The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Does anyone know the seating area for UC fans at the Pitt game?
I am wanting to go, and would like to be in/near the UC sections if possible.

I went to the alumni function in Dayton last month andthe UC ticket office rep said that UC had already returned their unsold tickets. She said we would have to buy through the Pitt ticket office (or a third party vendor).

When we played back in 2009 we were way up in the upper deck.

I got two yesterday lower level in the corner of the end zone.

It would be nice if we're around UC people. I'm not worried about it if we're not.

Some of the most obnoxious fans I've ever been around. Good luck to all that are going.

I know I was going to take my sons up to see the Steelers once and I had Steelers fans talk me out of it because how nasty the other Steelers fans get at the stadium...

Of course now I live out by Philly... Probably worse.

Pitt plays WV the week after us. They probably just consider our game as a warm up. Stadium will probably be half full.

Turning our attention toward Pitt. Narduzzi has been really good there. He reminds me a lot of fickell. Great at identifying and developing talent, particularly on defense.
Nothing innovative on offense and his best overall years were when he had an NFL qb playing at a high level to hide offensive strategy/play calling issues.

Winnable, but challenging game that should give us a good idea where this team is.

Head-to-head Wins:

8 Pitt
4 Cincinnati

Current Win Streak:

2 Cincinnati

(09-04-2023 02:57 PM)eroc Wrote:  

It was a lame series anyway.

Didn't Pitt keep the trophy after the Bowl game?

(09-04-2023 03:17 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 02:57 PM)eroc Wrote:  

It was a lame series anyway.

Didn't Pitt keep the trophy after the Bowl game?

What bowl game? We have the trophy.

(09-04-2023 03:18 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 03:17 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(09-04-2023 02:57 PM)eroc Wrote:  

It was a lame series anyway.

Didn't Pitt keep the trophy after the Bowl game?

What bowl game? We have the trophy.

Yeah, never mind. I was thinking of the Keg.

I mean, as far as college trophies go, that wasn't a bad one.

But since Pitt stabbed us in the back maybe we should give it back to them... where the sun doesn't shine.

i don't know if the stat about first time starters is accurate...

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt...2309040063

Quote:Pat Narduzzi, Panthers focused on stopping Cincinnati’s transfer-portal-created offense

NOAH HILES
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
nhiles@post-gazette.com
SEP 4, 2023 5:21 PM

Coming off a season-opening 45-7 victory over Wofford, Pat Narduzzi is aware that his team will face a much tougher test this Saturday against Cincinnati. And as Narduzzi and his staff prepare for their Week 2 battle, the answers for their upcoming opponent can be found on game film of teams located all throughout the country.

After bringing in former Louisville coach Scott Satterfield to replace Luke Fickell, who left the Bearcats for a head coaching job at Wisconsin, Cincinnati experienced major roster turnover, especially on the offensive side of the football.

Junior center Gavin Gerhardt is the lone returning starter on Cincinnati's offense. Of the other 10 players to start for the Bearcats in their 66-13 Week 1 win over Eastern Kentucky, eight were newcomers from the transfer portal.

“We’ve got at least a game’s tape on them,” Narduzzi said Monday when asked about Cincinnati’s new-look roster. “It would be a lot harder if we opened up with them and didn’t know. We’d have to go back and watch them with their old school or even their high school tape. It’s kind of like an opener with a lot of those guys. You’re not sure how fast they are. You haven’t played against them. It’s never easy when you don’t get to play against guys. You don’t know who they are and what they can do.”

While Pitt’s staff might not be familiar with Cincinnati’s players, Narduzzi said he is more than familiar with the Bearcats’ offensive scheme. Satterfield coached against Pitt twice during his head coaching stint in Louisville, with the most recent contest taking place last season, which ended in a 24-10 loss for the Panthers. Narduzzi highlighted a few similar tendencies he noted when watching over the film for Cincinnati’s win Saturday.

“It’s very similar in Year 1 of it,” Narduzzi said. “It’s a big outside zone team. I’m not sure if they’ll like outside zone against us, but it is their favorite run play. They do a good job. They’re going to go back and look at games from the last three years. They did it at Louisville, where they kind of copy-catted some stuff that you can just notice.”

A key studying point for Cincinnati’s offense is the man running it: sixth-year senior quarterback Emory Jones. Few players delivered a better effort than Jones last Saturday, as he threw for 345 yards and five touchdowns against Eastern Kentucky. Jones, who previously played at both Florida and Arizona State, also rushed for a pair of scores, which Narduzzi said was his biggest takeaway.

“He’s a great player,” Narduzzi said. “He’s athletic, I don’t know if he’s Malik Cunningham (Louisville’s quarterback under Satterfield last season), but he’s really athletic.”

“He likes to scramble,” Narduzzi said of Jones later on. “If he doesn’t like it, he’s taking off and he can run.”

Narduzzi added that Cincinnati’s greatest strength is its receiving corps. The Bearcats leading receiver last weekend was Xzavier Henderson, who hauled in seven passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Henderson spent the previous three seasons at Florida, where he was teammates with Jones in both 2020 and 2021.

A rivalry?

In 2005, Pitt’s annual matchup against Cincinnati was deemed the “River City Rivalry.” From 2005 to 2012, the game’s winner would be presented with the Paddlewheel Trophy, which stood 46-inches tall and weighed 95-pounds.

At that time, Narduzzi happened to be on the other side of the rivalry, serving as the Bearcats defensive coordinator. But despite his familiarity with both schools, it is safe to assume that Narduzzi doesn’t put Pitt-Cincinnati on the same tier as some of college football’s other historic annual clashes.

“Um, I don’t know,” Narduzzi said with a smile when asked to describe the River City Rivalry. “It’s a rivalry game, I guess, or at least it used to be, when we were in the same conference, right? We’re not in the same conference, so I don’t know.

“I never really thought about that. I was worried about their personnel more than a trophy. The trophy doesn’t really matter, or it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know if it will be here or not. I don’t know if our kids know what it is.”

A Pitt spokesperson informed the Post-Gazette that the winning team Saturday will not receive the trophy, per a mutual decision made by both schools involved.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt...2309050057

Quote:Pitt defense prepares for 'athletic' quarterback threat in Cincinnati's Emory Jones
The dual-threat quarterback drew Pat Narduzzi comparisons to former Louisville starter Malik Cunningham

CHRISTOPHER CARTER
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
ccarter@post-gazette.com
SEP 5, 2023 4:22 PM

Pitt enters Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. contest with Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium coming off a 45-7 blowout win over Wofford.

Cincinnati, however, can also boast its own 66-13 win over Eastern Kentucky from Week 1.

But how the Bearcats scored those 66 points is what the Panthers appear to be focused on during practice this week.

“They’ve got a quarterback who can sling it and run it,” Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac said of Cincinnati after Pitt’s Tuesday practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “They’ve got talented guys on the perimeter. Their pass game is something to prepare for.”

That quarterback is Emory Jones, a 6-3, 212 lb redshirt senior from La Grange, Ga., who transferred to Cincinnati this offseason from Arizona State after transferring from Florida in 2022. Jones led the Bearcats’ season by completing 19 of 23 passes for 345 yards, five passing touchdowns, and rushed nine times for 36 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

His threat as a dual quarterback drew Pat Narduzzi to a comparison to a recent quarterback Pitt faced, former Louisville starter Malik Cunningham, for his athletic abilities. The comparison draws a connection to the same head coach, Scott Satterfield, who was the head coach for Louisville from 2019-2022 before taking over at Cincinnati heading into this season.

“Great player, athletic,” Narduzzi said of Jones. “I don't know if he's Malik Cunningham, but he's really athletic. Again, we know Scott Satterfield, who we've faced a couple times already, a really, really good coach that will be another challenge.”

Pitt went 1-1 in its two matchups with Cunningham when he quarterbacked Louisville under Satterfield, including a 23-20 nailbiter in 2020 and a 24-10 rout by the Cardinals last season.

“You can see how Emory fits what coach Satterfield has done in the past with quarterbacks,” Manalac said, who played under Narduzzi at Cincinnati years ago. “He has that ability to run. They showed the draw, the option, and the scramble, so all those elements are there. But he also has a live arm. That ingredient makes him a dynamic quarterback. They got 667 yards of total offense. We’ll be ready.”

That kind of dynamic quarterback threat will force Pitt’s defense to be disciplined not only with their coverage but also with how they apply pressure. The Panthers have been one of the most aggressive pass-rushing defenses in the country, ranking among the top three sack-producing programs in the country in each of the past four seasons. But part of maintaining that pressure against a mobile quarterback requires extra discipline, as redshirt senior defensive tackle Devin Danielson explained.

“He is very similar with how he runs,” Danielson said of the comparison of Jones to Cunningham. “We’ve got to make sure to keep our pass rush lanes and keep him inside the pocket. It can be tough at times when you’re tempted to make an inside move and risk losing contain. But it’s all about calculating your risk versus the reward of it and just being able to fix it. We have to make sure we actually get to the quarterback so he can’t escape anywhere.”

Part of the key for Pitt’s defense will also include how the Panthers communicate on the field to make sure their unit is in position and reading the right keys each play. For most of the past three seasons, that role had fallen upon SirVocea Dennis at Mike linebacker to take the defensive calls and communicate their plan of attack across the defense.

But now that Dennis is in the NFL, that role falls to redshirt senior Shayne Simon, who was voted team captain just weeks ago by his teammates. His ability to lead and the tone he sets for the defense became more noticeable in Pitt’s 2023 spring and summer training camps as he applied lessons he learned from Dennis to his new role.

“Shayne loves it,” Manalac said. “He loves playing in the middle and the leadership [that comes with it.] He felt [SirVocea Dennis’] leadership last year and understands what that takes. He’s done a tremendous job. It starts with who he is as a person to be voted as a captain by his peers. He works his tail off every single day, both mentally and physically. That’s his role, and he’s excited about.”

Whether Pitt’s defense does contain the mobile threat of Jones’ game remains to be seen. But it’s evident in the week leading up to the primetime matchup that the Panthers are focused on keeping Jones contained while maintaining their aggressive pass-rush style of defense.

My sense is, this Pitt team is built mostly on defense and a sustained ground game on offense. That doesn't seem like what UC will see most weeks in the Big 12, so this should be an interesting early season test.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/...758033007/

UC's Tony Pike returns to Pitt nearly 14 years after famous pass to Armon Binns
Scott Springer
Cincinnati Enquirer

Nearly 14 years ago the University of Cincinnati clinched the Big East football title in dramatic fashion. Down as many as 21, a pass play with 33 seconds to go sent Bearcat fans into a victorious frenzy.

With an undefeated season on the line and head coach Brian Kelly being courted by Irishmen, UC had a day to remember on the cold, snowy grass of what was then called Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) on Dec. 5, 2009.

It didn't start out so pleasant as Dave Wannstedt's Panthers were having their way with the Bearcats, at one point leading 31-10. Then, magic struck as Mardy Gilyard's 99-yard kickoff return before the half put UC down two scores 31-17.

Second-half redemption
In the third quarter, Tony Pike, picked off three times on the afternoon, heated up and found Gilyard on a 68-yard scoring pass to cut the Pitt lead to a touchdown. With the Panthers up two scores again, Pike found D.J. Woods to make it 38-30. With 5:46 remaining, Isaiah Pead scored, then Pike hit Gilyard for the two-point to tie the game at 38.

"Once our offense started getting into a rhythm, the confidence would rise around our team," Pike said.

Pitt's Dion Lewis would cross the goal line with 1:36 left, but the extra point failed and UC trailed 44-38. Pike liked what he saw in the faces of his teammates, knowing they could win the game.

After Gilyard ran the kickoff to the 39, it was a seven-yard pass to him to the UC 46, a 10-yard pass to Woods put the Bearcats in Pitt territory then a 15-yarder to Gilyard to the Pitt 29 with 33 ticks on the clock.

"Mardy had such a dynamic game all around (118 yards receiving, 263 on kickoff/punt returns) so we sent trips to the wide side of the field," Pike said. "In doing that, because of Mardy's presence, they had to give safety support to the wide side. That left Armon (Binns) one-on-one."

Said Binns, "I got singled up quite a bit during that game because of what Mardy was doing and what he had done all year."

Binns slapped the left of his helmet to alert Pike who was shocked to see the defender up tight. His next thought was to look the safety off, then trust Binns to get on top of his man to make the grab. For Binns, he remembers a slow-motion focus on the ball.

"Anytime I got one-on-one coverage, me and Pike knew what the deal was," Binns said. "When the ball went in the air, everything went black. All I was focusing on was bringing in the football. There was no sound. It was literally me out there by myself on the field just trying to find that football."

The game was tied at 44, but Pike was still on edge. Jacob Rogers had missed an extra point earlier in the day. When it split the uprights red and black-clad fans in the Steel City were delirious. The catch is remembered yearly and in 2019, a commemorative bobblehead of Pike and Binns was made.

Always credit the line
Pike is quick to point out the work of former UC offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach who went on to play in the NFL.

"Pitt went offsides!" Pike said. "The defensive end got a quick start and was offsides. Linkenbach was able to get enough on him that he ran passed me and allowed me to step up. Without that, the play is probably blown dead and we're trying it again."

Returning to the scene
Pike has not been back to the field since that day. He walked off thinking UC might have a shot at the national championship and that Brian Kelly would see them through if Nebraska beat Texas in the Big 12 title game. If not for a Texas field goal, UC might have advanced to center stage but the Longhorns won 13-12 putting UC in the Sugar Bowl against Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow's Gators.

Before Saturday's game, Pike will be on hand at Pittsburgh's North Shore Riverfront Park for a UC Alumni Association gathering where he'll repeat the tale of his toss to Binns. Armon Binns will be at Northwestern Saturday where he coaches the Wildcat receivers.

From the outhouse to the penthouse
There are photos of Pike and Kelly taking in the thrill of victory. However, history may have played out differently had the two not found a way to get through the game. At one point, Kelly had Zach Collaros warming up to replace the 6-6 slinger from Reading.

"At halftime, he came up and said, 'You're going to apologize to this team for ruining the perfect season!' Pike said. "That's how bad the first half was. I respect Brian Kelly in the sense that he allowed me to play through it. He could've benched me, could've pulled me. If he gave me a chance to find some rhythm. Had I known walking off the field it would be the last time walking off the field together, it may have been a little different."

Pike has no idea what kind of reception he'll get, but he does hope former coach Dave Wannstedt is there so he can ask him a burning question.

"Why did they leave Armon Binns on an island one-on-one?" Pike said with a satisfying grin.

(09-06-2023 02:00 PM)Cat-Man Wrote:  https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/...758033007/

UC's Tony Pike returns to Pitt nearly 14 years after famous pass to Armon Binns
Scott Springer
Cincinnati Enquirer

Nearly 14 years ago the University of Cincinnati clinched the Big East football title in dramatic fashion. Down as many as 21, a pass play with 33 seconds to go sent Bearcat fans into a victorious frenzy.

With an undefeated season on the line and head coach Brian Kelly being courted by Irishmen, UC had a day to remember on the cold, snowy grass of what was then called Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) on Dec. 5, 2009.

It didn't start out so pleasant as Dave Wannstedt's Panthers were having their way with the Bearcats, at one point leading 31-10. Then, magic struck as Mardy Gilyard's 99-yard kickoff return before the half put UC down two scores 31-17.

Second-half redemption
In the third quarter, Tony Pike, picked off three times on the afternoon, heated up and found Gilyard on a 68-yard scoring pass to cut the Pitt lead to a touchdown. With the Panthers up two scores again, Pike found D.J. Woods to make it 38-30. With 5:46 remaining, Isaiah Pead scored, then Pike hit Gilyard for the two-point to tie the game at 38.

"Once our offense started getting into a rhythm, the confidence would rise around our team," Pike said.

Pitt's Dion Lewis would cross the goal line with 1:36 left, but the extra point failed and UC trailed 44-38. Pike liked what he saw in the faces of his teammates, knowing they could win the game.

After Gilyard ran the kickoff to the 39, it was a seven-yard pass to him to the UC 46, a 10-yard pass to Woods put the Bearcats in Pitt territory then a 15-yarder to Gilyard to the Pitt 29 with 33 ticks on the clock.

"Mardy had such a dynamic game all around (118 yards receiving, 263 on kickoff/punt returns) so we sent trips to the wide side of the field," Pike said. "In doing that, because of Mardy's presence, they had to give safety support to the wide side. That left Armon (Binns) one-on-one."

Said Binns, "I got singled up quite a bit during that game because of what Mardy was doing and what he had done all year."

Binns slapped the left of his helmet to alert Pike who was shocked to see the defender up tight. His next thought was to look the safety off, then trust Binns to get on top of his man to make the grab. For Binns, he remembers a slow-motion focus on the ball.

"Anytime I got one-on-one coverage, me and Pike knew what the deal was," Binns said. "When the ball went in the air, everything went black. All I was focusing on was bringing in the football. There was no sound. It was literally me out there by myself on the field just trying to find that football."

The game was tied at 44, but Pike was still on edge. Jacob Rogers had missed an extra point earlier in the day. When it split the uprights red and black-clad fans in the Steel City were delirious. The catch is remembered yearly and in 2019, a commemorative bobblehead of Pike and Binns was made.

Always credit the line
Pike is quick to point out the work of former UC offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach who went on to play in the NFL.

"Pitt went offsides!" Pike said. "The defensive end got a quick start and was offsides. Linkenbach was able to get enough on him that he ran passed me and allowed me to step up. Without that, the play is probably blown dead and we're trying it again."

Returning to the scene
Pike has not been back to the field since that day. He walked off thinking UC might have a shot at the national championship and that Brian Kelly would see them through if Nebraska beat Texas in the Big 12 title game. If not for a Texas field goal, UC might have advanced to center stage but the Longhorns won 13-12 putting UC in the Sugar Bowl against Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow's Gators.

Before Saturday's game, Pike will be on hand at Pittsburgh's North Shore Riverfront Park for a UC Alumni Association gathering where he'll repeat the tale of his toss to Binns. Armon Binns will be at Northwestern Saturday where he coaches the Wildcat receivers.

From the outhouse to the penthouse
There are photos of Pike and Kelly taking in the thrill of victory. However, history may have played out differently had the two not found a way to get through the game. At one point, Kelly had Zach Collaros warming up to replace the 6-6 slinger from Reading.

"At halftime, he came up and said, 'You're going to apologize to this team for ruining the perfect season!' Pike said. "That's how bad the first half was. I respect Brian Kelly in the sense that he allowed me to play through it. He could've benched me, could've pulled me. If he gave me a chance to find some rhythm. Had I known walking off the field it would be the last time walking off the field together, it may have been a little different."

Pike has no idea what kind of reception he'll get, but he does hope former coach Dave Wannstedt is there so he can ask him a burning question.

"Why did they leave Armon Binns on an island one-on-one?" Pike said with a satisfying grin.

Somehow, without ever talking to BK directly, that is least surprising quote I've seen attributed to him involving a QB lol.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt...2309060119

Quote:Pat Narduzzi 'hopeful' Pitt's secondary recalls past lessons in matchup with Cincinnati

CHRISTOPHER CARTER
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
ccarter@post-gazette.com
SEP 7, 2023 4:20 PM

Pitt’s 6:30 p.m. Saturday showdown with Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium will not only be the first FBS test for the Panthers but also a test of the newest members in their secondary.

While Pitt returned its top three cornerbacks in M.J. Devonshire, Marquis Williams and A.J. Woods, both of the Panthers starting safeties this season in Javon McIntyre and Phillip O’Brien Jr. have only made starts in spots before this season. Last week, the Panthers defense dominated an FCS opponent in their 45-7 win over Wofford. But Cincinnati’s offense presents a much greater passing threat with quarterback Emory Jones, who threw for five touchdowns and ran for two in Cincinnati’s 66-13 win over Eastern Kentucky last week.

“If he scrambles out of the pocket and he doesn’t like it, he’ll take off and run,” coach Pat Narduzzi said of Jones during his Thursday press conference at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “He’s more of a run to scramble guy.”

But just as important as the personnel Cincinnati will deploy is their schematics from head coach Scott Satterfield. Pitt faced Satterfield twice in his four years as head coach at Louisville, and there are lessons Narduzzi says Pitt gleamed from those matchups that they will apply Saturday.

One aspect is what Narduzzi indicated about a concept Louisville used under Satterfield last season against Pitt called the Y-shoot. It’s a play where the quarterback looks to freeze the defense with a play-action fake while the tight end sneaks through the middle part of the defense in an effort to be uncovered up the middle for a big play.

This used to be a concept that Pitt severely struggled with as far back as 2020, which was something Narduzzi even referenced in his Monday press conference.

“They did that last year,” Narduzzi said. “I don't know if you remember — we covered it up pretty good. They did that last year to us a little bit. That's just one of those copycat plays that they took from Miami when Mallory went up the middle. Usually can get us once, but usually, you aren't going to get us twice, so we do a good job of self (scouting).”

The very play was a pass from D’Eriq King to tight end Will Mallory, who executed it twice in the game for touchdowns.



While the exact description of that play wasn’t necessarily successful for Satterfield’s Louisville against Pitt last season, he still found ways to confuse Pitt’s linebackers and secondary with their coverage responsibilities.

A Malik Cunningham 9-yard touchdown pass last season came off dual tight ends lined up on the same side of the formation. While one tight end ran a corner route and backed off Pitt’s top safety, Brandon Hill, the other tight end broke to the middle of the field, where Hill vacated, and was wide open for the score.



But that’s something Pitt learned to adapt to when other teams tried to copy similar concepts to test the middle of the defense later last season. Miami went back to trying a play-action pass up the seam against Pitt in the 2022 regular season finale, but in that instance, Pitt was in position and SirVocea Dennis intercepted the Tyler Van Dyke pass.



Satterfield won’t always make it the same method, but the idea of testing the middle of Pitt’s pass defense will be part of Cincinnati’s game plan Saturday. When asked about how well Narduzzi believes the lessons of his past defenses have been passed down to the likes of McIntyre and O’Brien, he expressed a sense of hopeful confidence.

“Hopefully they’ve learned from the other guys,” Narduzzi said. “If you sat in our meetings every day, you’d see P.J. [O’Brien] was a backup a year ago who was sitting, listening and watching every day. He was in Erick Hallett II’s and Brandon Hill’s shoes every day. If there’s a problem, we go back and watch tape to show them how others have done it. If you forget some of the quizzes, we have review sessions.”

Pitt must take away those parts of Satterfield’s offense Saturday night to make Jones’ reads more difficult to execute in Cincinnati’s offense. Narduzzi should feel confident his cornerbacks are ready for it, as the Panthers have talked about their preparations for various approaches used by Satterfield to attack the seams against Pitt’s defense.

“They like to run a slot receiver on fade routes,” Narduzzi said. “[They like to get] themselves a lot of space. So we’ll see those this week. That's something through the years that they've liked. I would assume they're going to continue to try to take some shots.”

A perfect example of how to defend such a play came from an interception made by Woods against Cunningham just last season. On the play, Louisville had its receiver closest to the sideline run a short hitch in an effort to distract Pitt’s outside corner, Woods, from playing the deeper seam route by the slot receiver. But Woods was ready for the call and dropped back into position where he easily made the interception.



The status of Pitt’s safeties was one of the bigger questions heading into the Panthers’ 2023 season. If they show they’ve indeed picked up where the Panthers left off last year and don’t have to relearn old lessons, it could be a very positive sign for the direction of Pitt’s 2023 campaign.

Christopher Carter: ccarter@post-gazette.com and on Twitter @CarterCritiques