Cincinnati Bearcats Notes

[lostinamerica]

Part I of II.

FROM http://www.ucbearcats.com/sports/football/

Bearcats In Bowls:
The New Orleans Bowl will mark the seventh time in school history that the Bearcats have played in a postseason bowl. Cincinnati owns a 3-3 record in those games. A look at the series results follows:

Year Game (Location) Opponent W/L Score
1947 Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX) Virginia Tech W 18 -6
1949 Glass Bowl (Toledo, OH) Toledo W 33 -13
1951 Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX) West Texas St. L 13 -14
1997 Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, ID) Utah State W 35 -19
2000 Motor City Bowl (Detroit, MI) Marshall L 14 -25
2001 Motor City Bowl (Detroit, MI) Toledo L 16 -23

----- ----- -----

Bearcats Claim 10th Football Conference Title:
The win over East Carolina gave Cincinnati a share of the Conference USA title, the first league championship in football for UC since 1964. Cincinnati has now won 10 league championships in its history, winning two in the Buckeye Conference (1933 & 1934), five in the Mid-American (1947, 1949, 1950, 1951 & 1952), two in the Missouri Valley Conference (1963 & 1964) and one C-USA title.

Non-League Slate A Tough One For Bearcats:
Hindsight shows that the non-conference schedule played by the Bearcats this year was one of the toughest ever. The five UC non-league opponents own a combined 43-19 record (.694) with three of those teams making bowl appearances. Heading the list of non-league opponents is Ohio State, which is 13-0, ranked second in both major polls and will play Miami (FL) for the national title in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. West Virginia, which was 3-8 a year ago, will play Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl after finishing the regular season ranked 15th by the Associated Press and 16th in the ESPN/USA Today poll with a 9-3 record. Hawai?i (10-3), which is receiving votes in both polls, will play Tulane in the ConAgra Hawaii Bowl. Rounding out the non-league slate were 7-5 Miami (OH) and 4-8 Temple.

. . . NCAA Rankings Like Schedule Toughness:
Cincinnati?s 2002 schedule has been rated the 20th toughest in the nation in the latest strength of schedule rankings, which were released by the NCAA. Bearcat opponents combined for an 89-67 record against Division I-A opponents (.571), tops in Conference USA. In fact, the next closest C-USA opponent was East Carolina, who ranked 70th with a 72-69 record.

A Common Foe:
Co-Conference USA Champion TCU was the only team that both Cincinnati and North Texas faced this year, with each battling the Horned Frogs in September. The Bearcats handed TCU one of its two losses this year, a 36-29 overtime win on Sept. 2, while the Mean Green fell to TCU 16-10 on Sept. 21.

. . . UC Faced Seven Bowl Teams During 2002 Slate:
Seven Bearcat opponents during the 2002 season received bowl bids this year, a school record. Conference USA opponents Louisville (GMAC Bowl), Tulane (ConAgra Foods Hawai?i), TCU (AXA Liberty) and Southern Miss (Houston) each received bowl bids while non-league foes Ohio State (Tostito?s Fiesta), West Virginia (Continental Tire) and Hawai?i (ConAgra Hawai?i) will each go bowling. An eighth opponent, Miami (OH), was bowl eligible but did not receive a bowl berth. The previous school best came in both 1995 and 1999 when Cincinnati played five bowl teams.

A Tough Place To Play:
On the outside, the Bearcats will have their hands full in the New Orleans Bowl as they try to win their first game in the Louisiana Superdome since 1976. But the entire path to a bowl game for Cincinnati has been filled with having to do things it seldom has been able to accomplish. It started with a convincing 35-22 win at Temple, a team that UC had not beaten in six tries in Philadelphia. It continued with a 24-14 win at Louisville, claiming its first win ever in Papa John?s Cardinal Stadium. Last week, the Bearcats ended a seven game losing streak at East Carolina to win the Conference USA title.

. . . Any Place But Dome:
Cincinnati does not have a history of playing well in domed stadiums, taking a 2-11 record in games played in domes into the New Orleans Bowl. UC is 1-4 in the Louisiana Superdome, with the lone win coming in the 1976 season. The Bearcats are also 1-4 in the Houston Astrodome, 0-2 in Pontiac Silverdome and 0-1 in the Indianapolis RCA Dome.

The Conference Turnaround:
The Bearcats have done a 180-degree turnaround during their seven years in Conference USA. UC joined the loop in 1996, ending a 26-year stretch as an independent, but could manage just seven wins in its first 27 league contests. Since that time, starting with a win over UAB in 2000, Cincinnati has posted a 14-4 league mark, finishing second in both 2000 and 2001 and winning its first C-USA title this year.

. . . UC Plays Better On The Road:
One of the keys to the change in Bearcat fortune within Conference USA has been their ability to win on the road. Cincinnati won just one of its first 13 C-USA road contests, including a 12-game losing streak. Since ending the losing streak with a win at Memphis to close the 2000 season, the Bearcats have claimed seven of the nine road league games, including a perfect 4-0 mark in 2001.

UC & ESPN:
The New Orleans Bowl will be the last of five UC games televised by either ESPN or ESPN2 this year and the 14th Cincinnati game televised by either ESPN or ESPN2 over the last six years. ESPN also televised the season-opening game against TCU, the Sept. 21 Ohio State game, the Nov. 7 game at Louisville and the Dec. 6 East Carolina contest. The Bearcats have played well on ESPN this year, owning a 3-1 record. UC handed TCU one of its two losses, upended C-USA favorite Louisville in Louisville, won for the first time ever at East Carolina and narrowly missed upsetting Ohio State, a team ranked No. 2 in the nation that will play for the national title. Last year, Cincinnati played games against Purdue, East Carolina and Toledo (Motor City Bowl) on ESPN.

Tuesday Night Football:
The New Orleans Bowl game will be just the second time in the 113-year history of UC football that the Bearcats will play a game on a Tuesday. The only previous Tuesday contest came when UC upended Virginia Tech, 18-6, on January 1, 1947 in the Sun Bowl. It was the first bowl appearance by a UC team.

. . . But UC Has Played Almost Every Day of the Week:
Playing on nontraditional football days is nothing new for Cincinnati as the Bearcats have played games this year on a Monday (Sept. 2 vs. TCU), Thursday (Nov. 7 at Louisville) and Friday (Dec. 6 at East Carolina) and own a 3-0 record in those games. UC owns a 6-5 record in games played on days other than Saturday in the nine seasons under Rick Minter.

It Will Be A Homecoming For Ruffin:
The New Orleans Bowl will be a homecoming for senior kicker Jonathan Ruffin, serving as the perfect way for him to conclude his record-setting career. Ruffin hails from Metairie, La., which is located in the northwest suburbs of New Orleans. He has played two games in New Orleans during his UC career, tying a UC school record with four field goals against the Tulane in 2000.

Coaches Do Poor Job Of Picking C-USA Finish:
For the fifth time in the seven-year history of Conference USA, the league coaches failed to predict the eventual champion in the preseason poll. In fact, the coaches failed miserably in their prognostication, correctly picking the final finish of just one team (Army, 10th) and coming within one place for just two other schools. Co-champions Cincinnati and TCU were forecast to finish fifth and fourth, respectively. Here is a look at how the coaches picked it and where things ended up in the 2002 C-USA race:

Picked School Actual Finish
1. Louisville T-3rd
2. Southern Miss T-3rd
3. East Carolina T-5th
4. TCU T-1st
5. Cincinnati T-1st
6. Memphis 9th
7. UAB T-5th
8. Tulane T-5th
9. Houston 8th
10. Army 10th

The Turnover Turnaround:
Proof that turnovers are the key to success on the field can be found in examining the Bearcat football season. Six games ago, Cincinnati was 2-5 and ranked 108th in the nation with a -9 turnover margin. Since that time, the Bearcats have won five of their six games and improved the turnover margin to +4 by forcing 20 turnovers while committing just seven. Included in that stretch was a six forced turnover effort against Memphis and four turnovers vs. Houston.

. . . And What UC Does With The Turnovers Has Changed:
Also notable in the turnover statistics is what has resulted from the turnovers. In the first seven games, UC forced 12 turnovers, turning them into four touchdowns and two fields goals. Over the last six games, the Bearcats have turned the 20 turnovers they have forced into 10 touchdowns and two field goals. On the other side of the ball, the 21 UC turnovers in the first seven games were turned into nine touchdowns and four field goals. Over the last six contests, the seven UC turnovers have resulted in just one field goal.

. . . And A Turnover Deja vu:
The turnover pattern the last five games is almost a repeat of what happened when UC closed the 2000 season with four consecutive wins to earn a Motor City Bowl berth. After starting the year with a -2 turnover margin through seven games, the UC defense buckled down, owning a +13 margin over the final five contests, forcing 20 turnovers while committing just seven. The performance allowed Cincinnati to finish the season ranked sixth in the nation and first in Conference USA with a +12 turnover margin. It was the best turnover margin by a UC squad since the 1993 team that finished the year with a +15 turnover margin.

----- ----- -----

 

[lostinamerica]

Part II of II:

Offensive Leaders:
Cincinnati closed the regular season as the Conference USA leader in both total offense and passing. In 13 games, UC has averaged 263.5 yards passing and 404.3 yards of total offense to rank 23rd in the nation in passing and 29th in total offense. The Bearcats lead Memphis (239.0) in passing offense and Houston (392.8) in total offense. The Bearcats have had at least 400 yards of total offense in nine of the 13 games. Last year, UC ranked second in C-USA in passing (269.8) and third in total offense (416.3).

. . . And The Defense Continues To Rise:
Following a Sept. 14 loss to West Virginia in which the Mountaineers posted 334 yards rushing and 523 yards of total offense, the Bearcat defense was mired in the bottom 25 nationally in every defensive statistical category. Since that day, the UC defense has shown great improvement, moving to 24th nationally in total defense. The defense has been outstanding over the last eight games, allowing just 109.8 yards rushing and 279.0 yards of total offense. Included in the total was 176 yards of total offense against Louisville, 211 at Southern Miss and 220 yards in a win over Memphis. Additionally, UC allowed 331 yards to Hawai?i, almost 200 yards below the Warriors nation?s best 520.9 average. Listed below is a comparison of how the UC defense ranked after two and nine games:

Category After 2 Games Now
Rushing Defense 106th (215.5) 40th (134.0)
Pass Effic. Defense 95th (137.7) 20th (103.6)
Scoring Defense 91st (32.0) 43rd (23.5)
Total Defense 106th (436.5) 24th (318.1)

Defense Ranks As Best Under Minter:
As a defensive coach during his assistant coaching years, Rick Minter was known for putting good defenses on the field. That has proven to be the case again this year as the 2002 Bearcats rank as the best defensive unit in the nine years that Rick Minter has been the UC head coach. Cincinnati has allowed just 318.1 yards to rank 24th nationally this year, less than the previous low of 322.8 yards allowed in 1996 when UC ranked 13th in total defense. The 1995 squad, which held opponents to 324.5 yards per game, was 26th in the NCAA stats.

Champion vs. Champion:
The New Orleans Bowl is one of just six bowl games this year in which two conference champions will meet. North Texas won the Sun Belt Conference title for the second straight year. The four BCS bowls can each boast a champion vs. champion matchup as can the AXA Liberty Bowl, which features C-USA co-champ TCU playing Mountain West champion Colorado State.

Olinger Clears 1,000, Eyes Receiving Yardage Record:
A 194-yard receiving explosion by Jon Olinger allowed the senior to become only the third receiver in school history to catch passes for more than 1,000 yards in a season. Olinger has caught 50 passes for 1,007 yards and seven touchdowns to join record-holder Jim O?Brien (1,107 yards) and Tom Rossley (1,072), both of whom accomplished it in 1968.

----- ----- -----

Peek For The Defense:
Senior Antwan Peek made an excellent case for himself as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. The senior leads the team with 97 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, six quarterback sacks, 19 quarterback hurries and 14 quarterback hits. He leads Conference USA with seven fumbles caused and five fumbles recovered, returning fumbles for touchdowns against both Louisville and Houston. He has also blocked a pair of field goals. Always known as a big play performer, Peek?s concentration on making more tackles this year paid dividends as he improved upon the 60 tackles he made a year ago.

The Young Linebackers Emerge:
For two years, Rick Minter talked about the promising young group of UC linebackers, comparing Jamar Enzor, Tyjuan Hagler, Jason Russell and Jamey Murphy with UC greats Brad Jackson, Phil Curry and Hassan Champion. The unit struggled as a whole during the 2001 season, part of the reason why the defense had problems stopping the run. The quartet managed to see action in just 80 defensive downs, making a combined 20 tackles during the year. The group has shown this year the ability that Minter lauded, combining to make 266 tackles, including 41 tackles for loss. Here is a breakdown of the performance by the linebackers over the last two years:

2001 Totals 2002 Totals
Player Plays Tackles TFL Plays Tackles TFL
Jamar Enzor 79 10 0 454 88 14
Tyjuan Hagler 1 1 0 497 75 17
Jason Russell 0 7 0 456 56 8
Jamey Murphy 0 2 0 338 47 2

. . . And Don?t Forget The Seniors:
Although the sophomores and juniors have dominated the linebacking unit this year, seniors Willis Edwards and Jason Hunt continue to provide steady play. Edwards, who is fifth on the team with 83 tackles this year, has recorded four consecutive games with nine or more tackles. He had 10 stops in the win over Houston, a season high 11 tackles at Hawai?i, 10 vs. UAB and nine at East Carolina. Hunt is 10th on the team with 64 stops, including six TFL and a pair of sacks. He has made four or more tackles in 11 games, including a season-high 10 tackles against Miami (OH).

Third Down Doings:
Performance on third down has proven to be a very telling statistic for the Bearcats this year. In the seven UC wins, the Bearcats have successfully converted 44 of their 92 third down attempts (.478). In the six losses, UC has managed only a .316 success rate (29 of 92). The Bearcats have won all four games in which they have converted half of their third down tries, including a season-high .643 (9-of-14) against Houston.

. . . And Some Third Down Oddities:
A couple of figures stand out regarding the Bearcats performance on third down this year. Defensively, UC has allowed its opponents to convert just three of 36 third down attempts of seven, eight or nine yards this year. Offensively, the Bearcats have made a first down 63 percent of the time (24-38) when faced with third and less than three yards but just 17 percent of the time (10-58) when it is third and 10 or more. A breakdown of the success rate on third down by distances for both UC and its opponents follows:

Distance Cincinnati Opponent
1-3 Yards 24 -38 (.632) 30 -50 (.600)
4-6 Yards 25 -54 (.463) 16 -42 (.381)
7-9 Yards 17 -45 (.378) 3 -36 (.083)
10+ Yards 10 -58 (.172) 12 -59 (.203)
Overall 76 -195 (.390) 61 -187 (.326)

Cole Adjusts Well To Starting Role:
In the 10 games since moving into the starting lineup, sophomore Trent Cole has become one of the forces on the Bearcat defense. Cole is sixth on the team with 82 tackles while ranking second with five sacks and fourth with 11 tackles for loss. He saw limited action in the first three games, making six tackles, before breaking into the starting lineup and recording five stops against Temple. He has increased his career tackle highs three times since then, including 10 tackles with a sack and caused fumble at Louisville and nine stops with 1.5 sacks and three TFL vs. UAB. In his 10 starts, Cole has made 76 tackles with five quarterback sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Nicknamed ?Scrap Iron? by his position coach Tracy Rocker because of his solid physique, Cole has had six or more tackles in seven straight games. Projected as a linebacker when he signed with UC, Cole sat out the 2001 season as a partial qualifier. He moved to defensive end during the preseason and has quickly built a reputation because of his hard work.

The Best Offense. . . :
Rick Minter lamented following the Southern Miss loss that one of the reasons that UC was 2-5 was that our opponents were scoring points on defense and UC wasn?t. The defense took the challenge, scoring six touchdowns over the last six games. Never did the defense have a better presence than at East Carolina when Blue Adams returned an interception 12 yards to open the UC scoring and Zach Norton brought back an interception 30 yards to put the game away. Adams started the scoring when he returned an interception 80 yards for a score against Memphis. Antwan Peek returned fumbles against Louisville and Houston and Tyjuan Hagler brought back an interception 15 yards for a score against UAB.

A Fourth Quarter Bearcat Advantage:
The Bearcats have been at their best when the game is on the line, owning an 117-50 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter this year, including a 65-22 edge over the last six games. The defense has allowed just four fourth quarter touchdowns this year, those coming against Ohio State, Houston, Hawai?i and East Carolina. Nine of the 50 fourth quarter points have come directly off turnovers as Southern Miss scored on an interception return and a safety. In the seven Bearcat wins this year, UC has outscored its opponents 91-22 in the fourth quarter and 7-0 in overtime.

----- ----- -----