TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati football team arrived in Memphis on Tuesday afternoon to begin on-site preparation for the 67th annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
The Bearcats travel party landed at about 2:00 p.m. local time and has a pair of events scheduled for Tuesday evening. Following a welcome party, much of the travel party will attend the Memphis Grizzlies game at FedExForum.
Head coach Scott Satterfield met with local media upon the team’s arrival to the hotel, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to play in the Liberty Bowl and get one last chance to coach the 2025 squad.
“We’re very excited to be here in Memphis,” Satterfield said. “We’ve been looking forward to this for what feels like a month, practicing back home and getting geared up for this awesome occasion. This bowl game has a rich tradition and I can’t wait for Friday to get here.”
The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN. Cincinnati’s opponent, No. 22 Navy, will pose in interesting challenge to Satterfield and his staff.
“They’re a good football team,” Satterfield said. “They had a great season this year, winning 10 games. They run a prolific offense, one of the best in the country. Their quarterback makes it go, he’s a 1,000-yard rusher who can throw the football as well. They’re a disciplined team that plays hard.
“It’s very difficult,” Satterfield said when asked about defending Navy’s triple option attack. “I spent some time at previous jobs where we played some option teams in our conference, you have to spend a lot of time on it. It’s assignment football. You have to be in your gaps, you have to have great eye control. You have to tackle well.”
Friday’s game will be the seventh game all-time between Cincinnati and Navy, with the series tied at 3-3. The Bearcats have won the last three meetings, all of which came when both teams were members of the American Athletic Conference.
UC will practice twice ahead of Friday’s Liberty Bowl, on Wednesday and Thursday.