3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
Cincinnati Bearcat Game Preview-Part Two
Additional Information
Rebuild or Reload
Starters Returning: 16 (Offense 9, Defense 6, Special Teams 1)
Letterman Returning: 51 (Offense 25, Defense 23, Special Teams 3)
Letterman Lost: 13
Incoming Recruits:
In addition to Ferguson, the addition of gargantuan Cincinnati (Purcell Marian) offensive lineman Khalil El-Amin should provide a future anchor to their offensive line for the years ahead, and a player who could potentially see the field immediately, considering the questions in the OL. Big play DB Tyjuan Jones from Dayton (Trotwood Madison) could also make an immediate impact in the secondary as a big hitter and a player who can make plays in the backfield as well. Overall, a very solid class, heavy on secondary and skill position players that should make competition for time, especially at RB, an interesting battle, and make the position a strength in the coming years.
In addition to a nice recruiting class, Mark Dantonio inherited from Rick Minter a squad loaded with experience and seniors. Anything less than competing for the Conference USA Title will be a disappointment.
Letterman Returning: 51 (Offense 25, Defense 23, Special Teams 3)
Letterman Lost: 13
Incoming Recruits:
Delbert Ferguson 6-1 223 RB Youngstown, OH Warren (O.) Harding HS
Khalil El-Amin 6-5 310 OL Cincinnati, OH Purcell Marian HS
Tyjuan Jones 6-3 210 DB Dayton, OH Trotwood Madison HS
Butler Benton 6-1 210 RB Detroit, MI Martin Luther King HS
Brad Bury 6-1 245 FB Marion, OH Marion Harding HS
Trevor Canfield 6-5 300 OL Cincinnati, OH Western Hills HS
Jon Carpenter 5-11 215 RB Lancaster, OH Lancaster HS
Bradley Glatthaar 5-11 215 RB Cincinnati, OH Elder HS
Dustin Grutza 6-3 200 QB Maysville, KY Mason County HS
Anthony Hoke 6-1 235 LB Warren, OH Warren G. Harding HS
Adam Hoppel 6-2 250 DL Lisbon, OH Beavercreek Local HS
Earnest Jackson 6-3 200 QB Southfield, MI Detroit Country Day HS
Haruki Nakamura 5-10 180 WR/DB Elyria, OH Lakewood St. Edward HS
Lamonte Nelms 6-3 210 S Ravenna, OH Ravenna HS
DeAngelo Smith 6-0 180 CB Columbus, OH Independence HS
K.L. Smith 6-0 170 CB Copley, OH Copley HS
Marcus Winston 6-2 225 LB Lansing, MI J.W. Sexton HS
Summary:The Bearcats demonstrated their ability to recruit with the “big boys” in Ohio by garnering Delbert Ferguson, a player many services had as the top-rated player from Ohio for most of his senior year and a back that many had graded as the highest RB since Maurice Clarett roamed the sidelines of Warren Harding before him. He played at Youngstown Ursuline until 2002 before transferring to WH in 2003. A season-ending leg fracture in week 9 against Massillon cast some doubt on his future, but UC offers him a perfect opportunity to quiet the naysayers quickly and forcefully. Before he was injured, most would argue he was as good as any player in Ohio.Khalil El-Amin 6-5 310 OL Cincinnati, OH Purcell Marian HS
Tyjuan Jones 6-3 210 DB Dayton, OH Trotwood Madison HS
Butler Benton 6-1 210 RB Detroit, MI Martin Luther King HS
Brad Bury 6-1 245 FB Marion, OH Marion Harding HS
Trevor Canfield 6-5 300 OL Cincinnati, OH Western Hills HS
Jon Carpenter 5-11 215 RB Lancaster, OH Lancaster HS
Bradley Glatthaar 5-11 215 RB Cincinnati, OH Elder HS
Dustin Grutza 6-3 200 QB Maysville, KY Mason County HS
Anthony Hoke 6-1 235 LB Warren, OH Warren G. Harding HS
Adam Hoppel 6-2 250 DL Lisbon, OH Beavercreek Local HS
Earnest Jackson 6-3 200 QB Southfield, MI Detroit Country Day HS
Haruki Nakamura 5-10 180 WR/DB Elyria, OH Lakewood St. Edward HS
Lamonte Nelms 6-3 210 S Ravenna, OH Ravenna HS
DeAngelo Smith 6-0 180 CB Columbus, OH Independence HS
K.L. Smith 6-0 170 CB Copley, OH Copley HS
Marcus Winston 6-2 225 LB Lansing, MI J.W. Sexton HS
In addition to Ferguson, the addition of gargantuan Cincinnati (Purcell Marian) offensive lineman Khalil El-Amin should provide a future anchor to their offensive line for the years ahead, and a player who could potentially see the field immediately, considering the questions in the OL. Big play DB Tyjuan Jones from Dayton (Trotwood Madison) could also make an immediate impact in the secondary as a big hitter and a player who can make plays in the backfield as well. Overall, a very solid class, heavy on secondary and skill position players that should make competition for time, especially at RB, an interesting battle, and make the position a strength in the coming years.
In addition to a nice recruiting class, Mark Dantonio inherited from Rick Minter a squad loaded with experience and seniors. Anything less than competing for the Conference USA Title will be a disappointment.
Awards & Recognition
Preseason-Conference
2004 C-USA Football Coaches Preseason Poll
Predicted Order of Finish (1st place votes).....Pts.
1. Louisville (2)..............106
2. Memphis (3)..............101
3. Southern Miss (2).......100
4. TCU (4).......................99
5. Houston......................70
6. UAB.............................61
7. USF.............................56
8. Cincinnati....................45
9. Tulane.........................39
10. East Carolina...............37
11. Army..........................12
First Team Offense
OL - Kyle Takavitz, Cincinnati
First Team Defense
DL - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
DL - Andre Frazier, Cincinnati
Preseason-National
Davey O'Brien Watch List
QB - Gino Guidugli, Cincinnati
Bronko Nagurski Watch List
DE - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
Hendricks Watch List
DE - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
Lombardi Watch List
DE - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
OL - Kyle Takavitz, Cincinnati
Butkus Award Watch List
LB - Jamar Enzor, Cincinnati
2004 C-USA Football Coaches Preseason Poll
Predicted Order of Finish (1st place votes).....Pts.
1. Louisville (2)..............106
2. Memphis (3)..............101
3. Southern Miss (2).......100
4. TCU (4).......................99
5. Houston......................70
6. UAB.............................61
7. USF.............................56
8. Cincinnati....................45
9. Tulane.........................39
10. East Carolina...............37
11. Army..........................12
First Team Offense
OL - Kyle Takavitz, Cincinnati
First Team Defense
DL - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
DL - Andre Frazier, Cincinnati
Preseason-National
Davey O'Brien Watch List
QB - Gino Guidugli, Cincinnati
Bronko Nagurski Watch List
DE - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
Hendricks Watch List
DE - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
Lombardi Watch List
DE - Trent Cole, Cincinnati
OL - Kyle Takavitz, Cincinnati
Butkus Award Watch List
LB - Jamar Enzor, Cincinnati
Historical Data
Cincinnati Bearcats (Cincinnati, Ohio) Founded in 1819
Football 1st Season: 1885 (UC is the nations 5th oldest football program to compete in D-1A)
Stadium: Nippert - 1916 (35,000) The playing field is named Carson Field after Arch Carson, who organized the University's first football team
Conference: Conference USA (since 1996). Cincinnati will join the Big East Conference in 2005
Colors: Black & Red
Mascot: Bearcat (No name found)
College Classification: Cincinnati has played as a D-IA (or equivalent) since 1946
Conference Championships: 9 total, 7 as a D-IA team, and only 1 since joining Conference USA, Co-Champs in 2002
Head Coach: Mark Dantonio (age 47), the 36th Head Coach at Cincinnati. Mark spent a total of eight years with OSU head coach Jim Tressel. The past three years as the Defensive Coordinator at OSU, and five years (86-90) on the staff at Youngstown State. Mark was an All-State football player at Zanesville HS in Ohio. He lettered 3 years at South Carolina as a DB. Other coaching stints include: Westside High in Anderson, S.C., Ohio University, Purdue, Butler County (Kan.) Community College, Kansas and Michigan State. Marks has assembled a coaching staff with heavy ties to both the OSU and Michigan State football programs.
Consensus All-Americans: 1
College Hall-of-Famers: 3 coaches
Pro Hall-of-Famers: 0
Award Winners: 1 Groza
National Championships: 0
Number of AP/Coaches final rankings: 0
Football 1st Season: 1885 (UC is the nations 5th oldest football program to compete in D-1A)
Stadium: Nippert - 1916 (35,000) The playing field is named Carson Field after Arch Carson, who organized the University's first football team
Conference: Conference USA (since 1996). Cincinnati will join the Big East Conference in 2005
Colors: Black & Red
Mascot: Bearcat (No name found)
College Classification: Cincinnati has played as a D-IA (or equivalent) since 1946
Conference Championships: 9 total, 7 as a D-IA team, and only 1 since joining Conference USA, Co-Champs in 2002
Head Coach: Mark Dantonio (age 47), the 36th Head Coach at Cincinnati. Mark spent a total of eight years with OSU head coach Jim Tressel. The past three years as the Defensive Coordinator at OSU, and five years (86-90) on the staff at Youngstown State. Mark was an All-State football player at Zanesville HS in Ohio. He lettered 3 years at South Carolina as a DB. Other coaching stints include: Westside High in Anderson, S.C., Ohio University, Purdue, Butler County (Kan.) Community College, Kansas and Michigan State. Marks has assembled a coaching staff with heavy ties to both the OSU and Michigan State football programs.
Consensus All-Americans: 1
College Hall-of-Famers: 3 coaches
Pro Hall-of-Famers: 0
Award Winners: 1 Groza
National Championships: 0
Number of AP/Coaches final rankings: 0
Records
All Time: 494-519-51 (.488)
232-294-12 (.442) at the D1A level since joining that class in 1940
Home 158-121-5 (.565), Away 73-170-7 (.306), Neutral 1-3-0 (.250)
Bowl Games: 2-4-0 (.333), most recently a loss to North Texas (2002) in the New Orleans Bowl
All Time vs the BigTen: 8-35-2 (.200)
2-11-0 (.154) at the D1A level since joining that class in 1940. The 2 wins coming against Wisconsin (who was actually 10-2 that season) in 1999 and Indiana in 1957.
All Time vs the Ohio State: 2-11-0 (.154)
0-2-0 (.000) at the D1A level since joining that class in 1940. The last 2 meetings were a 20 to 34 loss in 1999 and a 19 to 23 loss in 2002. The first 6 games were played at Cincinnati prior to the 1901 season. The Cincinnati wins ocurred in 1896 and 1897. The following 6 games were held in Columbus, 5 of which were before the 1932 season. The last game was held in Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals home field). The overall series score is 326 points for OSU and 94 for the Bearcats.
Last Season: Cincinnati finished 5-7-0 (.416)
W - East Carolina (NC)
W - West Virginia
W - Temple (PA)
L - Miami (OH)
L - Southern Mississippi
L - Alabama-Birmingham
W - Army (NY)
L - South Florida
W - Rhode Island
L - Texas Christian
L - Memphis (TN)
L - Louisville (KY)
Last 5 Years: 29-32-0 (.475)
Last 10 Years: 53-63-1 (.457)
232-294-12 (.442) at the D1A level since joining that class in 1940
Home 158-121-5 (.565), Away 73-170-7 (.306), Neutral 1-3-0 (.250)
Bowl Games: 2-4-0 (.333), most recently a loss to North Texas (2002) in the New Orleans Bowl
All Time vs the BigTen: 8-35-2 (.200)
2-11-0 (.154) at the D1A level since joining that class in 1940. The 2 wins coming against Wisconsin (who was actually 10-2 that season) in 1999 and Indiana in 1957.
All Time vs the Ohio State: 2-11-0 (.154)
0-2-0 (.000) at the D1A level since joining that class in 1940. The last 2 meetings were a 20 to 34 loss in 1999 and a 19 to 23 loss in 2002. The first 6 games were played at Cincinnati prior to the 1901 season. The Cincinnati wins ocurred in 1896 and 1897. The following 6 games were held in Columbus, 5 of which were before the 1932 season. The last game was held in Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals home field). The overall series score is 326 points for OSU and 94 for the Bearcats.
Last Season: Cincinnati finished 5-7-0 (.416)
W - East Carolina (NC)
W - West Virginia
W - Temple (PA)
L - Miami (OH)
L - Southern Mississippi
L - Alabama-Birmingham
W - Army (NY)
L - South Florida
W - Rhode Island
L - Texas Christian
L - Memphis (TN)
L - Louisville (KY)
Last 5 Years: 29-32-0 (.475)
Last 10 Years: 53-63-1 (.457)
Links
Official Sites:
Official Athletic Site - UC Bearcats
2004 Roster - UC Bearcats
2004 Coaching Staff - UC Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcat History - UC Bearcats
Official C-USA Athletic Site - Conference USA
Previews/Breakdowns:
2004 Team Breakdown (Spring Game) - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Secondary - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Kicking - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Linebackers - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-D Line - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-O Line - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Running - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Passing - UC Bearcats
2004 Cincinnati Football Preview - Conference USA
C-USA Announces Preseason Football Awards - Conference USA
OPS Ohio College Team Breakdown - UC - Ohio Prep Scene
Bearcats Will Be Stalking Buckeyes in September - The Ozone
NCAA Football Preview - Cincinnati Bearcts - Sports Network
Cincinnati 2004 Preview - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Offensive Preview - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Defensive Preview - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Inside Scoop - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Player Profile (Trent Cole) - CFN
Prospectus:
Prospectus - pages 1-6 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 7-14 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 15-18 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 19-21 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 22-31 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Message Boards:
Message Boards - (Insiders)
Message Boards - (Rivals)
Message Boards - (Independent-Bear Stat Link)
Message Boards - (Independent-Bearcat News)
Message Boards - (Independent-Voy Forums)
Local News Sources:
Local News - Cincinnati Equirer
Local News - Cincinnati Post
Official Athletic Site - UC Bearcats
2004 Roster - UC Bearcats
2004 Coaching Staff - UC Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcat History - UC Bearcats
Official C-USA Athletic Site - Conference USA
Previews/Breakdowns:
2004 Team Breakdown (Spring Game) - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Secondary - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Kicking - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Linebackers - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-D Line - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-O Line - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Running - UC Bearcats
Football Outlook-Passing - UC Bearcats
2004 Cincinnati Football Preview - Conference USA
C-USA Announces Preseason Football Awards - Conference USA
OPS Ohio College Team Breakdown - UC - Ohio Prep Scene
Bearcats Will Be Stalking Buckeyes in September - The Ozone
NCAA Football Preview - Cincinnati Bearcts - Sports Network
Cincinnati 2004 Preview - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Offensive Preview - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Defensive Preview - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Inside Scoop - CFN
Cincinnati 2004 Player Profile (Trent Cole) - CFN
Prospectus:
Prospectus - pages 1-6 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 7-14 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 15-18 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 19-21 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Prospectus - pages 22-31 (PDF) - UC Bearcats
Message Boards:
Message Boards - (Insiders)
Message Boards - (Rivals)
Message Boards - (Independent-Bear Stat Link)
Message Boards - (Independent-Bearcat News)
Message Boards - (Independent-Voy Forums)
Local News Sources:
Local News - Cincinnati Equirer
Local News - Cincinnati Post
Notes of interest
• The school's best-known athletic alumni are Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and all-time basketball great Oscar Robertson.
• In 1888 Cincinnati played Miami in Oxford in the first college football game in the state of Ohio. The game ended in a scoreless tie.
• Buckeye Sid Gillman coached the team from 1949-1954, amassing 50 wins
• Their trophy game is with Louisville for the “Keg of Nails” which they have won 25 of 40 times
• Cincy could stake a claim to the moniker of “kicker U”, having Ruffin, Rich Karlis, who played in 2 Super Bowls with Denver, and Jim O’Brien, who won the 1971 Super Bowl for Baltimore with a kick at the end of the game. They also had the first soccer-style kicker in college football (Hank Hartong)
• Their stadium is named for James Nippert, a former TB who died from blood poisoning from a football wound a month after leading the team to a 23-0 win over archrival Miami in 1923.
• UC has produced signifiacant upsets in the past, including an upset of #8 Wisconsin 17-12 in 1999, a 14-3 win over defending national champion Penn State in 1983, a 16-0 win over Virginia Tech in 1995, and wins over Southern Miss in 1991, and Virginia Tech and Boston College in 1985.
• A UC alumnus (Paul Tibbets ) piloted the Enola Gay aircraft in 1945, dropping the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• Cincinnati is the nations 18th largest University with 600 academic programs and approximately 33,000 students
• Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, the Pentium Chip and Preperation H were invented by UC grads
• UC Holds 3 Guinness Records:
• In 1888 Cincinnati played Miami in Oxford in the first college football game in the state of Ohio. The game ended in a scoreless tie.
• Buckeye Sid Gillman coached the team from 1949-1954, amassing 50 wins
• Their trophy game is with Louisville for the “Keg of Nails” which they have won 25 of 40 times
• Cincy could stake a claim to the moniker of “kicker U”, having Ruffin, Rich Karlis, who played in 2 Super Bowls with Denver, and Jim O’Brien, who won the 1971 Super Bowl for Baltimore with a kick at the end of the game. They also had the first soccer-style kicker in college football (Hank Hartong)
• Their stadium is named for James Nippert, a former TB who died from blood poisoning from a football wound a month after leading the team to a 23-0 win over archrival Miami in 1923.
• UC has produced signifiacant upsets in the past, including an upset of #8 Wisconsin 17-12 in 1999, a 14-3 win over defending national champion Penn State in 1983, a 16-0 win over Virginia Tech in 1995, and wins over Southern Miss in 1991, and Virginia Tech and Boston College in 1985.
• A UC alumnus (Paul Tibbets ) piloted the Enola Gay aircraft in 1945, dropping the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• Cincinnati is the nations 18th largest University with 600 academic programs and approximately 33,000 students
• Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, the Pentium Chip and Preperation H were invented by UC grads
• UC Holds 3 Guinness Records:
1) Second halftime needed - The University of Cincinnati Bearcats played in the longest college basketball game ever recorded, the “Guinness Book of World Records” notes. On Dec. 21, 1981, playing at Bradley University, the Bearcats needed seven overtimes to beat their opponents, 75-73. That roughly translates into the length of two entire basketball games.
2) Big brains in Cincinnati - The heaviest human brain ever recorded weighed 2.3 kilograms. It belonged to a 30-year-old male and was reported by Dr. Thaddeus Mandybur of the UC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in December 1992. The average-sized brain for an adult weighs between 1.3 and 1.4 kilograms.
3) 145 years overdue - Although UC no longer holds this record, a few years ago it was listed for having the most overdue library book taken out by a borrower — “Medical Reports of the Effects of Water, Cold & Warm, Remedy in Fever & Febrile Diseases, Whether Applied to the Body or Used Internally” by James Currie, printed in London in 1805. The book was checked out in 1823 from the medical library and was returned Dec. 7, 1968, by the borrower’s great-grandson, Richard Dodd. Rumors that he was given a $20,000 fine are untrue. The university simply thanked him for his consideration.
2) Big brains in Cincinnati - The heaviest human brain ever recorded weighed 2.3 kilograms. It belonged to a 30-year-old male and was reported by Dr. Thaddeus Mandybur of the UC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in December 1992. The average-sized brain for an adult weighs between 1.3 and 1.4 kilograms.
3) 145 years overdue - Although UC no longer holds this record, a few years ago it was listed for having the most overdue library book taken out by a borrower — “Medical Reports of the Effects of Water, Cold & Warm, Remedy in Fever & Febrile Diseases, Whether Applied to the Body or Used Internally” by James Currie, printed in London in 1805. The book was checked out in 1823 from the medical library and was returned Dec. 7, 1968, by the borrower’s great-grandson, Richard Dodd. Rumors that he was given a $20,000 fine are untrue. The university simply thanked him for his consideration.
Note: Statistical data was complied using a variety of sources, including:
Stassen (Chris Stassen) - Data
College Football Data Warehouse - Data
Two Cousins College Football Emporium - Data
American College Football-RSFC (Dave Wilson) - Data
D1A Football (Formerly WALJ 10 College Football) - Data
National Champs.net - Data
Hickok Sports - Data
Click here for return to Part One of the Cincinnati Game Preview