Battle for the Victory Bell Heads to TQL Stadium for Saturday Matchup vs. Miami (Ohio)

CINCINNATI – For the 129^th time in the history of the Battle for the Victory Bell, Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) will meet on the gridiron this Saturday.

For the first time in the history of the rivalry, the game will take place at TQL Stadium, the home of FC Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

Ticket sales will go through FC Cincinnati's ticketing partner SeatGeek. Please visit this link to purchase tickets. 

The Bearcats hold a slight 61-60-7 advantage all-time in the rivalry, which is the oldest FBS non-conference college football rivalry. The two teams first met on Dec. 8, 1888 in the first college football game played in the state of Ohio.

One of the most-played rivalry games in the sport, only Minnesota-Wisconsin (135), Georgia-Auburn (130), North Carolina-Virginia (130), and Oregon-Oregon State (129) have battled more than Cincinnati and Miami. California-Stanford have also played 128 times in their history.

Cincinnati will bring one of the top rushing attacks in the nation and a 2-0 record into Saturday’s game. UC rushed for 418 yards in last weekend’s 62-10 drubbing of Western Carolina. It was the sixth-most rushing yards in a game in school history and the most since 1970, and all four of Cincinnati’s primary running backs found the end zone. Gi’Bran Payne scored twice, while Cole Tabb, Zylan Perry, and Zion Johnson all recorded one rushing TD apiece. Payne has been the lead back and has more carries (26) than anyone else, but all four running backs have brought something to the table through the first two games.

“It’s hard to say which one you want to put out there, because they all produce,” head coach Scott Satterfield said after Saturday’s win. “It’s a very unselfish group, which I love. They work hard in practice and they’re pushing each other. It’s a great competition and I love how it has unfolded the first two weeks.”

The RedHawks, who rank second in the MAC in rushing defense (103.0), will have their hands full with UC’s run game. Miami was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference’s preseason coaches poll and received four votes to win the league’s championship game.

Following Saturday’s contest at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati returns home to Nippert Stadium to host Kansas State on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Pete Sousa (play-by-play) and Leger Douzable (analyst) on the call and Sydney Jones providing coverage from the sidelines. The game will be broadcast on radio via 700 WLW and SiriusXM Channel 176 or 237 with Dan Hoard (pxp) and Tony Pike (analyst) on the call.

DOWN THE DRIVE: C-PAW FIRST & 10

1. Cincinnati and Miami (OH) will write a new chapter in one of college football’s oldest regional rivalries when the Battle for the Victory Bell heads to TQL Stadium, home of FC Cincinnati.
2. A win over Miami (OH) would give Cincinnati its first 3-0 start since 2021 and just its eighth 3-0 start since the turn of the century (2003, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2020, and 2021). Cincinnati went to a bowl game in six of those seven previous occurrences.
3. The Victory Bell is the oldest current non-conference college football rivalry in the United States (though the teams were briefly conference rivals in the late 1940s and early 1950s).
4. First played in 1888, the historic series enters its latest installment with the Bearcats holding a 61–60–7 edge following a 27-16 win in Oxford during the 2024 season
5. Since 2006, the Bearcats hold a 17–1 record against the Miami University RedHawks in their head-to-head football series for the Victory Bell.
6. Last week in their 62-10 win over Western Carolina, the Bearcats put up 690 yards of offense against the Catamounts. The 690 total yards rank fifth all-time in school history and are the most in a game under head coach Scott Satterfield. UC rushed for 418 yards, the sixth-most in a game in program history and the most since 1970 against Xavier.
7. Quarterback JC French delivered a masterclass in efficiency in last week’s win, throwing for 245 yards and two touchdowns while completing 21-of-24 passes. French’s completion percentage (87.5%) is the highest by a Cincinnati quarterback in a single game with at least 20 attempts since at least 1996.
8. Cincinnati rushed for seven touchdowns last week, the most in a game in the 21st century, besting the previous high of six. The last time UC rushed for six scores in a game was in 2021 against UCF. Six different players rushed for touchdowns last week, including four running backs (Gi’Bran Payne with two, Cole Tabb, Zylan Perry, and Zion Johnson) and two quarterbacks (Liam O’Brien and Samaj Jones). That ties a Big 12 record, most recently achieved by Kansas State in its season opener last week.
9. Running back Gi’Bran Payne led UC on the ground last week with 102 rushing yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns, marking his first career multi-touchdown game. Payne’s 40-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter was the longest rush of his career and his first rushing touchdown since 2023 against Stanford when he was at Notre Dame. Payne is the first UC rusher to record back-to-back 100-yard games since Corey Kiner in 2024. Payne and Kansas State’s Rodney Fields Jr. are the only running backs on new teams in 2026 to start the campaign with two 100+ yard rushing performances.
10. Cincinnati is one of 10 teams in the country that are 2-0, have not committed a turnover, and hold a turnover margin of at least +3.

BATTLE FOR THE VICTORY BELL

• The Battle for the Victory Bell between Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) stands as one of college football’s most storied rivalries.
• Saturday’s meeting marks the 129th edition of the series, moving it into sole possession of fourth place among the most-played rivalries in FBS history.

MOST PLAYED RIVALRIES IN CFB HISTORY

• 135 Wisconsin – Minnesota
• 130 Georgia – Auburn
• 130 North Carolina – Virginia
• 129 Cincinnati – Miami (Ohio) | Oregon – Oregon State
• 128 Stanford – Cal | Indiana – Purdue
  
  
• The matchup marks the first-ever football game played at FC Cincinnati’s award-winning, $250 million venue.
• Cincinnati won 16 consecutive games in the rivalry from 2006 through 2022, marking the longest streak by either team in the history of the Victory Bell series.
• First played in 1888, the historic series enters its latest installment with the Bearcats holding a 61–60–7 edge following a 27-16 win in Oxford during the 2024 season.
• The original bell hung in Miami’s Harrison Hall near the site of the first game and was used to ring in Miami victories. The traveling trophy tradition began in the 1890s when some Cincinnati fans “borrowed” the bell.
• The bell went to the winner of the annual game for the next forty years until it mysteriously disappeared in the 1930s.
• The original bell reappeared in 1946 and was on display in the lobby of Miami’s Murstein Alumni Center for years.
• The current trophy is a replica of the original bell and is kept in the possession of the winning team each year.
• One side of the bell is painted black with white numbers showing Cincinnati’s victories, while the other side is white with red numbers showing Miami’s victories. Ties are indicated on the top of the red yoke in white numbers.

RETURN TO THE WEST END

• While Saturday’s game is the Bearcats’ first at TQL Stadium, it marks the program’s return to Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood for the first time since November 24, 1910, a 28-12 win over Denison at Palace of the Fans, home of the Cincinnati Reds.
• According to available records, the Bearcats played at least 51 games in the West End between 1893 and 1910, all at the Reds’ ballpark site at Findlay Street and Western Avenue. The venue was known as League Park through 1901 before being rebuilt as Palace of the Fans in 1902. The Bearcats compiled a 29-20-2 record in those games.
• Cincinnati began playing on the site of present-day Carson Field in 1901 but continued to play select home games at the Reds’ West End ballpark through 1910. The Bearcats have called Carson Field home ever since.
• Cincinnati has faced Miami seven times in the West End, holding a 5-2 record. The most recent West End matchup between the programs came on October 29, 1910, a 3-0 Bearcats victory.

RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE

• Cincinnati is one of only eight FBS programs nationwide that features three different players who have already eclipsed 100 total rushing yards through the opening two weeks of the 2026 season. Quarterback JC French IV along with running backs Gi’Bran Payne and Cole Tabb have all crossed the century mark, while Zylan Perry sits right behind the group with 97 rushing yards, highlighting the depth and versatility of the Bearcats’ backfield.