UCGrad1992
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I Root For: Bearcats U
Location: North Carolina
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RE: My-AM-Uh, O Pregame Talk
From Cincinnati.com:
Quote:You can't get much more of a quality football win than the Cincinnati Bearcats achieved last weekend, but Las Vegas oddsmakers are not yet sold on UC.
The Bearcats are 1 ½-point underdogs to rival Miami University this week (Saturday, 8 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium), despite UC upsetting UCLA 26-17 in the season opener. The Bearcats were 14 ½-point underdogs to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Not to mention, Miami comes off a 35-28 home loss to Marshall in the RedHawks' opener. Plus, UC has won the last 12 meetings in its Victory Bell series against Miami. The seeming point-spread oddity quickly was caught by some, as the spread dropped from 2 ½ points to 1 ½ points during the day Tuesday.
UC coach Luke Fickell, speaking at his weekly press conference Tuesday on campus, said he was aware that the Bearcats are listed as underdogs this week.
"You can make of it what it is," Fickell said. "That's why I said we weren't worried about, 'We're gonna show the world, we're gonna get the respect,' (against UCLA). You don't get the respect of college football and all those people in one week. I understand that.
"That's not what we're worried about it. We're worried about the respect and the trust and the love and everything built in this (team) room. That's the most important thing to us."
On the other hand, the ESPN matchup predictor gives UC a 51.9 percent chance to beat Miami. Also noteworthy is that the past five UC-Miami games all have been close, with the Bearcats winning by a combined 36 points.
UC is coming off of two consecutive 4-8 seasons, perhaps one reason why the UCLA win did not immediately thrust the Bearcats back into the good graces of Vegas. Miami also has made some progress the past few years, including a bowl bid in 2016. For UC players, the only concern is extending the Victory Bell streak to 13 straight wins.
Tyrell Gilbert, UC senior cornerback from Princeton High School, is among the veterans who most understand what the Miami game means.
"Coming into the program, the UC-Miami game was always one of the biggest games of the year, something that all the guys always talk about," Gilbert said Tuesday. "You see the Bell when you walk through the facility, where all the trophies are. It's a week that all the guys take very seriously. Coaches, faculty members, everybody."
UC senior Malik Clements, who plays a hybrid linebacker/safety role, was the hero of last year's game for the Bearcats. Clements intercepted a pass by quarterback Gus Ragland and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown with 1:07 remaining, to lift UC to an improbable 21-17 comeback win.
Clements credited defensive linemen Cortez Broughton and Marquise Copeland for pressuring Ragland on the play.
"If not for the D-line boys, I probably wouldn't have made that play," Clements said Tuesday. "I was just there at the right place at the right time. To keep the tradition going and beating those guys, it means a lot."
CELEBRATION DAYS: Fickell and his players were deluged with congratulatory texts and phone calls over the weekend. Fickell especially was pleased that many former UC players reached out to both him and the players.
Fickell also repeatedly stressed Tuesday that one game does not make a season, with 11 games left. Fickell also would not deny the glorious feeling produced by an upset of UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
"It's definitely a different feeling," Fickell said, smiling. "I'm not gonna lie to you."
Said Clements, "It was big, but we've got to stay hungry."
QB WATCH: Senior starter Hayden Moore was ineffective and replaced by redshirt freshman Desmond Ridder midway through the first quarter at UCLA. Ridder rushed for 63 yards and looked fearless in the pocket, in his first college game.
Overall, though, the UC passing game was subpar. Ridder went 13-for-24 passing for 100 yards and Moore 1-for-2 for 10 yards. The longest passing play was just 18 yards, from Ridder to true freshman Jayshon Jackson.
Fickell plans to decide on this week's quarterback starter by Wednesday, but the coach again will not publicly announce a starter.
"There's still an opportunity for both of them," Fickell said.
Fickell also said that Ridder "got beat up a little, too," against UCLA, but Ridder appeared fine during postgame interviews.
RB WATCH: Sophomore running back Michael Warren II rushed 35 times for career highs of 142 yards and three touchdowns against UCLA. Warren also briefly left the game with an injured right knee, but he did return.
Fickell said he will monitor Warren's condition this week but believes Warren will be good to go. Fickell remains unsure about the availability of sophomore backup Gerrid Doaks (hip/groin), who did not play against UCLA.
Fickell, who does not want to overwork Warren, said he also hopes to get some playing time for true freshman Charles McClelland and junior Taylor Boose. Warren was the only UC running back to touch the ball against UCLA, and Fickell admittedly does not want to run anyone 35 times per game. If he can help it.
WHY PBS?: UC and Miami last year extended the series between the schools through 2029. The extension includes five home games for both schools and three games at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Miami will serve as the host for the 2018 and 2022 games at PBS, with UC the host in 2026. Next year's game, incidentally, will be at UC's Nippert Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019.
The Battle for the Victory Bell dates to 1888, and is billed as the longest-lasting Division I college football rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains. There once were gaps in the series, including UC and Miami not meeting during the World War II years of 1943 and 1944. The schools have met each year since 1945, with Miami leading the series 59-56-7.
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Cincinnati (1-0) vs. Miami RedHawks (0-1)
Saturday, 8 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium (65,535)
TV/Radio: ESPN3/WEBN-FM 102.7 (switches to WLW-AM 700 after Reds game)/WMOH-AM 1450/WDBZ-AM 1230
Line: Miami by 1 ½
Rivalry Underdogs
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