2007 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 2007 Cincinnati Bearcats football Cincinnati University Bearcats textlogo.svg 250 Big East Conference Big East 20 17 10–3 4–3 Brian Kelly 1st Jeff Quinn 1st Multiple Joe Tresey 1st 4–3 Nippert Stadium PapaJohns.com Bowl champion PapaJohns.com Bowl W 31–21 vs. Southern Miss The 2007 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its home games in Nippert Stadium, as it has since 1923. This was Kelly's first complete season with the Bearcats, having coached them to a 27–24 win against Western Michigan in the 2007 International Bowl. The 2007 season was a breakthrough for Cincinnati football, as it saw the Bearcats break into the national rankings for the first time since 1976. The Bearcats' highest rank of their 2007 campaign was 15th in the AP Poll. Schedule 2007 AP Eastern August 30 7:00 p.m. w y 2007 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Southeast Missouri State Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH ESPN360 59–3 20,223 September 6 7:30 p.m. w y Oregon State Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH ESPN 34–3 25,020 September 15 12:00 p.m. w y y Miami (OH) Yager Stadium Oxford, OH Victory Bell ESPN+ 47–10 22,421 September 22 7:30 p.m. w y Marshall Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH ESPN+ 40–14 35,097 September 29 10:00 p.m. w y y 24 San Diego State Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA Versus 52–23 24,647 October 6 8:00 p.m. w y 20 Rutgers 21 Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ ESPN2 28–23 43,768 October 13 7:00 p.m. l y 15 Louisville Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH The Keg of Nails ESPNU 24–28 35,097 October 20 12:00 p.m. l y 23 Pittsburgh Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA River City Rivalry ESPN+ 17–24 33,423 November 3 3:30 p.m. w y South Florida 20 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL ABC/ESPN 38–33 57,379 November 10 3:30 p.m. w Connecticut 16 Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH ESPNU 27–3 30,943 November 17 7:45 p.m. l 21 West Virginia 5 Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH ESPN 23–28 35,097 November 24 7:15 p.m. w y 24 Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY ESPNU 52–31 30,040 December 22 1:00 p.m. w y y 20 Southern Miss Legion Field Birmingham, AL Papajohns.com Bowl ESPN2 31–21 35,258 Rankings 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings AP 0 15 NR NR RV RV 24 20 15 23 RV NR RV 21 24 20 20 17 Coaches Poll 0 15 NR NR RV RV RV 24 17 23 RV RV RV 25 RV 24 23 20 Harris 4 14 RV 24 17 23 RV RV RV 24 24 21 20 BCS 7 14 23 NR NR NR 22 24 23 22 Roster (as of October 16, 2007) https://web.archive.org/web/20090417090718/http://gobearcats.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cinn-m-footbl-mtt.html April 17, 2009 Wide receivers  1 Mardy Gilyard – Junior  2 David Wess – Junior 14 Earnest Jackson – Senior 16 Dominick Goodman – Junior 24 Jared Martin – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 33 Kurt Shoemaker – Junior 38 Tomaz Hilton – Freshman 81 Antwuan Giddens – Senior 82 Joey Thomas – Freshman 84 Orion Woodard – Freshman 85 Marcus Barnett – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 86 Armon Binns – Freshman 87 Charley Howard – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 88 Adrien Robinson – Freshman Offensive line 56 Chris Jurek – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 59 Alex Hoffman – Freshman 60 Jason Kelce – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 63 Blake McCroskey – Freshman 64 Chris Flores – Senior 65 T.J. Franklin – Freshman 66 Sam Griffin – Freshman 68 Craig Parmenter – Freshman 69 Frank Becker – Freshman 70 C. J. Cobb – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 71 Jeff Linkenbach – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 72 Digger Bujnoch – Senior 73 Mario Duenas – Senior 74 Ken Rodriguez – Senior 76 Trevor Canfield – Junior 78 Taylor Porter – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 79 Khalil El-Amin – Junior Tight ends 19 Ben Guidugli – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 34 Nick DeFilippo – Junior 35 Marcus Waugh – Sophomore 83 Kazeem Alli – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 89 Connor Barwin – Junior Fullbacks 86 Doug Jones – Senior Quarterbacks  4 Dustin Grutza – Junior  7 Craig Carey – Sophomore  8 Chazz Anderson – Freshman  9 Ben Mauk – Senior 12 Zach Collaros – Freshman 15 Tony Pike – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore Running backs  5 Mike Daniels – Senior 11 Bradley Glatthaar – Senior 20 Jacob Ramsey – Sophomore 22 John Goebel – Sophomore 23 Butler Benton – Senior 32 Montez Patterson – Freshman 48 Greg Moore – Senior Defensive line 10 Lamonte Nelms – Junior 12 Anthony Hoke – Senior 40 John Hughes – Freshman 53 Randy Martinez – Freshman 54 Jon Newton – Senior 67 Adam Hoppel – Junior 75 Thomas Claggett – Junior 82 Angelo Craig – Senior 90 Ricardo Mathews – Sophomore 91 Tyler Clifford – Sophomore 94 Rob Trigg – Freshman 95 Terrill Byrd – Junior 98 Ralston Reeves – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 99 Chris Harrison – 10px|Redshirt Freshman Linebackers  3 Delbert Ferguson – Junior  9 Alex Delisi – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 31 Jon Carpenter – Senior 37 Anthony Williams – Senior 42 Corey Smith – Junior 43 Robby Armstrong – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 45 Ryan Manalac – Junior 47 Collin McCafferty – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 49 Torry Cornett – Junior 27 Jeremy Matthews – Freshman 52 Ricardo Thompson – Freshman 55 Leo Morgan – Senior 57 Obadiah Cheatham – 10px|Redshirt Freshman Defensive backs  4 Drew Frey – Freshman  6 DeAngelo Smith – Junior 13 Haruki Nakamura – Senior 17 Aaron Webster – Sophomore 17 Bryant Thomas – Freshman 18 Cedric Tolbert – Junior 21 Mike Mickens – Junior 25 Brad Jones – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 26 Martez Williams – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 32 Justin Moore – 10px|Redshirt Sophomore 36 Jason Whitehead – Sophomore 37 Deon Reed – Freshman 39 Mike Latessa – Freshman 41 Tahree McQueen – Freshman 44 Evan Sparks – Senior 46 Scott Johnson – Freshman Punters 47 Kevin Huber – Junior 61 Micheal Cooke – Freshman Kickers 92 Brandon Yingling – Junior 97 Jake Rogers – 10px|Redshirt Freshman Deep Snapper 51 Alex Apyan – Freshman 93 Mike Windt – 10px|Redshirt Freshman 96 Tom DeTemple – Freshman † Starter at position     * Injured; will not play in 2007. Coaching staff Brian Kelly – Head coach Keith Gilmore – Assistant head coach/defensive line Jeff Quinn – Offensive coordinator/offensive line Joe Tresey – Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs – Defensive backs coach Mike Elston – Recruiting/special teams/tight ends Greg Forest – Quarterbacks coach Tim Hinton – Linebackers coach Ernest T. Jones – Running backs coach Charley Molnar – Wide receivers coach John Widecan – Assistant AD/football operations Brad Bury – Student assistant Paul Longo – Strength and conditioning Jesse Minter – Defensive graduate assistant Michael Painter – Offensive staff intern Adam Shorter – Offensive graduate assistant Marty Spieler – Defensive staff intern Erin Clayton – Administrative assistant Jacob Flint – Assistant strength coach Maria Gruber – Administrative coordinator Matt Louis – Administrative coordinator John Sells – Video coordinator Game summaries Southeast Missouri State SE Missouri State 0 3 0 0 Cincinnati 6 13 20 20The games was the first regular season game for new coach, Brian Kelly. The Bearcats' 59-3 victory was the most lopsided in school history since beating Louisiana-Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana, 63-0 in 1977. The Bearcats' 615 yards was the third most in school history.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272422132 https://web.archive.org/web/20121021054349/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272422132 dead October 21, 2012 Bearcats 59, Indians 3 Associated Press ESPN.com January 1, 2007 January 2, 2008 Oregon State Oregon State 0 3 0 0 Cincinnati 3 7 24 0 Miami University Cincinnati 16 10 7 14 Miami University 0 3 7 0 thumb|left|After the game UC's band plays in front of the scoreboard showing the final score Dustin Grutza, who started in place of the injured UC quarterback Ben Mauk threw for two scores to lead the Bearcats to a 47-10 win over the Miami RedHawks. UC defense dominated the game with a fumble recovery, three interceptions, a blocked punt, and five sacks.Associated Press Cincinnati 47, Miami (Ohio) 10 ESPN September 15, 2007 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272580193 https://web.archive.org/web/20121021045135/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272580193 dead October 21, 2012 January 1, 2008 Marshall Marshall 2 6 0 6 Cincinnati 12 14 0 14 San Diego State Cincinnati 7 28 7 10 San Diego State 3 7 0 13 Rutgers Cincinnati 7 0 21 0 Rutgers 7 10 3 3 Louisville Louisville 7 7 7 7 Cincinnati 14 0 7 3 Pittsburgh Cincinnati 10 7 0 0 Pittsburgh 3 7 3 11 South Florida Cincinnati 31 7 0 0 #20 South Florida 14 6 7 6 The 31 points scored in the first quarter is a Cincinnati record for most points scored in a single quarter. Connecticut #16 Connecticut 0 3 0 0 Cincinnati 13 0 7 7 West Virginia #5 West Virginia 7 14 0 7 Cincinnati 7 3 0 13 Cincinnati came into the game predicted by some to upset the mountaineers. However, for the majority of the game West Virginia used their punishing ground attack to build a 21-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, after a costly fumble leading to another West Virginia touchdown, the Bearcats rallied. Their defense force two fumbles and a punt by the Mountaineers, and the offense cashed in with two touchdowns. After UC's second touchdown and a failed two-point conversion, West Virginia recovered an onside kick attempt and managed to run out the clock, handing the Bearcats their third loss. Syracuse Cincinnati 14 14 14 10 Syracuse 3 14 14 0 PapaJohns.com Bowl Southern Miss 7 0 7 7 21 Cincinnati 0 14 17 0 31 . The Cincinnati Bearcats led by Quarterback Ben Mauk ended Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower's 17-year tenure as head coach at Southern Miss in losing fashion, 31-21. Mauk went 30-52 for 334 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Mauk became the 3rd player in Cincinnati history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. His favorite target was Dominick Goodman who caught 7 passes for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense was led by DeAngelo Smith who had a whopping 3 interceptions. For Southern Miss, Jeremy Young went 18-32 for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns, but 3 interceptions. Damion Fletcher led the team in rushing and receiving, with 155 yards on 29 carries on the ground and 7 catches for 50 yards through the air. Southern Miss jumped to an early 7-0 lead on a 10-yard pass from Young to Shawn Nelson in the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter, Cincinnati struck back when Mauk threw both touchdown passes to Goodman to end the half. In the 3rd quarter Mauk hooked up with Ernest Jackson for 29 yards and a touchdown to make it 21-7 in favor of the Bearcats. Young then had a 1-yard run with 6:48 to play in the 3rd to make it 21-14. Cincinnati then pulled away when Mauk hit Antwuan Giddens for his last touchdown. A field goal by Jake Rogers made it 31-14 Bearcats, and they never looked back. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=273562132 Mauk, Bearcats spoil Bower's final game at Southern Miss Associated Press ESPN.com December 22, 2007 December 23, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20080101193410/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=273562132 January 1, 2008 dead Awards and milestones All-Americans Mike Mickens, CB Kevin Huber, P Big East Conference honors Special Teams Player of the Year: Kevin Huber Coach of the Year: Brian Kelly Offensive player of the week Week 3: Dustin Grutza Week 5: Ben Mauk Week 13: Ben Mauk Defensive player of the week Week 1: Mike Mickens Week 6: Ryan Manalac Week 10: Haruki Nakamura Special teams player of the week Week 2: Jacob Rogers Week 6: Kevin Huber Big East Conference All-Conference First Team Terrill Byrd, DL Mike Mickens, DB Haruki Nakamura, DB Kevin Huber, P https://gobearcats.com/documents/2011/9/2/11FB_Supplement.pdf 2011 Cincinnati Media Guide University of Cincinnati Athletics December 22, 2018 Big East Conference All-Conference Second Team Marcus Barnett, WR Trevor Canfield, OL Anthony Hoke, DL DeAngelo Smith, DB Players in the 2008 NFL draft 2008 NFL draft 2 Cincinnati Bearcats Player Position Round Pick NFL club Haruki Nakamura S 6 206 Baltimore Ravens Angelo Craig DE 7 244 Cincinnati Bengals References Cincinnati Category:Cincinnati Bearcats football seasons Category:Birmingham Bowl champion seasons Cincinnati Bearcats football