Sunday, October 31, 1999

UC 52, MIAMI 42

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Defense overshadows points

BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bearcats ring the Victory Bell. (Ernest Coleman photos) | ZOOM |

        OXFORD — The Victory Bell still was ringing a full hour after the Cincinnati Bearcats completed a 52-42 comeback win against Miami at Yager Stadium that soon will be sten ciled onto the trophy. The clanging was muffled by the locker room walls, but this celebration could not be silenced.

        The only thing that wasn't clear was whether the Bearcats (3-5) intended to strike the bell once for every yard they gained Saturday, for every point they scored or for every turnover they handed the RedHawks (5-3) at the start of the game.

        It was a day of excess for everyone but Miami star tailback Travis Prentice, whose 54 rushing yards against the UC defense marked his lowest output since his freshman season.

Miami's Travis Prentice, wrapped up by UC's Eddie Johnson, was held to 54 yards. | ZOOM |

        “A kind of game like that kind of takes it out of you,” said UC coach Rick Minter. “It was kind of their show at the start, but our defense hung in there for us. I think that turned out to be the key, our defense's ability to keep us in there early while we were feeling around, turning it over, doing some of those mishaps.

        “We still have a winning season at stake. This kept that alive. Our goal coming out of today was 3-5. It sounds lousy, but it's the best we could be today.”

        A year after being shut out by the RedHawks 41-0, UC's scoring total was the most in the 111-year rivalry. The combined total also was a record, breaking the mark set in a 45-38 UC win in 1986.

        The Bearcats' 528 total yards was their fourth 500-yard game. Tailback Robert Cooper gained a career-high 209 yards on a career-high 37 carries.

UC's Robert Cooper dives for a TD. | ZOOM |

        It seemed early in the game the Bearcats also were interested in attaining a turnover record. They gave up the ball four times in the first nine minutes: two fumbles, two interceptions. This was one-fourth the total they committed in the first seven games, but Miami managed only three Andy Brumbergs field goals.

        “You've got to take advantage of it,” said Miami coach Terry Hoeppner. “You never know when the key point in the game is going to be.”

        Although it seems almost ludicrous to suggest a team that surrendered 42 points played wondrously on defense, it's possible the Bearcats were more effective when they did not possess the ball.

Miami's Mike Sullivan makes a diving catch over UC defender DuJuan Gossett (22). | ZOOM |

        Prentice was left 22 yards short of his lowest previous output this season. He ended the day in eighth place on the NCAA's career rushing list, but only because he needed 31 yards to overtake Rice's Trevor Cobb, South Carolina's George Rogers and Indiana's Anthony Thompson.

        “The defense really saved me,” said UC quarterback Deontey Kenner. His two interceptions and lost fumble were the only scars on performance that included 243 yards on 18- of-28 passing and one rushing touchdown. “I don't think the score shows how well the defense played today.”

        Miami covered only 14 yards on those three field goal drives, which set up the RedHawks on average at the UC 25. UC did not allow Prentice a rush of longer than 10 yards until the final eight minutes.

        After allowing the RedHawks to establish a 30-28 lead 59 seconds after halftime with a 77-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Bath to wideout Nate Sexton, the Bearcats did not permit another score until they softened their defense toward a prevent to protect 19-point fourth-quarter lead. That cost them two Miami touchdown drives, but never put UC in danger.

        “I don't think we were playing as aggressively as we should have,” said Bearcats defensive back Tinker Keck. “Some players felt we had the game in hand, and we shouldn't do that.”

        Although they were involved in a high-scoring game, the Bearcats resisted the temptation to rely totally on their spread passing attack.

        Their offensive line provided a rare, surprising push against Miami's defensive front. This gave Cooper the opportunity to gain a lot of yards. Cooper broke open the game on fourth-and-2 from the MU 35, with UC owning a 35-30 lead. He shot through a gap along the left side of the line and ran 32 yards before being forced out of bounds.

        The Bearcats scored on a 2-yard, third-down pass to wideout Tony Smikle that made it 42-30.

        “In the last 20 years against Miami, we were 9-9-1 coming into today,” Minter said. “Now we want to keep that bell the next century. Never relinquish it. That'll be the our goal.”

        Cincinnati 14 14 21 3—52

        Miami 16 7 7 12—44

        First Quarter

        Mia—FG Brumbergs 42, 12:46

        Mia—FG Brumbergs 30, 10:59

        Cin—Cooper 29 run (Ruffin kick), 8:36

        Mia—Prentice 1 run (Brumbergs kick), 4:50

        Cin—Cooper 12 run (Ruffin kick), 0:14

        Second Quarter

        Mia—Gaylor 25 pass from Bath (Brumbergs kick), 9:44

        Cin—Garden 1 run (Ruffin kick), 2:14

        Cin—Smikle 2 pass from Kenner (Ruffin kick), 0:07

        Third Quarter

        Mia—Sexton 77 pass from Bath (Brumbergs kick), 14:01

        Cin—Cooper 32 pass from Kenner (Ruffin kick), 11:44

        Cin—Smikle 2 pass from Kenner (Ruffin kick), 8:27

        Cin—Kenner 4 run (Ruffin kick), 4:39

        Fourth Quarter

        Mia—Gaylor 14 pass from Bath (pass failed), 7:38

        Cin—FG Ruffin 35, 2:11

        Mia—Gaylor 24 pass from Bath (pass failed), 1:12

        A—22,469.

        Cin Mia

        First downs          28   17

        Rushes-yards  62-285   26-56

        Passing  243   352

        Comp-Att-Int 18-28-2  21-41-2

        Return Yards  182   170

        Punts-Avg.  2-54   5-37

        Fumbles-Lost  3-3   1-0

        Penalties-Yards  6-35   6-69

        Time of Possession  36:52   23:08

        INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

        RUSHING—Cincinnati, Cooper 37-209, Mays 7-44, Kenner 11-17, Garden 7-15. Miami, Ohio, Prentice 19-54, Bath 5-4, Little 2-(minus 2).

        PASSING—Cincinnati, Kenner 18-28-2-243. Miami, Ohio, Bath 21-41-2-352.

        RECEIVING—Cincinnati, Chatman 4-93, Smikle 4-23, Cooper 3-47, Hunt 3-37, Vann 2-19, Keith 1-13, Mays 1-11. Miami, Ohio, Gaylor 8-168, Buxton 4-50, Sullivan 3-32, Prentice 3-7, Sexton 1-77, Little 1-11, Henry 1-7.

Kenner UC's bellwether into future
Cooper's huge day gets Miami's attention
RedHawks left searching for answers

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