2007 Cincinnati Bearcats football team 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 1954 . The Bearcats ' highest rank of their 2007 campaign was 15th in the AP Top 25 . 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 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 notes . Southeast Missouri State . The 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 . Miami University . 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 . South Florida . The 31 points scored in the first quarter is a Cincinnati record for most number of points scored in a single quarter . West Virginia . 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 . PapaJohns . com Bowl . 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 . After the season . Awards . Brian Kelly - Big East Coach of the Year Terrill Byrd - All - American Defensive Tackle Kevin Huber - All - America n Punter Mike Mickens - All - American Cornerback