1996 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

1996 Cincinnati Bearcats football
1996 Cincinnati Bearcats football
Conference	Conference USA
Record	6–5 (2–3 C-USA)
Head coach	Rick Minter (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Greg Seamon (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Rex Ryan (1st season)
Base defense	3–4 or 4–3
Home stadium	Nippert Stadium
	Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Conference USA football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Houston +	4	–	1	7	–	5
Southern Miss +	4	–	1	8	–	3
Cincinnati	2	–	3	6	–	5
Louisville	2	–	3	5	–	6
Memphis	2	–	3	4	–	7
Tulane	1	–	4	2	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented University of Cincinnati during 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	Tulane	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	L 14–34	26,493	^[1]
September 7	Kentucky*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	W 24–3	30,729	^[2]
September 14	at Kansas State*	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	L 0–35	43,111
September 28	Miami (OH)*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	W 30–23
October 5	at Memphis	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	L 16–18	19,511
October 12	Boston College*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	L 17–24	20,673
October 19	Houston	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	W 31–20	19,064
October 26	at Louisville	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY (The Keg of Nails)	W 10–7
November 2	at Southern Miss	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	L 17–21	25,241	^[3]
November 16	at UAB*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	W 34–14	15,000	^[4]
November 23	Northeast Louisiana*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	W 35–13	17,686
*Non-conference game

1996 Cincinnati Bearcats football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
OT	`78`	Pierre Brilliant	Jr
G	`68`	Robert Robinson	Sr
C	`75`	Brian Uhl	So
G	`61`	Joel Dolinski	Jr
OT	`67`	Jason Fabini	Jr
TE	`88`	Josh Anderson	So
QB	`4`	Chad Plummer	So
RB	`20`	Orlando Smith	Jr
FB	`36`	Landon Smith	Jr
WR	`18`	Anthony Ladd	Sr
WR	`2`	Robert Tate	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DE	`53`	Terry Grooms	Sr
DT	`95`	Derrick Ransom	Jr
DT	`99`	John Kabolka	Jr
DE	`91`	Darrius Felder	Sr
OLB	`3`	Brad Jackson	Jr
MLB	`45`	Phil Curry	Jr
OLB	`48`	Hassan Champion	Jr
CB	`6`	Jermaine Trent	Sr
FS	`9`	Chris Hewitt	Sr
SS	`7`	Sam Garnes	Sr
CB	`21`	Artrell Hawkins	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class

^ "Tulane spoils UC opener". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 31, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lifeless Kentucky gets 24–3 burial from Cincinnati". The Courier-Journal. September 8, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern Miss clinches share of title". The Courier-Journal. November 3, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Winning season in sight for Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 17, 1996. Retrieved December 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1996 Cincinnati Bearcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
^ "1996 Football Schedule". University of Cincinnati Athletics. Retrieved April 15, 2019.