The 10th-ranked University of Cincinnati Bearcats look to start the season 5-0 and retain the Victory Bell when they travel up to Oxford to take on the Miami Redhawks Saturday afternoon.
The Bearcats (4-0, 1-0 Big East) and Redhawks (0-4, 02 MAC) will square off at Yager Stadium in the 114th edition of the "Battle of the Victory Bell".
The game is the oldest non-conference rivalry in the nation. Miami holds a 59-47-7 advantage but the Bearcats have won the last three contests and four of the last five.
Despite winning the Big East in 2008 and playing in a BCS Bowl, the Bearcats starting the 2009 campaign unranked. Whether that was motivation or not, they rolled over Rutgers 47-15 in the season opener and once again got the attention of many people across the country. If that wasn't enough they won at Oregon State on September 19 and held off Fresno State last week to start a season 4-0 for the first time since 2007.
The Bearcats' offense continues to baffle defenses. Despite having the ball for less than 17 minutes last week, that was enough time for senior Tony Pike to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Two of Pike's touchdown passes went to senior wide receiver Mardy Gilyard who ended up with nine catches for 177 yards. Gilyard's performance earned him Big East Offensive Player of the Week.
Pike is already getting some Heisman Trophy talk as he should. He's completed 70 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,223 and 11 touchdowns.
The Bearcats are also featured in this week's Sports Illustrated. Their number 10 ranking is the highest they've ever had, but that's still not good enough for this team. They have higher goals, but like many good teams, they don't look ahead and take each contest one game at a time.
Even though the Redhawks have yet to win a game under first year coach Michael Haywood and have lost nine straight going back to last season, the Bearcats cannot afford to look past them. Winless teams traditionally pose problems for whoever they play. With Brian Kelly at the helm, a letdown is very unlikely. The Bearcats are clearly a much better team and should have no problem taking care of business.
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
After traveling to Oxford, the Bearcats' next game is an October 15 tilt at South Florida.
