Cincinnati vs. South Florida Football 2009
Bearcats Face Bulls in Battle of Unbeaten Ranked Teams
The No. 8-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats meet the No. 21 South Florida Bulls in a Big East Conference showdown Thursday, Oct. 15, at Tampa, Fla. Neither the Bearcats nor the Bulls were ranked entering the season, but both have impressed during 5-0 starts.
South Florida first gained national attention with a 17-7 upset of then-No. 18 Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., on Sept. 26. The Bulls then beat Syracuse 34-20 on Oct. 3 to improve to 3-0 on the road.
Cincinnati has yet to meet a ranked team, but the Bearcats have put up eye-popping numbers on offense behind quarterback Tony Pike and receiver Mardy Gilyard. They defeated Miami of Ohio 37-13 on Oct. 3, also hiking their road record to 3-0.
The stakes in the Oct. 15 game are huge. The winner will have legitimate Bowl Championship Series hopes, as well as a 2-0 Big East record.
The contest also happens to be an attractive matchup from a pure football standpoint. Cincinnati is averaging 42.0 points per game, ranking third in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. South Florida is giving up just 9.4 – fifth best in the FBS.
The matchup of South Florida’s offense and Cincinnati’s defense is interesting, too. The Bulls are averaging 37.0 points per game, while the Bearcats yield just 13.8. And Cincinnati leads the nation in sacks and tackles for losses.
The game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST will be telecast by ESPN.
Upstart Quarterback Leads South Florida Offense
South Florida’s been winning with a backup quarterback – only he hasn’t played like a backup.
Standout QB Matt Grothe was lost for the season with a torn ACL, but redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels guided the Bulls to the upset for Florida State, then delivered against Syracuse as well.
Daniels has managed to become the team’s leading rusher despite only two starts, running 48 times for 291 yards and three touchdowns. And he’s completed 32 of 56 passes for 602 yards and six touchdowns, against two interceptions.
Wide receiver Carlton Mitchell is enjoying a strong season for the Bulls, who are averaging 413.6 yards of offense per game. The 6-foot-4 junior has made 21 receptions for 377 yards and three TDs.
Other weapons include running back Moise Plancher (51 carries, 239 yards, 4 TDs), and wide receivers Donvatia Bogan (11 catches, 154 yards, 2 TDs) and A.J. Love (11 catches, 149 yards).
Bulls Defense Wreaks Havoc
South Florida has forced 16 turnovers, and seven came vs. Syracuse. The Bulls are also recording 7.8 tackles for losses and 2.8 sacks per game, and they're allowing only 263 yards per contest.
The player who draws the most attention is All-American defensive end George Selvie, who has 4.5 tackles for losses and two sacks among his 20 tackles.
But his mates on the line are breaking through, too. Jason Pierre-Paul leads the Bulls with 6.5 tackles for losses, and also has two sacks and an interception. Craig Marshall’s recorded a team-best three sacks.
Safety Nate Allen leads USF in tackles with 29, and has two interceptions, and linebacker Kion Wilson ranks second on the team with 27 tackles. Other standouts include linebacker Chris Robinson (22 tackles), linebacker Sabbath Joseph, (19 tackles, 3 forced fumbles) and cornerback Jerome Murphy (2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles).
Kicking Game Is Concern for South Florida
If the game boils down to field goals, USF could be at a disadvantage. The Bulls, who have used two placekickers, are only 3-for-9 on field goal attempts.
Cincinnati hasn’t done much in field goal department, either, but for a different reason. Bearcats kicker Jacob Rodgers has attempted only three field goals, hitting two.
The Bearcats, after all, have been so good at scoring touchdowns they haven’t had to kick much. Cincinnati is gaining 468.2 yards per game, and ranks sixth in the FBS with and average of 329.8 passing yards.
Cincinnati Offense Not Making Mistakes
Pike’s been brilliant, completing 116 of 174 passes for 1,493 yards and 13 touchdowns. And despite passing 37.3 times per game, he’s only been intercepted three times. What’s more amazing is that the Bearcats have fumbled just twice and lost none. Their three turnovers are fewest in the FBS.
Gilyard, meanwhile, has hauled in 38 receptions for 517 yards and seven TDs. He’s also averaging a whopping 19 yards per punt return, and ran one back for a touchdown.
Armon Binns (22 catches, 279 yards) and D.J Woods (18 receptions, 261 yards in 4 games) are dangerous receivers as well. And Jacob Ramsey (36 carries, 297 yards, 3 TDs) and Isaiah Pead (39 carries, 225 yards, 3 TDs) form an effective tandem at running back.
Cincinnati’s offense wasn’t on the field much its last two games, but still managed to produce. The Bearcats only held the ball for 16 minutes, 18 seconds vs. Fresno State, but produced four touchdowns in a 28-20 win. Against Miami, Cincinnati was only on offense for 19:09 but scored five TDs.
Bearcats Breaking into Opposing Backfields
Cincinnati’s defense has been pushed around some, as the possession statistics indicate. But it’s shoved back pretty hard.
The Bearcats have registered 21 sacks to lead the FBS, and their average of 10 tackles for losses per game also rank first. And their 10 interceptions tie them for fourth.
Lineman Alex Daniels, who actually played running back for Minnesota before transferring to Cincinnati, has been a huge force. The 6-4, 259-pound senior has 28 tackles – including team highs of 6.5 tackles for losses and 5.5 sacks.
The Bearcats have received four sacks from freshman linebacker Walter Stewart, and three interceptions from linebacker J.K. Schaffer, who is second on the team with 31 tackles. The leader is linebacker Andre Revels with 41.
Other key players include linebacker Demetrius Jones (30 tackles), cornerback Drew Frey (29 tackles) and cornerback Aaron Webster (27 tackles, 2 interceptions).
The Bearcats, who own a 4-2 series lead over South Florida, are allowing 314.4 yards per game.
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