Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) will play the 129th Battle for the Victory Bell on Saturday, and for the first time in the rivalry it will happen at TQL Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, with the game carrying a place in a series that began on Dec. 8, 1888, when the schools met in the first college football game played in the state of Ohio.
The move to TQL Stadium gives the matchup a new setting, but not a new balance of power. Cincinnati leads the series 61-60-7 after 128 previous meetings, and the Bearcats enter 2-0 after a 62-10 win over Western Carolina that featured 418 rushing yards, the sixth-most in school history and the program’s most in a game since 1970. Gi’Bran Payne scored two rushing touchdowns in that victory, while Cole Tabb, Zylan Perry and Zion Johnson each added one, and Payne’s 26 carries lead the group of primary running backs.
That ground game will be tested quickly. Miami comes in ranked second in the MAC in rushing defense at 103.0, a number that helps explain why this matchup has drawn attention beyond the usual rivalry pull. Cincinnati has leaned on a run attack that has looked deep and efficient through two games, while Miami has built its identity on keeping opponents from doing the same thing.
Scott Satterfield said the backfield competition has been hard to sort because the runners are all producing. He called it an unselfish group that works hard in practice and keeps pushing one another, which matches what Cincinnati showed last weekend and what it will need again if the Bearcats want to control the game on the ground.
The Battle for the Victory Bell is described as the oldest FBS non-conference college football rivalry, and only Minnesota-Wisconsin, Georgia-Auburn, North Carolina-Virginia and Oregon-Oregon State have been played more often. + will carry Saturday’s game, with Pete Sousa and Leger Douzable on the call and Sydney Jones reporting from the sidelines. The radio broadcast will air on 700 WLW and SiriusXM Channel 176 or 237 with Dan Hoard and Tony Pike.
For Cincinnati, the immediate next stop comes after Saturday’s showcase. The Bearcats are scheduled to host Kansas State at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2, which makes this weekend’s first-ever meeting at TQL Stadium part of a short stretch that could shape how the season opens for them.
