2019 FOOTBALL GAME NOTES UC ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS 2751 O’VARSITY WAY SUITE 860 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45221-0021 // GOBEARCATS.COM GAME 2019 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP @ 20 CINCINNATI (10-2) @ 16 MEMPHIS (11-1) 13 DEC. 7, 2019 • 3:30 p.m. ET • ABC • 700 WLW AM 2019 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE EAST DIVISION CHAMPIONS 2019 SCHEDULE / RESULTS DATE OPPONENT (TV) TIME (ET)/RES 20 CINCINNATI BEARCATS (10-2, 7-1 AAC) GAME INFORMATION Aug. 29 UCLA (ESPN) W, 24-14 Head Coach Luke Fickell Facility Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Sept. 7 @ 5 Ohio State (ABC) L, 42-0 Record at Cincinnati 25-12 (Third Year) Capacity 58,325 Sept. 14 MIAMI (OH) (ESPNU) W, 35-13 Overall Record 31-19 (Fourth Year) TV ABC Sept. 28 @ Marshall (CBS SN on FB Watch) W, 52-14 Radio 700 WLW AM / Sirius 206 / XM 201 / Internet 964 Oct. 4 18/19 UCF * (ESPN) W, 27-24 16 MEMPHIS TIGERS (11-1, 7-1 AAC) Online TuneIn.com Oct. 12 @ Houston * (ESPN2) W, 38-23 Head Coach Mike Norvell Series Record Memphis leads 22-13 Oct. 19 TULSA * (ESPNU) W, 24-13 Record at School 37-15 (Fourth Year) At Memphis Memphis leads 14-5 Nov. 2 @ ECU * (CBS SN) W, 46-43 Overall Record Same Last Meeting Nov. 29, 2019 - UC L, 34-24 Nov. 9 UCONN * (CBS SN) W, 48-3 NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE BREAKDOWN Nov. 16 @ USF * (CBS SN) W, 20-17 Eight days after a nip-and-tuck battle, the No. 20 University of Cincinnati football team returns to Liberty Bowl Memorial Nov. 23 TEMPLE * (ESPN2) W, 15-13 Stadium for a rematch against No. 16 Memphis with the American Athletic Conference title on the line. The Bearcats (10-2) Nov. 29 @ 18 Memphis * (ABC) L, 34-24 won the American’s East Division and face the Tigers (11-1) on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised Dec. 7 @ 16 Memphis ^ (ABC) 3:30 p.m. nationally on ABC and air on 700 WLW AM. The winner of The American Championship will be eligible to be chosen for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic as part of the College Football Playoff selection process. The American Digital Network will All times ET. Home games in , played at NIppert BOLD CAPS have exclusive pregame and postgame coverage from Memphis Friday and Saturday. Stadium. * - American Athletic Conference game. ^ - AAC Championship Game (Memphis, Tennessee) THE SERIES Friday marks the 36th meeting all-time between the two squads and second in a week in a series that dates to 1984. The ON THE AIR Tigers lead the all-time series 22-13. Memphis has won four in-a-row in the series. Memphis jumped out to a 17-3 lead last TV: ABC week before UC tied things up at 17 in the second quarter. The Bearcats battled back within three at several points in the • Play-by-Play ..............................................................Dave Pasch second half, but were unable to secure the win. • Analyst ......................................................................Greg McElroy • Field Analyst ...........................................................Tom Luginbill THE COACHES • Online: WatchESPN.com / ESPN App LUKE FICKELL, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, is in his third season at Cincinnati. The 42nd head coach in program history, Fickell took the reins in December 2016 after 15 years at his alma mater, Ohio State. A RADIO: BEARCATS SPORTS NETWORK veteran of nearly 20 years in the FBS ranks, Fickell was a part of nine Big Ten Conference titles (seven as a coach, two as • Play-by-Play ................................................................ Dan Hoard a player) and two national championship squads with 16 postseason games and 13 NFL Draft selections under his belt. • Analyst ........................................................................ Jim Kelly Jr. • Sideline Reporter ......................................................... Tony Pike MIKE NORVELL is in his fourth year at Memphis with a 37-15 school and career mark. He has led the Tigers to three AAC West Division titles and a number of dynamic offenses. He came to Memphis after three seasons as the OC at Arizona • Host/Engineer .............................................................. Mo Egger State and also had coaching stops at Pitt and Tulsa. He started his coaching career at his alma mater, Central Arkansas. • Local: 700 WLW AM • Satellite: Sirius 206 / XM 201 / Internet 964 STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS ... • Online: Tunein.com • The Bearcats play their 132nd football season in 2019. UC’s program dates to 1885 and is one of the 10 oldest in the • Mobile App: TuneIn NCAA FBS. UC has won a league title five times in the last 12 years and has played 10 bowl games in the past 13 years. • UC has won four-straight American Athletic Conference FB Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018. LIVE STATS: GoBEARCATS.com • Cincinnati was the only school in the country in 2018-19 to tally 11 football wins, including a bowl win, and earn 24 or more wins in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. • UC, picked second in the AAC preseason media poll, had 11 wins a year ago, marking only the third time in program TWITTER: #BEARCATS history the feat has been achieved (2008, 2009). The Bearcats returned more than 85% of the roster, over 5,000 yards • Official Accounts ..................@GoBearcats | @GoBearcatsFB of total offense, 10 of the Top-15 tacklers and 14 starters from the 2018 squad. • The 2019 roster features players from 14 states and six countries with 72 hailing from Ohio and 26 from the Cincinnati ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS area. Forty-five percent of the roster (53/117 players) is made up by freshmen and redshirt freshmen. • UC is 21-4 since the start of 2018, ranked No. 20 in the CFP and No. 21 in the AP and Coaches Polls, making the first RYAN KOSLEN ............................ Assoc. AD / Football Contact conference championship game appearance in school history and seeking the fourth 11-win season in school history. Phone (O/C): ..................... 513-556-5186 / 513-497-3132 • UC is 1-0 in postseason games in Memphis, having knocked off Vanderbilt 31-24 in the 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Email: ...................................................... [email protected] • The AAC Championship game is not the first time UC has played in a stadium during the regular and postseasons. In Twitter ...........................................................................@Koz_UC 2002, UC faced Tulane in the Superdome on Oct. 12 and played North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 17. • Redshirt freshman QB Ben Bryant got the start last week in Memphis with QB Desmond Ridder down with a shoulder Web: ................................................................... GoBEARCATS.com injury. Bryant went 20-of-32 for 229 yards with a TD, two interceptions and a 12-yard rushing score. Nippert Stadium Press Box: ................................513-556-1010 • UC is going for its third American Athletic Conference Championship of 2019 in Memphis. UC’s MBB squad won the AAC Tournament at FedEx Forum in March 2019, UC XC runner Aaron Bienenfeld won the AAC title at Shelby Farms in East Memphis and Saturday the football team battles Memphis for the AAC crown at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. 2019 CINCINNATI FOOTBALL GoBearcats GoBearcats GoBearcats gobearcats.com GET CONNECTED: GoBearcatsFootball GoBearcatsFB / Coach Fick GoBearcatsFB bearcats_fb ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS ON THE WEB 2019 QUICK FACTS The University of Cincinnati Athletics Communications Information on the University of Cincinnati football team GENERAL INFORMATION Office is ready to assist you in every way possible to make is available at www.GoBEARCATS.com. To receive the UC Location ...................................................Cincinnati, OH 45221 the experience of covering UC Athletics productive and updates via email, please send a request to Ryan Koslen Founded ....................................................................................1819 rewarding. ([email protected]). Information on the American Enrollment ..........................................................................46,244 Athletic Conference and all member institutions is Conference ...................................................American Athletic Richard E. Lindner Center • Suite 860 also available through the league’s web site at www. Nickname ....................................................................... Bearcats 2751 O’Varsity Way • Cincinnati, OH 45221-0021 TheAmerican.org. Colors ..................................................Red (PMS 186) & Black Home Field .......................................................Nippert Stadium SID Phone .................................................................513-556-5191 WEEKLY MEDIA LUNCHEON Surface/Capacity ........ UBU Speed Series M6-M/40,000 Press Box Phone....................................................513-556-1010 UC holds a weekly media luncheon each Tuesday in the President .................................................. Neville G. Pinto, PhD Website ........................................................... GoBEARCATS.com second floor Bob Goin Team Room of Richard E. Lindner Acting Director of Athletics .........................Ryan Hays, PhD Center. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m., selected players are Faculty Representative .............................. Brian Hatch, PhD COMMUNICATIONS available for one-on-one interviews from 11:45-noon, and head coach Luke Fickell takes the podium at noon. Players Ryan Koslen ...........................Associate AD/Football Contact HISTORY 513-497-3132 [email protected]