The University of Cincinnati comes to Yager Stadium Saturday as the first top 10 opponent to ever play on Oxford gridiron. Redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert, who made his first start as a RedHawk against Kent State University, said the national ranking makes no difference at all.

"Playing against UC in a rivalry you can pretty much throw that out the window," Dysert said.

Hatred for the Bearcats is drilled into Miami University players from the moment they step on campus, in the locker room or even the bathroom stalls. Everywhere they go, signs are posted and they all send the same message: beat UC.

"No one likes UC around here," Dysert said. "Everybody hates them."

The Miami-Cincinnati rivalry isn't just about ill will but tradition as well. When these two teams take the field Saturday it will stand as their 114th meeting, making it the fifth most-played rivalry in Division 1 (FBS). The first game played between MU and UC was also the first college football game played in the state of Ohio.

Miami controls the all-time series with a 59-47-7 record, but the Bearcats have won the last three meetings to mark their longest winning streak against the RedHawks since winning four in a row from 1986-89.

Besides touting a No. 10 ranking in the mostly subjective media poll, the Bearcats have also earned high marks based purely on performance. Cincinnati boasts the fifth best scoring offense with 43.3 and the fifth best passing offense with 344.8 yards per game. The Bearcat attack is led by senior quarterback Tony Pike who ranks fourth in the country in passing yards and fifth in QB rating.

Cincinnati not only scores often, but early and with incredible efficiency as well. UC posted at least 21 first-half points in all four of its games this season and against Fresno State University the offense was only on the field for a total of 16 minutes and 18 seconds.

On defense UC provides a unique look by only rushing three linemen and dropping eight backs into coverage. This test will be much different for Dysert who constantly battled backfield pressure against Kent State.

Dysert proved to be a threat on the ground as well as in the air against the Flashes as the KSU pass rush often forced him to scramble downfield.

"You've got that clock in your head so whenever you find yourself saying 'Oh no, oh no, oh no' you just take off," Dysert said.

Since most of these runs did not come by design, it remains to be seen if he will be as effective carrying the ball against a new defensive scheme.

With the promise of eight Bearcats back in coverage, Dysert must also be wary of throwing interceptions. Turnovers have haunted Miami in recent games as the RedHawks succeeded five giveaways against KSU, five against Western Michigan University and four against Boise State University.

This reoccurring problem is an issue head coach Mike Haywood is determined to address head on.

"You have to address it daily," Haywood said. "We'll have entire periods this coming week during practice where all we address is ball security. The major part of ball security is technique and fundamentals. We're not carrying the ball high and tight and not squeezing the point of the ball to our body. It's my responsibility that we teach our players the proper technique and fundamentals."

Continuing recent tradition, Miami's true home opener Saturday will be a whiteout for RedHawk fans. UC already sold out its ticket allotment for the game and Bearcat fans, who have been told to wear black, have thus begun buying up Miami's tickets. For RedHawk fans to minimize the effect of this impending black hole, they must show up loud, in large numbers and wearing white.