're competing against, it's going to be a heavy-weight battle. We're excited that we've put ourselves in this opportunity, we've just got to be ready for the response and whatever shows up throughout the game, and that maturity and experiences we're going to have to rely on.
On overcoming adversity and outside noise
There's always going to be the outside noise. There are always things trying to distract you. Our focus is on this game, on this opportunity. Honestly, the last three years, there have been all of these things, and we talk about it at various times. At the end of the day, we can control what we can control. We don't have any influence on what's written, what's said on the outside. Our players don't have any impact on when somebody gets injured, or how we have to respond. All of our energy, all of our focus has been on this week, it will take our best effort, individually and as a group, to put ourselves in a position to be successful. We're excited about the opportunity to play tomorrow.
On Brady White
Brady's been a great quarterback for us the last two years. He's played at a high level this year, I think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country. You look at what he's done to lead this team, the way he's developed in the consistency, the way he's been able to push the ball down the field, making the right decisions, protecting the football. On the flip side, one of the best things he's done, most fans don't realize it, is the way he's prepared for games, the understanding, the volume of schematic things we have him look at, that's what makes him special. He takes ownership of this program, and it's my job to make sure he's in a good position to showcase all his skills.
On accolades motivating players and coaches
At the end of the day, you're always working to earn respect. What you do on the field is going to provide everybody that tunes in and everybody that you compete against a new impression. We've had plenty of guys on award watch lists, we've had a lot of recognition for our coaches and players, but I tell my guys you are what you see on the field come Saturday. I can tell you, we're going to go out and play to the best of our abilities, and if that's worthy of being all-conference, individual awards are great, but we want to be conference champions. If we want to do that, we've got to show it come Saturday.