No. 10 Cincinnati Brings First To Oldest Rivalry

CINCINNATI -- The oldest college football rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains is getting something new.

The series started in December 1888 with Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) playing to a scoreless tie in a freezing rain. That was the first of 113 games between southwest Ohio teams separated by a 45-minute bus ride through corn fields turning autumn brown.

On Saturday, it'll have a Top 10 aura for the first time.

The 10th-ranked Bearcats (4-0) will bring their highest-ever ranking on the trip to Oxford, where Miami (0-4) is pinning all of its hopes on a redshirt freshman quarterback making his second career start - not very encouraging for the young, rebuilding RedHawks.

Emotion is one of the few things the home team will have in its favor.

"They've got nothing to lose here," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said. "They're obviously building for the future. To get a Top 10 team and a BCS team - that's how I'd play it (up): 'It's a great challenge, a great opportunity, and let's take our best shot. It's a free swing."'

If Miami doesn't show a lot more poise than it did in its first four games, the RedHawks will be knocked out of this one fast. And that's fine with Cincinnati, which is treating the game as a final tuneup before it gets back to defending its Big East championship.

The Bearcats opened their season with a 47-15 win at Rutgers that stamped them as favorites to repeat as league champions. They've won at Oregon State and beaten Fresno State at home in a tough nonconference stretch that boosted their ranking but took a toll on their defense.

Cincinnati's secondary was so depleted against Fresno State last Saturday that receiver Marcus Barnett started at cornerback for the first time in his career - he had practiced there during summer camp. The Bearcats are looking to beat Miami while resting some players, letting them heal for a game 12 days later at South Florida.

"It will be a good week to sharpen our skills, go up there and show what we can do," tight end Ben Guidugli said. "Hopefully our offense can be on the field a little longer and our defense can get some new players in there; I know we've got some players banged up. Then, we go into the Big East. It's a big week for us."

Everything is on their side.

The Bearcats' offense is so good that it never stays on the field for more than two or three minutes. Cincinnati had the ball for only 16 minutes in its 28-20 win over Fresno State, which ran the ball to try to keep the Bearcats' offense on the sideline.

The strategy worked, keeping the game close.

"After the game, I was ready to go play another one, but I don't think the defense was feeling the same way since they were out there most of the time," Guidugli said. "I think maybe teams are going to try to use that strategy against us, try to keep our offense off the field as much as they can."

Miami has struggled with the opposite problem. The RedHawks were outscored 90-0 in the first two games because an ineffective offense couldn't keep itself on the field for very long. First-year coach Michael Haywood switched quarterbacks during the third game, liked what he saw from redshirt freshman Zac Dysert, and let him start last week at Kent State.

Dysert threw for 337 yards and ran for 107 more in a 29-19 loss. His 444 total yards were sixth-best in school history.

At least Miami moved the ball.

"Pleased? No," Haywood said. "Do I think we're getting better? Yes. I think there's a bright light at the end of the tunnel because of the consistency we're (getting) on offense, but we're far from the level of execution I expect."

Dysert seemed to inspire his young team - four freshmen, two redshirt freshmen starters - by lowering his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame to get a few more yards at the end of his scrambles.

"Zac's a big kid," Haywood said. "He was delivering shots, he wasn't taking shots. The thing that it does is it builds confidence in the rest of your team, not just your offense but your defense. They see a guy right here giving everything he has and they're standing on the sideline screaming and shouting and cheering."

Miami has asked students to wear white for the RedHawks' first home game of the season, which will have extra festivities before the kickoff. Cincinnati has asked its contingent of fans to wear black. And, if the oldest nonconference rivalry in the nation plays to form, the outcome should be pretty much black-and-white.

The Bearcats, going away.