By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It's a great time and place to be a casual football fan. One doesn't have to give a hoot about UC-Miami to want to see their two quarterbacks Saturday.

Gino & Ben

Gino Category Ben 88 Completions 105 159 Attempts 170 .553 Pct. .618 1,198 Yards 1,180 8 TDs 8 7 INTs 4 126.4 Rating 130.9 Last season's game Gino Category Ben 22 Completions 20 36 Attempts 25 .611 Pct. .800 206 Yards 264 0 Passing TDs 2 0 Rushing TDs 1 1 INTs 0

With all due apologies to this annual game's billing as - everybody together now - "the oldest college football rivalry west of the Alleghenies," it is the smaller matchup within the game that contains the gold of potential transcendence.

We refer, of course, to the sharing of local center stage by the University of Cincinnati's Gino Guidugli and Miami's Ben Roethlisberger.

If it's not the battle of the arms Saturday (1p.m. kickoff at Nippert Stadium), it's certainly the battle of the consonants and vowels.

UC head coach Rick Minter welcomes the attention the matchup brings.

"It's all part of the hype of building the game into a true rivalry," Minter said.

Here's how Minter assesses the spectating luxury this game affords:

"Not only are two schools rivaling each other for a second century, but two kids have come along in their schools' storied histories, where they both may end up being the best player at their position that their schools have ever seen - and, ironically, they flashed at the same age, basically."

Never in its 114-year history has this game featured such combined glitterati at the QB position.

Guidugli is a true sophomore, Roethlisberger a redshirt sophomore.

So which quarterback will prove to be the greater talent?

Guidugli isn't about to get caught up in that, but he does admire Roethlisberger's skills.

"I think we're two very similar quarterbacks, but I believe he runs the ball a little bit better than I do," Guidugli said.

Guidugli, 19, is a quick study but is still very much a work in progress. The quarterback fans see now isn't the quarterback they will see next year.

"(UC quarterbacks) coach (Jeff) Filkovski has me working on my feet and my pocket presence," Guidugli said. "I'm also really working hard on getting my reads down for the game plan. I think I'm doing a lot better job of that this year."

Minter describes the precocious pair as "clones."

"Everything I would describe to you about Gino, I could say `ditto,' about Roethlisberger," Minter said. "They'd rather throw than run; they have great poise in the pocket; they improvise when they need to, and they are both tall, rangy guys who've gotten bigger and stronger."

They figure to end up holding almost every passing record at their respective schools.

After only 15 career games, Guidugli is popping up in the Bearcat record books. He's in the top 10 in eight categories.

He's second in completion percentage (.574) and TD-interception margin (plus-8); seventh in completions (273), passing yards (3,770) and yards per completion (13.81); eighth in TD passes (24); and ninth in total offense (3,695) and passing attempts (476).

UC quarterback Gino Guidugli. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

But consider: If Guidugli exceeds the legend of former Bearcats great Greg Cook - whom West Coast offense architect Bill Walsh once called the greatest talent he'd seen at that position - we're talking more than hype. We're talking Heisman Trophy.

That, however, is a long way off. After all, unless Guidugli or Roethlisberger turns pro after their junior seasons, they have two more acts to go following Saturday's matchup.

"They are no longer rookies," Minter said. "This time a year ago, I thought there (was) a lot of pressure on Gino to play well at Miami, because that was his first (collegiate) start. Now, it's old hat, as far as his starting goes."

Guidguli looks back on the Miami experience, a 21-14 loss, and, well, rues his lack of experience.

"I didn't throw for a touchdown that game, and we lost by a touchdown," he said, shaking his head. "I thought we should have won the game, but we didn't make plays coming down the wire. This year, we're making a lot of plays down the stretch."

Last year, it was Roethlisberger's show: He threw for two TDs and ran for a third. He was 20-for-25, passing for 264 yards. Guidugli was 22-of-36 for 206 yards and one interception.

For Guidugli and Roethlisberger, the "W" is the stat that matters, because it is the only one that comes with musical accompaniment: the ringing of the Victory Bell.

It is the job of these young QBs to provide that for their senior teammates.

Among them is UC offensive tackle Josh Gardner, who is on the Outland Trophy Watch List for top interior linemen. The Moeller grad has started 39 games, the third-longest active streak in the country.

"When we watch (postgame) film, we break it down very specifically as to what each individual (lineman) did," Gardner said. "Because of that, we can't get a true appreciation for what Gino's doing back there.

"But when I've watched a taped game from ESPN, I see a great playmaker. I especially admire the fact that he's so good at such a young age. To have the poise he has, to play under pressure the way he does, that's a combination that's not common for a young quarterback. When you add a couple of more years' experience to that, you can come to only one conclusion: He's going to be something special."

Miami at UC
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Nippert Stadium.
Records: UC 2-2, Miami 3-2.
At stake: Victory Bell.
TV: None.
Radio: WLW-AM (700), WMOH-AM (1450).