TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati football team will travel a few miles down the road to Paycor Stadium to face Miami (Ohio) in the historic "Battle for the Victory Bell" on Saturday at Noon (ESPNU).
The Bearcats are coming off a 63-10 home-opening win over the Owls of Kennesaw State where they extended their winning streak at Nippert Stadium to 28 games – second-longest in the nation.
Cincinnati will face a Miami team that is 1-1, but was picked to win the Mid-American Conference East Division.
Fickell talked about the historic rivalry, which began play in 1888, UC's quarterback play, integrating transfers into the Bearcats' culture, and so much more during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
Here are five takeaways from Fickell's Week 3 press conference:
Preparation is Key
Fickell singled out redshirt junior defensive back Will Adams for his work on the scout team as the quarterback in preparation for Kennesaw State's triple-option attack last week. The Owls' offense is hard to replicate so it puts extra stress on the coaches and players to practice for a scheme they may only see once a season.
"You don't play a game like that without incredible preparation last week," Fickell said. "I talked about the triple option, it's always unique, but that crew in practice that gave us a triple-option look needs to be rewarded. We will and we do, but those guys need to be mentioned. I won't go by name, but I'll just mention that Will Adams, a backup safety for us, ran the offense as the quarterback, unselfish, and did unbelievable job. We played the way we did because of the preparation that those guys gave us."
Respect the Rivalry
Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) will play for the 126th time on Saturday and the series is tied 59-59-7 with UC looking to take its first lead in the series since 1915 – despite winning the last 15 matchups. The rivalry is the nation's second oldest and among the top five most played, having started in 1888.
"First and foremost, it's about respect," Fickell said. "As (the players) are here longer, they'll know much more. Every freshman will hear 59-59-7 and that we haven't had the lead since 1915. That doesn't mean they understand, or they know the history of Miami (OH) and us, but as their time through the years here, they will know first and foremost, whatever rivalry, it's about respect, and then they will know a lot more about it. That's where I think the traditionalist in me wants that because it helps me to teach and helps grow our kids to understand the significant things about college football in general."
The current contract, which calls for three games to be played at Paycor Stadium, last through 2029. Fickell said he loves traditional rivalries, including the "Battle for the Victory Bell,"
"I'm a big traditionalist, and I love rivalries," Fickell said. "I think that's what makes college football, and I think that's the uniqueness of it…I think that, for me, I would love to continue the traditions that still are really important to me. A few years ago, I was asked when (we) went to the 1-1-1 where they were going to play at a neutral site. I was asked, 'Hey, is there something we would ever think about getting out of this?' I don't know why we would; this is history. This is this is a big part of it, our close in proximity, whatever the other things that people think you should do, I think the uniqueness of making sure our young men understand about our program and in the history of our program, it gives us a great avenue into doing that.
"It reminds me every year, based on what I'm doing about respect to the rivalry to really kind of show and study a little bit more of the history and to give that to those guys. So, if I have a choice, we would continue this rivalry is as long as we possibly can."
Quarterbacks Impress, Provide Options Through Two Weeks
Redshirt senior quarterback Ben Bryant is off to a fast start in the first two games of the season. Since throwing an interception on the first drive at Arkansas, he has tossed five touchdowns against zero interceptions. He threw three touchdowns in the first half versus Kennesaw State and finished 16-of-19 before handing the ball to redshirt sophomore Evan Prater late in the third quarter. Prater and Bryant battled through the spring and fall camp for the QB1 job so it comes as no surprise that the Wyoming High School product looked great against the Owls, completing all four of his passes and dashing 44 yards for a touchdown.
While Bryant will remain the starter, Prater's dynamic performance provided evidence that the Bearcats have two potent signal callers.
"We knew we were lucky," Fickell said. "The dynamics is the most difficult thing on those guys, not on us as coaches. I mean, we can compartmentalize, but you've got a heart too. You don't know what those human emotions are really like, and you don't always know exactly what you do have. I think that's why it was really good that Evan (Prater) got in this past week, and I have said it over and over again, he had the opportunity to go play, not handcuffed, to be able to kind of get out there and then have his opportunity to have the whole playbook at his hands, and it makes him feel really good ad it makes us feel really good.
"It gives us a lot of other options as we continue to move forward."
Ivan Pace, Jr. is a Playmaker, Bearcat
A major storyline this week is that Ivan Pace, Jr. will be playing his old team, the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. Pace played three seasons in Oxford, memorably tallying six sacks against Akron in one game in 2019 and finishing 10th in the nation with 125 tackles last season. Now, he's all Bearcat, embracing the culture and becoming one of the top players at UC. He leads the team with 23 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss – ranking among the nation's Top 10 in both categories. He forced the fumble that Jabari Taylor returned for a touchdown against Kennesaw State.
"I'm surprised maybe just in how well he's picked things up," Fickell said on Pace. "He's had to work on his attention to detail. I think that's where he's done a really good job. And last week was a challenge just because we play things a little bit different. And we're very disciplined in how we play some of the triple option."
Pace isn't the first Bearcat to play against their former team, either. Former wide receiver Michael Young did it last year at Notre Dame. It's something that could happen more often with the transfer portal becoming more prevalent. Fickell said he meets with these players to make sure their emotions are not too high heading into a battle with their former teams.
"It starts early in the week," Fickell said. "It's just making sure we sit down with guys and understand. When you walk in this program, you are part of this program. I told those guys, "You are a UC Bearcat" so I know that there are places that you've been before, but you don't want to be referred to as a guy that came from someplace else. Ben Bryant is a UC Bearcat. Ivan Pace Jr. is a UC Bearcat. We went through that with Jerome Ford last year and all he wanted at some point in time was not to be considered an Alabama transfer. 'I'm a UC Bearcat.' I don't put a whole lot of stock in those things, but I understand the emotions. That is an emotional game in particular and just like I did last year with Michael Young, earlier in the week, talking to him about it, I'll do the same thing with Ivan (Pace, Jr.) and anybody else that comes into some of those situations where they've either been someplace, or they've got a different connection to those things."
Coombs Has a Big Impact on Defense, Coaching Staff
Kerry Coombs returned to the Cincinnati coaching staff this offseason as the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach after previously spending time on Brian Kelly's and Butch Jones' staffs with the Bearcats. The longtime high school, college and NFL coach has had an immediate positive impact on a new cornerback unit and the team as a whole.
Fickell appreciates having Coombs on staff and his familiarity with the area, school and himself. Fickell and Coombs were both on the Ohio State staff together from 2012 to 2016.
"I know for me, it goes a long way and I appreciate that," Fickell said. "I love the energy and things like that, but it's deeper than those kinds of things."
The Bearcats are coming off a 63-10 home-opening win over the Owls of Kennesaw State where they extended their winning streak at Nippert Stadium to 28 games – second-longest in the nation.
Cincinnati will face a Miami team that is 1-1, but was picked to win the Mid-American Conference East Division.
Fickell talked about the historic rivalry, which began play in 1888, UC's quarterback play, integrating transfers into the Bearcats' culture, and so much more during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
Here are five takeaways from Fickell's Week 3 press conference:
Preparation is Key
Fickell singled out redshirt junior defensive back Will Adams for his work on the scout team as the quarterback in preparation for Kennesaw State's triple-option attack last week. The Owls' offense is hard to replicate so it puts extra stress on the coaches and players to practice for a scheme they may only see once a season.
"You don't play a game like that without incredible preparation last week," Fickell said. "I talked about the triple option, it's always unique, but that crew in practice that gave us a triple-option look needs to be rewarded. We will and we do, but those guys need to be mentioned. I won't go by name, but I'll just mention that Will Adams, a backup safety for us, ran the offense as the quarterback, unselfish, and did unbelievable job. We played the way we did because of the preparation that those guys gave us."
Respect the Rivalry
Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) will play for the 126th time on Saturday and the series is tied 59-59-7 with UC looking to take its first lead in the series since 1915 – despite winning the last 15 matchups. The rivalry is the nation's second oldest and among the top five most played, having started in 1888.
"First and foremost, it's about respect," Fickell said. "As (the players) are here longer, they'll know much more. Every freshman will hear 59-59-7 and that we haven't had the lead since 1915. That doesn't mean they understand, or they know the history of Miami (OH) and us, but as their time through the years here, they will know first and foremost, whatever rivalry, it's about respect, and then they will know a lot more about it. That's where I think the traditionalist in me wants that because it helps me to teach and helps grow our kids to understand the significant things about college football in general."
The current contract, which calls for three games to be played at Paycor Stadium, last through 2029. Fickell said he loves traditional rivalries, including the "Battle for the Victory Bell,"
"I'm a big traditionalist, and I love rivalries," Fickell said. "I think that's what makes college football, and I think that's the uniqueness of it…I think that, for me, I would love to continue the traditions that still are really important to me. A few years ago, I was asked when (we) went to the 1-1-1 where they were going to play at a neutral site. I was asked, 'Hey, is there something we would ever think about getting out of this?' I don't know why we would; this is history. This is this is a big part of it, our close in proximity, whatever the other things that people think you should do, I think the uniqueness of making sure our young men understand about our program and in the history of our program, it gives us a great avenue into doing that.
"It reminds me every year, based on what I'm doing about respect to the rivalry to really kind of show and study a little bit more of the history and to give that to those guys. So, if I have a choice, we would continue this rivalry is as long as we possibly can."
Quarterbacks Impress, Provide Options Through Two Weeks
Redshirt senior quarterback Ben Bryant is off to a fast start in the first two games of the season. Since throwing an interception on the first drive at Arkansas, he has tossed five touchdowns against zero interceptions. He threw three touchdowns in the first half versus Kennesaw State and finished 16-of-19 before handing the ball to redshirt sophomore Evan Prater late in the third quarter. Prater and Bryant battled through the spring and fall camp for the QB1 job so it comes as no surprise that the Wyoming High School product looked great against the Owls, completing all four of his passes and dashing 44 yards for a touchdown.
While Bryant will remain the starter, Prater's dynamic performance provided evidence that the Bearcats have two potent signal callers.
"We knew we were lucky," Fickell said. "The dynamics is the most difficult thing on those guys, not on us as coaches. I mean, we can compartmentalize, but you've got a heart too. You don't know what those human emotions are really like, and you don't always know exactly what you do have. I think that's why it was really good that Evan (Prater) got in this past week, and I have said it over and over again, he had the opportunity to go play, not handcuffed, to be able to kind of get out there and then have his opportunity to have the whole playbook at his hands, and it makes him feel really good ad it makes us feel really good.
"It gives us a lot of other options as we continue to move forward."
Ivan Pace, Jr. is a Playmaker, Bearcat
A major storyline this week is that Ivan Pace, Jr. will be playing his old team, the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. Pace played three seasons in Oxford, memorably tallying six sacks against Akron in one game in 2019 and finishing 10th in the nation with 125 tackles last season. Now, he's all Bearcat, embracing the culture and becoming one of the top players at UC. He leads the team with 23 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss – ranking among the nation's Top 10 in both categories. He forced the fumble that Jabari Taylor returned for a touchdown against Kennesaw State.
"I'm surprised maybe just in how well he's picked things up," Fickell said on Pace. "He's had to work on his attention to detail. I think that's where he's done a really good job. And last week was a challenge just because we play things a little bit different. And we're very disciplined in how we play some of the triple option."
Pace isn't the first Bearcat to play against their former team, either. Former wide receiver Michael Young did it last year at Notre Dame. It's something that could happen more often with the transfer portal becoming more prevalent. Fickell said he meets with these players to make sure their emotions are not too high heading into a battle with their former teams.
"It starts early in the week," Fickell said. "It's just making sure we sit down with guys and understand. When you walk in this program, you are part of this program. I told those guys, "You are a UC Bearcat" so I know that there are places that you've been before, but you don't want to be referred to as a guy that came from someplace else. Ben Bryant is a UC Bearcat. Ivan Pace Jr. is a UC Bearcat. We went through that with Jerome Ford last year and all he wanted at some point in time was not to be considered an Alabama transfer. 'I'm a UC Bearcat.' I don't put a whole lot of stock in those things, but I understand the emotions. That is an emotional game in particular and just like I did last year with Michael Young, earlier in the week, talking to him about it, I'll do the same thing with Ivan (Pace, Jr.) and anybody else that comes into some of those situations where they've either been someplace, or they've got a different connection to those things."
Coombs Has a Big Impact on Defense, Coaching Staff
Kerry Coombs returned to the Cincinnati coaching staff this offseason as the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach after previously spending time on Brian Kelly's and Butch Jones' staffs with the Bearcats. The longtime high school, college and NFL coach has had an immediate positive impact on a new cornerback unit and the team as a whole.
Fickell appreciates having Coombs on staff and his familiarity with the area, school and himself. Fickell and Coombs were both on the Ohio State staff together from 2012 to 2016.
"I know for me, it goes a long way and I appreciate that," Fickell said. "I love the energy and things like that, but it's deeper than those kinds of things."