Spring Break
MU to battle UC for Victory Bell
RedHawks, Bearcats renew country's 5th oldest football rivalry
Dan Kukla
Issue date: 9/19/08 Section: Sports
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Preparing to play the 113th installment of the fifth oldest collegiate football rivalry in the nation, Miami University and the University of Cincinnati (UC) know that Saturday's contest is more than just a football game.
"This game means so much, not only to our team but to our university and alumni," Miami head coach Shane Montgomery said. "You play for something tangible. The victory bell-someone is going to take that home. We haven't had that for two years and we'd like to get it back."
Beating UC is one of Miami's pre-season goals every year. Located just 35 miles apart, the two schools are in constant conflict.
Beyond the annual gridiron bout, Miami and UC fight over fans and recruits. Many of the players know each other from high school, having competed on either the same or opposing teams. If they don't know about the rivalry before reaching campus, freshman football players at Miami learn it rather quickly from just using the facilities.
"It's up in everyone's locker-a sign that says beat UC," Miami quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh said. "You go in the urinals and on the stalls it says UC. We got to go get it done."
The Bearcats are 1-1 on the season with a 40-7 win over Eastern Kentucky University and a 52-26 loss to Oklahoma University, then ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25 and USA Today polls. Montgomery described UC as being tough on all three faces, with an explosive offense, a solid defense and an outstanding kicking game. With a week off to rest and prepare, UC looks to provide stiff competition for the RedHawks.
"If we play like we did Saturday, it will be a long night in Cincinnati," Montgomery told his players after Tuesday's practice.
Cincinnati enters the game without starting quarterback Dustin Grutza, who suffered a broken leg against Oklahoma and may miss the rest of the season. In his absence, junior Tony Pike gets the start at center for the Bearcats. Montgomery, however, said that he isn't convinced Pike will be the only one taking snaps for the Bearcats and expects to see UC use a rotation of signal callers.
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