Sunday, November 21, 1999Memphis 21, UC 13
Bearcats finish 0-6 in C-USA
BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Doug Rosfeld said what most of the 14,058 diehard Cincinnati Bearcats football fans were thinking as they glumly left Nippert Stadium late Saturday afternoon.
![[mays]](/bearcats/img/photos/1999/11/112199mays_180x135.jpg)
P.J. Mays dives for extra yards.
(Steven M. Herppich photo)
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UC lost 21-13 to Memphis in its season finale, finishing 3-8 overall and last in Conference USA at 0-6. It was not exactly what UC fans expected on Sept.18, when they tore down the goalposts after a 17-12 upset of then-No.9 Wisconsin.
“This is by far the most frustrating season I've ever had,” said Rosfeld, UC's junior center from Moeller. “Last year we went 2-9 and got blown out of the water a lot of times. This was different.”
Last year, the Bearcats allowed 41.5 points a game as the worst defense in America. This year UC was competitive in every game, with five of its losses by eight or fewer points.
“That's what makes it more frustrating,” Rosfeld said. “We were always just a field goal away, an overtime away, a fumble away ... ”
Saturday's loss to Memphis (5-6, 4-2 C-USA) was typical.
Even as senior Robert Cooper thundered for 204 yards rushing — just behind the career-best 209 he got vs. the Miami RedHawks on Oct.30 — the offense would bog down in the red zone. And UC's place-kicking teams, erratic all season, again failed.
Saturday, Bearcats senior Joe Judge saw an otherwise solid career end in disappointment, having two field goals and one extra point blocked and missing another field goal attempt.
Judge and freshman Jonathon Ruffin combined to go 7-for-19 on field goals this year, and 30-for-36 on PATs.
Coach Rick Minter said the kicking game might have cost the Bearcats as much as seven or eight points a game but said the kickers themselves were not fully to blame. Especially Saturday, when Memphis rushers stormed through and gave Judge little time to work.
“Most of it was protection,” Minter said. “It's the worst kicking game I've ever been around, as far as field goals, PATs and protection.”
But Minter said there was much more to the 3-8 finish than a few missed kicks. The Bearcats' lack of depth was exposed as injuries mounted weekly, and Minter acknowledged that UC needs to get bigger and stronger up front.
UC's offensive spark was missing Saturday. Junior quarterback Deontey Kenner, who had passed for 2,430 yards this year (third highest in UC history), was out with a concussion and sprained right thumb suffered last week at East Carolina.
His replacement, senior David Bertucci, went 16-of-38 passing for 189 yards, with one TD and one interception. He was sacked twice.
“You like to say you miss Deontey ... but I don't think anybody would've mattered, with the protection the way it was at times today,” Minter said.
UC fell into a 14-0 hole in the first quarter and never caught up. The Memphis defense, ranked 12th nationally, couldn't stop Cooper but held the Bearcats to just seven points until the final minute.
UC, trailing 21-7, punched in one final score on a 2-yard pass from Bertucci to tight end Ashley Hunt with just 14 seconds remaining. The PAT was blocked.
UC then tried an onside kick, which Memphis recovered. At that point, the few remaining fans headed either to their cars or to see the No.1-ranked basketball Bearcats open their season at Shoemaker Center.
Yet, the football season was not without its high times.
There was Cooper, who finished with 1,245 yards for the third-best rushing year in UC history. He also moved into fourth on the school's career rushing list with 2,786 yards.
There was the upset of Wisconsin, the 52-42 victory over rival Miami. There was the first-half giddiness at Ohio State on Oct.25, with UC holding a 14-point lead before taking a 34-20 loss.
But Saturday, the loss stung. It marks the first time in seven seasons that UC did not win its season finale.
“I'd trade anything, any records or whatever I have, for a winning season,” Cooper said.
Minter loses only four seniors from Saturday's two-deep depth chart but instead ponders what could have been in 1999.
“It's frustrating, that's the bottom line,” he said. “I'm not disappointed in the kids, I'm just disappointed for them. We didn't end the season the way we envisioned it.”
Memphis ....... 14 0 0 7—21
Cincinnati ....... 0 7 0 6—13
First Quarter
MEM—Arnold 7 run (White kick), 8:12
MEM—Kendall 49 pass from Anglin (White kick), 1:19.
Second Quarter
CIN—Cooper 5 run (Judge kick), :46.
Fourth Quarter
MEM—Dodson 25 pass from Suber (White kick), 11:09
CIN—Hunt 2 pass from Bertucci (kick failed), :14.
A—14,058.
Memphis UC
First downs ....... 17 20
Rushes-yards ....... 45-169 42-196
Passing ....... 161 189
Comp-Att-Int ....... 14-16-161 16-38-189
Return Yards ....... 48 121
Punts-Avg. ....... 7-38.6 8-46.4
Fumbles-Lost ....... 1-0 3-1
Penalties-Yards ....... 7-54 9-98
Time of Possession ....... 29:13 30:47
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Memphis, Riley 12-48, Sanders 10-46, Arnold 11-35, Dodson 2-17, Bailey 2-6, Suber 1-(minus 2), Team 2-(minus 50; Cincinnati, Cooper 36-204, Mays 1-(minus 1), Bertucci 5-(minus 7).
PASSING—Memphis, Anglin 9-17-1-113, Suber 5-9-2-48; Cincinnati, Bertucci 16-38-1-189.
RECEIVING—Memphis, Kendall 4-78, Dodson 4-34, Sermon 2-19, Bailey 2-14, Riley 1-10, Smith 1-6; Cincinnati, Collins-Baker 5-60, Keith 3-36, Smikle 3-36, Vann 2-35, Mays 1-17, Cooper 1-3, Hunt 1-2.
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