A look at how UC and Southern Miss match up

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WHEN UC HAS THE BALL

Quarterback Ben Mauk is coming off a personal-best 431 passing yards and five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) in the Bearcats' 52-31 win over Syracuse. He's thrown a school-record 27 touchdown passes and only six interceptions. Mauk has set UC single-season passing records for touch- downs and efficiency (154.55). The biggest key to containing the Bearcats' offense is containing Mauk, who also can be dangerous running (336 yards and an average of 3.9 yards per carry).

Category UC Opp.
Scoring 36.8 18.6
Rushing 154.2 105.7
Passing 282.2 265.0
Total 436.4 370.7

WHEN SOUTHERN MISS HAS THE BALL

Sophomore running back Damion Fletcher has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight games this season and 15 in his career. With Fletcher, the Golden Eagles have been excellent at sustaining drives and this season have produced 19 of 70 yards or more and three of at least 90.


Quarterback Jeremy Young has proven he can show up for the big game. His best outing of the season came against his team's toughest opponent: Tennessee. He threw for a career-best 254 yards, on 19-of-36 passing.

Category SM Opp.
Scoring 28.3 23.6
Rushing 200.3 139.6
Passing 193.6 223.6
Total 393.9 363.2

KEY MATCHUP I: SO. MISS LB GERALD MCRATH VS. UC'S RUNNING GAME

McRath, a redshirt sophomore, was the Conference USA Coaches Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 131 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season. Cincinnati easily goes four-deep at running back, led by Butler Benton with 499 yards, and also has Mauk as a rushing threat. If one of the Bearcats' running backs gets hot, it will open up their dynamic passing game - which is bad news for the Golden Eagles.

KEY MATCHUP II: SO. MISS QB JEREMY YOUNG VS. THE UC SECONDARY

The Bearcats should be focusing on running back Fletcher, so Southern Miss will have to get its passing game going if it expects UC to respect it. Young will get back one of his favorite targets: Chris Johnson, a senior wide receiver who was leading the team in receiving (32 catches for 405 yards) before breaking his arm Oct. 21 against Marshall. UC defensive backs Mike Mickens, DeAngelo Smith and Haruki Nakamura have combined for 15 interceptions.

KEY MATCHUP III: SO. MISS DB BRANDON SUMRALL VS. UC'S WIDE RECEIVERS

Sumrall has five interceptions this year and 11 in his career. He'll have to lead the Golden Eagles' secondary against a balanced group of UC receivers. Mauk distributes the ball well - eight receivers average more than 10 yards per catch for the Bearcats. Southern Miss has surrendered 20 passing touchdowns, so playmakers like Dominick Goodman, Marcus Barnett and Marty Gilyard should be licking their chops.

 

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Keys to the game


CINCINNATI KEYS

STOP THE RUN

The Bearcats have thrived on stopping their opponents' running game, limiting them to 105.7 yards per game. But they didn't do a very good job of that against Pittsburgh - allowing both LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling to run for 100 yards - and lost to the Panthers. Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher, who has gained 1,431 yards this season, is the key to the Golden Eagles' offense and is similar in style to Pitt's McCoy. UC can't afford to let him have a big game.

FORCE TURNOVERS

Like most teams, UC is at its best when it's forcing turnovers. The Bearcats, who are plus-18 in turnover margin, have been among the national leaders all year in that category and currently rank third. Mike Mickens (6), DeAngelo Smith (5) and Haruki Nakamura (4) all are adept at picking off opponents' passes.


SHOOT FOR 10

At first, being assigned to play in the Papa Johns.com Bowl might have been a bit of a disappointment for some of the UC players. But the Bearcats have plenty to play for in this one. With a 9-3 record, a victory over USM would give UC a 10-win season for the first time since 1951. That's a legacy the departing seniors would be proud to go out on and an accomplishment for the other UC players to build on.

Cincinnati season stats

PASSING

Cmp. Att. Yds. TD Int. Pct.
Mauk, B. 205 334 2787 27 6 61.4
Grutza, D. 39 55 432 4 0 70.9
Pike, T. 11 20 91 1 3 55.0

RUSHING

Att. Yds. Avg. TD Avg /G
Benton, B. 99 499 5.0 2 45.4
Moore, G. 83 432 5.2 2 36.0
Ramsey, J. 90 353 3.9 3 32.1
Mauk, B. 87 336 3.9 3 30.5
Glatthaar, B. 47 135 2.9 8 11.2

RECEIVING

Rec. Yds. Avg. TD Avg/G
Goodman, D. 61 774 12.7 6 64.5
Barnett, M. 60 845 14.1 13 70.4
Gilyard, M. 36 536 14.9 3 44.7
Barwin, C. 24 313 13.0 2 28.5
Benton, B. 15 155 10.3 1 14.1
Jackson, E. 14 190 13.6 2 15.8
Moore, G. 12 180 15.0 2 15.0
Giddens, A. 9 162 18.0 1 13.5

FIELD GOALS

FGM-A 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+
Rogers, J. 10-18 2-3 6-8 1-6 1-1










SOUTHERN MISS KEYS

FIND A PASSING GAME

The Golden Eagles have struggled all season with their passing game. If they don't find a way to move the ball through the air against UC, the Bearcats will load the box to stop the run, and Fletcher will find yards on the ground difficult to come by. UC has allowed 282.2 passing yards per game but also has picked off 23 passes.

USE THE EMOTION

This is the last game for Jeff Bower, Southern Miss' longtime head coach, so the Golden Eagles probably will want to win one more for him, even though Bower has downplayed that as a motivation. But there's no doubt the USM players, even though they already know who their new head coach will be next season, will want Bower to go out on a high note.

PLAY UP TO THE COMPETITION

Back when UC regularly played Southern Miss in Conference USA, the Golden Eagles were always one of the Bearcats' more formidable challenges. Now, with UC in the Big East Conference and ranked No. 20 nationally, the tables have been turned. Southern Miss has gained a reputation over the years for playing well against ranked teams. If the Golden Eagles don't take the Bearcats seriously as a ranked team, they could be in for a long day. But if they view this as another chance to make a statement, they could pull a surprise.

--Bill Koch

Southern Miss season stats

PASSING

Cmp. Att. Yds. TD Int. Pct.
Young, J. 102 192 1342 9 5 53.1
Reaves, S. 95 151 943 3 8 62.9

RUSHING

Att. Yds. Avg. TD Avg/G
Fletcher, D. 266 1,431 5.4 15 119.2
Harrison, T. 93 386 4.2 5 32.2
Young, J.. 64 294 4.6 3 32.7
Floyd, V.J. 24 93 3.9 0 10.3
Easterling, A. 16 85 5.3 0 42.5

RECEIVING

Rec. Yds. Avg. TD Avg/G
Magee, T. 42 617 14.7 3 51.4
Nelson, S. 32 405 12.7 2 57.9
Baptiste, G. 30 433 14.4 4 36.1
Fletcher, D. 27 283 10.5 1 23.6
Morgan, E. 22 177 8.0 0 14.8
Jackson, E. 15 144 9.6 2 12.0

FIELD GOALS

FGM-A 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+
Estes, J. 15-22 5-5 6-10 4-7 0-0
Barefoot, B. 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1

EXTRA POINTS

KELLY GOES FOR TWO

With a victory, Brian Kelly (1-0) will pass the bowl win total of the two coaches he followed at UC. Rick Minter and Mark Dantonio each had one bowl win. Minter was 1-3, Dantonio 1-0.

END OF AN ERA

Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower will finish his tenure as coach in the same place he began it - at Legion Field in Birmingham. He was hired on Dec. 2, 1990, and coached the team in his first game at the final All-American Bowl. Bower resigned Nov. 26 and the school hired Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, who will take over after today's game.

A YEAR FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

One win shy of equaling the record for wins in a season, UC has set records for points (441), touchdowns (59), passing touchdowns (32) and punting (46.0 yards average).

UC also established a single-game record for sacks, with 11, in the regular-season finale. And UC was among the AP Top 25 at the end of its regular season for the first time in the program's 120 seasons. Southern Miss last beat a ranked team Nov. 20, 2003, when it knocked off No. 9 TCU.

BETTER KEEP 'EM UNDER 30

The Golden Eagles are 28-0 since 2001 when they score at least 30 points in a contest. They are also 7-0 this season when they have the lead at halftime. But they are 1-5 this season when giving up more than 24 points.

STEADY SEASONS

Only four programs have longer winning season streaks than Southern Miss (14) - Florida State (31), Michigan (23), Florida (20) and Virginia Tech (15).

 

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UC students show support

Hey, a bus to Birmingham beats Christmas break in Canada




At 6:30 a.m. Friday, the University of Cincinnati campus was dark, wet and cold.

Taking that into account, as well as the fact that the school is on holiday break, it wouldn't seem a stretch to assume students would have fled the campus after finals.

Any other day that would be a good wager. Friday was the exception. More than 320 students showed up to take their spot on one of the charter buses headed to Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., to cheer on the Bearcats at the PapaJohns.com Bowl today. The number of buses - six - equals the number of students that went to the International Bowl in Toronto last season.


"In the past, we hadn't had a good group going to the games, so we thought that this year because of the buzz and excitement we would get a package together that would make it a little more enticing for the students," said Leslie Wenert, assistant director of marketing and fan development at UC. "But when we did all of the math, we saw that it was going to be well over $100 a person to go. Fortunately, the Alumni Association and Student Affairs pitched in to help keep the cost down, and we've gone from having six students interested last year to six buses this year. We're really excited."

That help allowed students to get transportation to and from campus, a ticket to the game and lodging at the Marriott Courtyard Birmingham for $55, less than most books they purchase for class.

"With the other bowls, I never heard of them putting anything like this together with a group of students unless you are a part of the RallyCats," said Alex Schmitz, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student. "I love the Bearcats and go to all of the games. I wanted to go to the bowl game that topped off an amazing season. They organized this and made it easier to go, and at a good price for students."

The price was too good to pass up for freshmen Vanessa Phillips and Arielle Demyan.

"We love UC and it was only 55 bucks, so we can afford it," said Phillips.

"They made it cheap so it was easy for all of my friends and I to go and see the Bearcats win." said Demyan.

Sophomore Chris Gruber said the changes on the field are what made up his mind to go to Birmingham. The Bearcat offense set school records this season for points (441), touchdowns (59) and touchdown passes (32). The defense had a single-game school-record 11 sacks in the regular-season finale against Syracuse, and the team is one win shy of equaling the school record for wins in a season.

"It's exciting," Gruber said. "We've been ranked for almost half of the season and coach (Brian) Kelly has a much more dynamic offense that's more fun to watch. (Former) coach (Mark) Dantonio just focused on the defense, and that's helped us out this year for sure, but I think Kelly opening up the offense is what's worked for us. ... This is pretty awesome."

 

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USM needs solid outing from Young


BIRMINGHAM - Southern Miss' offense may be fueled by the slashes of sophomore running back Damion Fletcher.

But Saturday, when the Golden Eagles (7-5) take on No. 20 Cincinnati (9-3) in the second Papajohns.com Bowl, the offensive spotlight might shine on senior quarterback Jeremy Young.



"You look at what they've done, and we're going to have to make plays in the throwing game to be successful," said Jay Johnson, USM's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

USM's ground game ranks 22nd among Division I-A's 119 programs, averaging 200.3 yards per game. Fletcher is the engine, rushing for 1,431 yards and 15 touchdowns, an average 119.2 yards per game.

However, the Bearcats are allowing just 105.7 yards rushing per game, the 15th-best rushing defense.

"They've been really, really good against the run, and obviously, that's been our strong suit, so that part's going to be a good matchup," Johnson said. "They pack it in there and they almost force you into throwing settings."

That's where Young comes in, as the two-year starter from Jackson gets a chance to put a shine on what has been a tough season.

"I'm disappointed, but things happen for a reason," Young said. "But I've battled adversity and came back to finish out my senior season.

"Me, personally, I'm really excited, because it's my last one," Young said. "I hope we can end it on a good note with a victory and a good game."

After a shaky opener, Young had turned in the first, 200-yard passing games of his career at Tennessee and East Carolina.

But then in the third quarter of a loss at Boise State, Young went down with a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for the next four games.

"I just think, with the way things went, with the injury and all that, things certainly lent themselves to being somewhat inconsistent," Johnson said. "He's been decent since he's been back, but he's thrown better this week than I've seen him throw in a long time."

This season, Young has completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,342 yards and nine touchdowns, with five interceptions. Young also has averaged 4.6 yards per carry, rushing for 294 yards and three touchdowns.

Young said he knows he's going to have to make plays with both his arm and his feet.

"These guys, they play real good defense all the way around," Young said. "But if they're up in there, then I've got to get the ball to the outside to the receivers to open up the running game."

Still, USM coach Jeff Bower said the Golden Eagles will not abandon what they do best.

"We're still going to line up and do what we do best," Bower said. "But I still think, with the way that they can score points and as good as they are stopping the run, we've got to do some good things throwing it."

# USM linebackers coach Dave Wommack has been hired as defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech.

Bower confirmed the hire Thursday afternoon during a brief news conference at Legion Field.

Wommack has had two stints at USM. He spent seven years on USM's staff (1994-2000) before leaving for posts at Arkansas and South Carolina. He had returned to Hattiesburg just weeks before the 2007 season began when Fred Tate's sudden resignation left a spot open on Bower's staff.

Wommack became defensive co-coordinator for the Golden Eagles midway through the season after Jay Hopson was diagnosed and treated for cancer.

Hopson resumed the coordinating duties for USM's last two regular-season games.

 

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With this being USM coach Jeff Bower's final game as the program's head coach, the Bearcats expect a determined bunch of Golden Eagles.

"They're going to be playing inspired football," said Ben Mauk, UC's senior quarterback.

"Their coach is leaving after 17 years, and he recruited all these guys.

"At the same time, we're trying to get our 10th win and that hasn't been done in over 50 years in Cincinnati football. We're both going to be playing inspired football and it should be fun to watch."

Mauk completed 205 of 334 passes for 2,787 yards, 27 touchdowns and only six interceptions this season. The Bearcats are seeking another year of eligibility from the NCAA for the senior transfer from Wake Forest.

This may be Bower's last game with USM, but Young says the Golden Eagles have kept a level head leading up to the game.

"There's not been much emotion leading up to the game," Young said. "When game time comes, I don't know. I guess you have to know when to have emotion and when not to. I guess when the game comes, it'll come at the end."

Sumrall believes the Golden Eagles are as prepared as they have been all season.

"We're very motivated," Sumrall said. "We're the most focused team I've ever seen. Even thought it's a bowl game and we're supposed to have fun, we step on the field for practice and it's all business. We're flying around with an enthusiasm, and that's always great."