Bearcats to play Vanderbilt in Liberty Bowl

CINCINNATI The University of Cincinnati football team has accepted a bid to play Vanderbilt University in the 53rd AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31, 2011 at Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis, Tenn. The game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET and air on ABC. "We are pleased to accept a bid into the 53rd AutoZone Liberty Bowl," Head Coach Butch Jones said. "Its a great honor to be part of a game with the prestige and storied history of the Liberty Bowl. We look forward to a great number of Cincinnati fans being the team behind the team and helping us ring in the New Year in Memphis. Tickets are on sale now at CATSTIX.com and are priced at 50. Tickets are available for purchase by all fans, including UCATS members, students and the general public. Seating assignments will be determined by UCATS tier level and then priority points within the tier level. Fans are strongly encouraged to order tickets online to avoid long wait times on the phone or in person at the Athletics Ticket Office. The customer service call center will be open from 8-5 p.m., starting Monday, Dec. 5. Fans that do not purchase online can call 1-877-CATS-TIX or visit the Athletics Ticket Office on the fourth floor of the Richard E. Lindner Center in Varsity Village. The priority deadline for ordering bowl tickets will be 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011. The allocation process of bowl tickets following the deadline. Tickets may be ordered after the deadline, but patrons may be at risk of being allocated in a less desirable location. There will be no limit to the number of bowl tickets a patron chooses to purchase, but there will be a limit of 16 tickets allocated in a determined priority seating location (priority seating locations will be determined by venue location and quantities of overall bowl tickets purchased). Allocations of bowl tickets will be based upon UCATS annual giving and priority points. The Department of Athletics will disseminate information on student tickets and travel packages through C-Mail and social media outlets when it becomes available. If students are planning on traveling to the Liberty Bowl on their own, they are encouraged to purchase tickets now at CATSTIX.com. The Bearcats (9-3, 5-2 BIG EAST Conference) will be playing in their 13th bowl game and first since 2009. UC is 6-6 all-time in post-season games and will be making its first trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl will make the eighth meeting between the Bearcats and Vanderbilt (6-6, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) in a series that dates back to 1898. The teams have not met since Oct. 8, 1994. UC won its third BIG EAST Championship in four years and is one of the most improved teams in the NCAA FBS after more than doubling its win total of four from a year ago. The Bearcats' defense has been a large part of that turnaround, leading the nation in both sacks (3.6) and tackles for a loss (8.9) with the UC rushing defense ranking sixth nationally, giving up 93.7 yards per game on the ground. Offensively, the Bearcats are led by senior running back Isaiah Pead (Columbus, OhioEastmoor Academy). Pead, who became the program's first back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher in 25 years, recently eclipsed the 3,000-career rushing yards mark and has tallied 1,042 yards rushing along with a BIG EAST leading 14 touchdowns. Over the past three games, UC has been without senior quarterback Zach Collaros (Steubenville, OhioSteubenville) who suffered an ankle injury in UC's loss to West Virginia. Collaros has begun rehabilitation and is working towards a possible return in the Liberty Bowl. For further information on the Bearcats trip to the 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, please visit bowl central at GoBEARCATS.com. Some of the information available includes: travel packages with Provident Travel, important dates and deadlines, ticket details and general bowl information. Fans interested in travel packages through Provident Travel, UCs official bowl travel partner, should call 1-800-989-8900, 513-763-3080 or visit http:www.providentvacations.comucbearcats.html.