Tom Groeschen

tgroeschen@enquirer.com

It has been 59 years since the Cincinnati Bearcats beat a Big Ten Football opponent on the road. UC coach Tommy Tuberville reacted with mock dread when a reporter presented that statistic to him Tuesday.

“You didn’t have to tell me that,” Tuberville said jokingly, drawing laughter at his weekly media luncheon.

UC (1-0) visits Big Ten team Purdue (1-0) on Saturday at noon. The Bearcats are listed as a 6-point favorite, but they have some history working against them.

According to the UC sports communications office, the Bearcats have not beaten a Big Ten team on the road since a 21-0 win at Indiana in 1957. UC is 0-11 on the road against Big 10 teams since, most recently a 50-28 loss at Ohio State in 2014.

The Bearcats did win at “current” Big Ten schools Penn State (1983) and at Rutgers (2013), but those schools were not in the Big Ten then.

“I think our guys like to play other conferences,” Tuberville said. “BYU was a big game for our players last year. I know they’re not Power Five, but they’re a good program, they’ve won national championships.

“The stadiums and all that, it’s a different allure to the players. As coaches, I’ve coached pretty much everywhere. It doesn’t mean that much. To us as coaches, it’s another game.”

UC crushed Purdue 42-7 in their last meeting in 2013, at Nippert Stadium. That was Tuberville’s UC debut.

Purdue beat Eastern Kentucky 45-24 in its 2016 season opener. Coach Darrell Hazell is only 7-30 in his fourth season at Purdue, although Tuberville said Tuesday that this is Purdue’s best team in recent years.

UC, which struggled much of the game before beating Tennessee Martin 28-7 in its opener last week, knows it may open some eyes (hello, Big 12?) by beating a Power Five team.

5 takeaways from UC's opening victory

“It gives us a shot to show the country what UC football is all about,” senior wide receiver Nate Cole said. “It gives us a chance to show what we can do against a greater conference.”

UC senior linebacker Eric Wilson said the Bearcats respect Purdue, which was picked to finish last in the Big Ten West in the preseason conference media poll.

“They are a Big Ten team, and it is important for us to get this win, as it is to get any win,” Wilson said. “They’re all important.”

UC quarterback Hayden Moore:

“It doesn’t really change that much. It’s just another opponent. We’re going to prepare like we do for any other opponent.”

Would beating a Power Five team boost the Bearcats’ bid to move from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12? Tuberville does not think so.

“It’s not one or two games, it’s a body of work,” he said. “The fans enjoy playing these games, and I’m fine with that. It’s what makes college football fun.”

RECORD NIGHT: UC receiver Devin Gray was the first wideout in UC’s 129-year football history to have a 100-yard receiving game in his Bearcats debut, according to the school's sports communications office. Gray, who arrived this year as a junior college transfer, had five catches for 111 yards.

GANTZ UPDATE: Tuberville said that kicker Andrew Gantz, who missed the opener with a leg muscle strain, is about 90 to 95 percent physically. A decision will be made later in the week as to whether Gantz plays at Purdue, Tuberville said.

THE ODDS: UC is listed as a 6-point favorite over Purdue, according to Las Vegas lines.

CONNECTIONS: Purdue redshirt freshman kicker Myles Homan went to St. Xavier High School. Purdue defensive backs coach Taver Johnson attended now-defunct CAPE (Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education). Purdue director of player personnel Mike Waugh was the UC director of recruiting in 2012-13.

Former Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski was named AD at Purdue in August.

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Cincinnati at Purdue

Kickoff: Noon Saturday, Ross-Ade Stadium (West Lafayette, Indiana)

TV/Radio: Big Ten Network/700 WLW-AM

Records: UC 1-0, Purdue 1-0