TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati football team is back in the College Football Playoff Rankings after crashing the playoff party last year.
The Bearcats debuted at No. 25 in the third edition of the 2022 College Football Playoff Rankings following a 27-25 victory over East Carolina last Friday night that extended UC's home winning streak to 32 games – the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell did not watch the rankings show on ESPN – he was driving home from his weekly radio show at the Montgomery Inn a few miles Northwest of UC's campus – but he does recognize the importance of this final stretch of games in November.
"This is when the playoffs start," said Fickell during his weekly Tuesday press conference. "That's just the reality. You're in that situation now. That every one of these [games] is incredibly critical as you come down the stretch."
Cincinnati holds a record of 5-1 in the American Athletic Conference, which is tied for first in the league with No. 20 UCF and No. 21 Tulane.
The Bearcats close out the regular season on the road at Temple (3-7 overall, 1-5 AAC) before a Senior Day clash with the 21st-ranked Green Wave inside Nippert Stadium on the day after Thanksgiving.
Two wins the last two weeks will give UC a 7-1 record in league play and guarantee the Bearcats a spot in the AAC Championship Game for a fourth straight season.
"We have always wanted to play for championships and I think that now you are in a position where it is all or nothing, and I am not saying that every game isn't like that, but you are trying to put in a little bit more of an emphasis on what you need to do and you want to make sure these guys understand that," Fickell said. "So that's what we really say, it's not like we're putting a sign up here and saying 'Now the playoffs begin' but it's just an understanding now that we have trained and we have done all these things to get to November, and to be in a position where November really matters and don't forget that November really matters."
The league's top two teams based on conference record will play in the AAC Championship on Dec. 3. The team with the best record will host the conference title game with head-to-head results and then CFP rankings being used as the tie breakers.
The winner of the AAC Championship Game is in line to earn a berth in a New Year's Six Bowl – likely the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Cincinnati has won nine straight November games – dating back to the 2019 season.
"November is for contenders," team captain and sixth-year senior linebacker Wilson Huber said. "We're in a spot now that shows that we are capable of doing everything that we set out to do this year. It's in the back of our heads that we have two weeks left in this in the regular season. So, the message with us was, 'what are you willing to do in for two weeks?' Because in two weeks, if we do what we need to do, we're going have a chance to achieve our goal." FICKELL, TUCKER, HUBER MEET WITH MEDIA Fickell and seniors Tre Tucker and Wilson Huber spoke to the media on Tuesday during the weekly press conference, reflecting on the hard-fought ECU win and what's at stake the final two games of the regular season.
CINCINNATI HITS THE ROAD TO FACE TEMPLE Cincinnati, the two-time defending American Athletic Conference champions, travels to Philadelphia, Pa., to face the Temple Owls on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Bearcats are coming off a hard-fought, Friday "Nippert at Night" victory over East Carolina in which Cincinnati overcame deficits of 5-0 in the first quarter and 25-24 in the fourth quarter.
After explosive plays from wide receivers Tre Tucker (55-yd TD), Tyler Scott (76-yd TD) and Jadon Thompson (100-yd kick return) helped UC jump out to a 21-5 lead in the second quarter, ECU fought back to take a 25-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Bearcats' defense stopped the Pirates in the fourth quarter, holding them scoreless in the final frame as a 21-yard field goal from Ryan Coe with just over nine minutes left proved to be the game-winner. The win marked the 23rd comeback win of the Fickell era and the second fourth-quarter comeback of 2022 (USF).
Cincinnati is 30-4 since the start of 2020 and 52-9 since the start of 2018 - both marks rank in the Top 5 in the nation. BROADCAST INFORMATION The Cincinnati-Temple matchup will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 4 p.m. ET with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst) on the call.
As always, Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Jim Kelly (analyst) will be on the call for the Bearcats Sports Radio Network on 700 WLW. BACK IN THE POLLS In addition to the CFP rankings, the Bearcats are ranked No. 22 in the AP and No. 21 in the Coaches' poll.
Cincinnati is ranked for the first time since it was No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll on Oct. 23.
UC is ranked for the sixth time in the AP poll this fall and for the fifth time by the coaches this season. SETTING THE PACE ON DEFENSE Senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. leads the nation in TFLs (19.0), ranks fifth in sacks (9.0) and ranks ninth in tackles (104). He paces a Blackcats defense that ranks eighth in the country in TFLs (78) and sacks (32). UC also ranks ninth in yards per play allowed (4.39). UC is 25th in pass defense (190.8). The Bearcats lead the country with four defensive touchdowns.
The Bearcats' 11 sacks at Tulsa on Oct. 1 are the most against an FBS team this season and tied the AAC record.
RS Freshman NT Dontay Corleone (42 stops, 5.5 TFLs) has a PFF grade of 93.0, which is second-best among all defenders in the nation. Pace (92.7) ranks third among defenders and is the country's highest-graded linebacker. YOU'VE GOT TO PUNT IT UP Sophomore punter Mason Fletcher may be the nation's top punter. His 47.4 average ranks second in the nation, while UC's net punting average of 45.74 also ranks second. He has two punts downed at the 1-yard line and 25 punts inside the 20.
He set UC and AAC records against SMU with his career-long 84-yard punt (the second-longest by a player in the FBS this season) and his 65.0 average on three punts (highest average in FBS in 2022). He is a two-time AAC Special Teams POTW.
He was named to Ray's 8 by the Ray Guy Award for the fourth time this season on Monday. GREAT SCOTT! WR Tyler Scott has four 100-yard games - all in Cincinnati (three at Nippert, one at Paycor). His nine TD catches rank No. 8 nationally and No. 2 in the AAC. He has 14 career TDs, all of at least 20 yards. His average career TD catch is 44.6 yards. He has three TDs of 60+ this season to rank second in the nation. UC is 10th nationally with 30 scrimmage plays of 30+. A WIN WOULD Give UC at least nine wins in five consecutive seasons - a feat that has never been accomplished in the 135-year history of Cincinnati football. UC won 11 games in 2018, 11 in 2019, nine in 2020, 13 in 2021 and have eight in 2022. BEARCATS EXPLODE IN 2021 ROUT OF TEMPLE Cincinnati more than avoided a letdown week after its road win at No. 9 Notre Dame, taking a 17-3 lead on Temple at the half and scoring 28 in the third quarter for a 52-3 win in 2021.
Desmond Ridder threw for 259 yards and three TDs, while Jerome Ford ran for a then-career-high 149. UC totaled 542 in the Friday night clash as well.
The previous three meetings were decided by 20 combined points.
The Bearcats had eight sacks, including one by Wil Huber and Deshawn Pace led the team with eight stops. WR Tyler Scott (38-yard touchdown), and running backs Ethan Wright (58-yard TD) and Charles McClelland (28-yard TD) had explosive plays. LAST TIME IN PHILLY The Bearcats fell to the Owls, 24-17 in overtime on Oct. 20, 2018 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Stadium. RB Charles McClelland, then a true freshman, rushed for 70 yards on four carries, including a 42-yard score.
The loss was UC's first defeat of 2018 after starting 6-0. NOTING THE 2022 OWLS Temple is coming off a 43-36 loss to Houston in which quarterback E.J. Warner set program records for completions (42), attempts (59) and yards (486). He had three touchdowns with zero interceptions, but Houston scored a touchdown with 40 seconds left to pickup the victory.
UC and Temple are tied for the AAC lead with 3.20 sacks per contest. Temple DL Darian Varner (7.0 sacks) and LB Layton Jordan (6.5 sacks) rank 2-3 in the league in sacks behind only UC star Ivan Pace Jr. (9.0 sacks.) Pace (19.0 TFLs) and Jordan (15.0 TFLs) also rank 1-2 in the league in tackles for loss.
Temple head coach Stan Drayton was the WRs coach at Ohio State during Luke Fickell's season as the Buckeyes' head coach in 2011. Drayton was then the RBs coach at OSU from 2012-14, while Fickell served as the defensive coordinator. OSU won the CFP national championship in 2014.
UC defensive line coach Walt Stewart coached the defensive line at Temple from 2019 to 2021. LIMITED TULANE TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE There are still a limited number of single game tickets available for the regular season finale against Tulane. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
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The Bearcats debuted at No. 25 in the third edition of the 2022 College Football Playoff Rankings following a 27-25 victory over East Carolina last Friday night that extended UC's home winning streak to 32 games – the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell did not watch the rankings show on ESPN – he was driving home from his weekly radio show at the Montgomery Inn a few miles Northwest of UC's campus – but he does recognize the importance of this final stretch of games in November.
"This is when the playoffs start," said Fickell during his weekly Tuesday press conference. "That's just the reality. You're in that situation now. That every one of these [games] is incredibly critical as you come down the stretch."
Cincinnati holds a record of 5-1 in the American Athletic Conference, which is tied for first in the league with No. 20 UCF and No. 21 Tulane.
The Bearcats close out the regular season on the road at Temple (3-7 overall, 1-5 AAC) before a Senior Day clash with the 21st-ranked Green Wave inside Nippert Stadium on the day after Thanksgiving.
Two wins the last two weeks will give UC a 7-1 record in league play and guarantee the Bearcats a spot in the AAC Championship Game for a fourth straight season.
"We have always wanted to play for championships and I think that now you are in a position where it is all or nothing, and I am not saying that every game isn't like that, but you are trying to put in a little bit more of an emphasis on what you need to do and you want to make sure these guys understand that," Fickell said. "So that's what we really say, it's not like we're putting a sign up here and saying 'Now the playoffs begin' but it's just an understanding now that we have trained and we have done all these things to get to November, and to be in a position where November really matters and don't forget that November really matters."
The league's top two teams based on conference record will play in the AAC Championship on Dec. 3. The team with the best record will host the conference title game with head-to-head results and then CFP rankings being used as the tie breakers.
The winner of the AAC Championship Game is in line to earn a berth in a New Year's Six Bowl – likely the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Cincinnati has won nine straight November games – dating back to the 2019 season.
"November is for contenders," team captain and sixth-year senior linebacker Wilson Huber said. "We're in a spot now that shows that we are capable of doing everything that we set out to do this year. It's in the back of our heads that we have two weeks left in this in the regular season. So, the message with us was, 'what are you willing to do in for two weeks?' Because in two weeks, if we do what we need to do, we're going have a chance to achieve our goal." FICKELL, TUCKER, HUBER MEET WITH MEDIA Fickell and seniors Tre Tucker and Wilson Huber spoke to the media on Tuesday during the weekly press conference, reflecting on the hard-fought ECU win and what's at stake the final two games of the regular season.
CINCINNATI HITS THE ROAD TO FACE TEMPLE Cincinnati, the two-time defending American Athletic Conference champions, travels to Philadelphia, Pa., to face the Temple Owls on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Bearcats are coming off a hard-fought, Friday "Nippert at Night" victory over East Carolina in which Cincinnati overcame deficits of 5-0 in the first quarter and 25-24 in the fourth quarter.
After explosive plays from wide receivers Tre Tucker (55-yd TD), Tyler Scott (76-yd TD) and Jadon Thompson (100-yd kick return) helped UC jump out to a 21-5 lead in the second quarter, ECU fought back to take a 25-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Bearcats' defense stopped the Pirates in the fourth quarter, holding them scoreless in the final frame as a 21-yard field goal from Ryan Coe with just over nine minutes left proved to be the game-winner. The win marked the 23rd comeback win of the Fickell era and the second fourth-quarter comeback of 2022 (USF).
Cincinnati is 30-4 since the start of 2020 and 52-9 since the start of 2018 - both marks rank in the Top 5 in the nation. BROADCAST INFORMATION The Cincinnati-Temple matchup will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 4 p.m. ET with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst) on the call.
As always, Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Jim Kelly (analyst) will be on the call for the Bearcats Sports Radio Network on 700 WLW. BACK IN THE POLLS In addition to the CFP rankings, the Bearcats are ranked No. 22 in the AP and No. 21 in the Coaches' poll.
Cincinnati is ranked for the first time since it was No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll on Oct. 23.
UC is ranked for the sixth time in the AP poll this fall and for the fifth time by the coaches this season. SETTING THE PACE ON DEFENSE Senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. leads the nation in TFLs (19.0), ranks fifth in sacks (9.0) and ranks ninth in tackles (104). He paces a Blackcats defense that ranks eighth in the country in TFLs (78) and sacks (32). UC also ranks ninth in yards per play allowed (4.39). UC is 25th in pass defense (190.8). The Bearcats lead the country with four defensive touchdowns.
The Bearcats' 11 sacks at Tulsa on Oct. 1 are the most against an FBS team this season and tied the AAC record.
RS Freshman NT Dontay Corleone (42 stops, 5.5 TFLs) has a PFF grade of 93.0, which is second-best among all defenders in the nation. Pace (92.7) ranks third among defenders and is the country's highest-graded linebacker. YOU'VE GOT TO PUNT IT UP Sophomore punter Mason Fletcher may be the nation's top punter. His 47.4 average ranks second in the nation, while UC's net punting average of 45.74 also ranks second. He has two punts downed at the 1-yard line and 25 punts inside the 20.
He set UC and AAC records against SMU with his career-long 84-yard punt (the second-longest by a player in the FBS this season) and his 65.0 average on three punts (highest average in FBS in 2022). He is a two-time AAC Special Teams POTW.
He was named to Ray's 8 by the Ray Guy Award for the fourth time this season on Monday. GREAT SCOTT! WR Tyler Scott has four 100-yard games - all in Cincinnati (three at Nippert, one at Paycor). His nine TD catches rank No. 8 nationally and No. 2 in the AAC. He has 14 career TDs, all of at least 20 yards. His average career TD catch is 44.6 yards. He has three TDs of 60+ this season to rank second in the nation. UC is 10th nationally with 30 scrimmage plays of 30+. A WIN WOULD Give UC at least nine wins in five consecutive seasons - a feat that has never been accomplished in the 135-year history of Cincinnati football. UC won 11 games in 2018, 11 in 2019, nine in 2020, 13 in 2021 and have eight in 2022. BEARCATS EXPLODE IN 2021 ROUT OF TEMPLE Cincinnati more than avoided a letdown week after its road win at No. 9 Notre Dame, taking a 17-3 lead on Temple at the half and scoring 28 in the third quarter for a 52-3 win in 2021.
Desmond Ridder threw for 259 yards and three TDs, while Jerome Ford ran for a then-career-high 149. UC totaled 542 in the Friday night clash as well.
The previous three meetings were decided by 20 combined points.
The Bearcats had eight sacks, including one by Wil Huber and Deshawn Pace led the team with eight stops. WR Tyler Scott (38-yard touchdown), and running backs Ethan Wright (58-yard TD) and Charles McClelland (28-yard TD) had explosive plays. LAST TIME IN PHILLY The Bearcats fell to the Owls, 24-17 in overtime on Oct. 20, 2018 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Stadium. RB Charles McClelland, then a true freshman, rushed for 70 yards on four carries, including a 42-yard score.
The loss was UC's first defeat of 2018 after starting 6-0. NOTING THE 2022 OWLS Temple is coming off a 43-36 loss to Houston in which quarterback E.J. Warner set program records for completions (42), attempts (59) and yards (486). He had three touchdowns with zero interceptions, but Houston scored a touchdown with 40 seconds left to pickup the victory.
UC and Temple are tied for the AAC lead with 3.20 sacks per contest. Temple DL Darian Varner (7.0 sacks) and LB Layton Jordan (6.5 sacks) rank 2-3 in the league in sacks behind only UC star Ivan Pace Jr. (9.0 sacks.) Pace (19.0 TFLs) and Jordan (15.0 TFLs) also rank 1-2 in the league in tackles for loss.
Temple head coach Stan Drayton was the WRs coach at Ohio State during Luke Fickell's season as the Buckeyes' head coach in 2011. Drayton was then the RBs coach at OSU from 2012-14, while Fickell served as the defensive coordinator. OSU won the CFP national championship in 2014.
UC defensive line coach Walt Stewart coached the defensive line at Temple from 2019 to 2021. LIMITED TULANE TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE There are still a limited number of single game tickets available for the regular season finale against Tulane. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
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