One of the nation’s longest college football rivalries, dating back to 1888, will have its first meeting in a soccer stadium.
As first reported by The Enquirer in February, the “Battle for the Victory Bell” between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Miami RedHawks will take place at TQL Stadium, home of FC Cincinnati.
FC Cincinnati’s Jeff Berding, co-CEO of the club, joined with UC head coach Scott Satterfield and Miami University head coach Chuck Martin to make the official announcement June 16 at the pitch off Central Parkway.
1st football game at TQL Stadium, but maybe not the last
“TQL Stadium was designed to host world-class events, and we’re proud to have this historic moment to that legacy,” Berding said.
Season ticket members at each school, plus FC Cincinnati season ticket holders, will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets for the 129th meeting between UC and Miami before the public on-sale date, which is set for June 22.
UC is the home team, with FC Cincinnati ticket holders set to get an email about the game.
Berding said the venue is looking at bowl opportunities, college football games and possible Ohio High School Athletic Association playoff games.
“We think this is the first of more to come,” he said. “You want your first one to be a big deal. It doesn’t get any bigger than the Battle of the Victory Bell.”
Recent history of UC vs. Miami Victory Bell games
The teams last played Sept. 14, 2024, in Oxford with UC winning back the Victory Bell 27-16 behind 126 yards from Corey Kiner, a pair of lengthy field goals from Nathan Hawks and a successful receiving day from tight end Joe Royer.
The year before, the RedHawks stopped a 16-game losing streak in the series with a 31-24 overtime win at Nippert Stadium. UC’s Carter Brown had a game-winning field goal blocked by Yahsyn McKee, who in overtime, also picked off Emory Jones Jr. in the end zone to preserve Miami’s victory.
Not long after, Miami canceled return trips to Nippert Stadium in 2025 and 2028, with UC following suit for games at Yager Stadium in 2027 and 2029.
This year’s game was originally scheduled for Paycor Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals, where the two teams last played in 2022. That game drew 30,109 fans. When the Bearcats briefly played home games downtown while Nippert was under construction, it took a far bigger crowd than that for UC to break even using the NFL field.
“I think it’s clear we’ll sell the game out,” Berding said. “The environment in a sold-out stadium is different than when you’re playing in a super-large stadium that’s not quite sold out. It’ll be much more electric. The players are going to feel the crowd, feel the energy.”
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield on TQL Stadium
“It’s going to be an intimate environment where there’s going to be a demand for the tickets,” Satterfield said. “We want to be in an environment where it is like that, people everywhere, they’re all on top of you. That’s the environment you want to play in. It’s going to bring the energy.”
He added the video boards should be a plus, and though the end zones may look tighter, there may be more width to the field.
Satterfield wasn’t a fan of the grass at Iowa State in 2024 in the Big 12 but has delivered the game ball at an FC Cincinnati game and is a fan of its lawn.
“Having just walked out and taken a look, this is unbelievable right here,” he said. “You want to take your pitching wedge out here. It’ll be a great surface for our guys to play on.”
Miami RedHawks coach Chuck Martin on TQL Stadium
Martin’s travels have had his teams playing in many venues. He mentioned the West Michigan Whitecaps stadium where Grand Valley State once played. Miami has also played in a soccer venue in the Frisco Bowl in Texas, as well as the Bahamas Bowl. When he was at Notre Dame, he played in a huge soccer venue in Dublin. The RedHawks have also played a bowl game at Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays’ domed baseball stadium.
“Soccer fans came to the football game and they were doing all the soccer chants. It was non-stop echoing,” Martin said. “I’ve got some soccer fans on the team that are really jacked up because they’ve been to FC Cincinnati games. All my other guys don’t even know how awesome it’s going to be.”
What about TQL Stadium grass wear and tear?
“Our stadium GM Bill Wiswesser was heavily involved,” Berding said. “Sometime after this game, we’ll play a home soccer game. We’ve been to DC United and played them days after they had a UFL game and the field’s fine. I think we have a high-level of confidence that we’ll have a great football game and be able to turn it back to soccer in short order.”
Comparing capacity for UC vs. Miami at Nippert, Yager, TQL
Paycor Stadium’s capacity is 65,515, and it would take a crowd bigger than Nippert’s capacity (38,088) for either squad to likely make money. The last Victory Bell game played at Nippert in 2023 drew 38,193. With standing room, Nippert Stadium can accommodate 40,000 fans.
Yager Stadium’s capacity is 24,286. The 2024 game, factoring in standing room, drew 24,717.
TQL’s listed capacity is approximately 26,000, so the game potentially would be slightly bigger than what UC may see in a road game in Oxford.
Will there be another Victory Bell game after this between UC, Miami?
The overall series is 61-60-7 in favor of the Bearcats. In announcing the Cincinnati Bearcats’ schedule last season, which bypassed the RedHawks, UC AD John Cunningham said:
“I am optimistic, based on some preliminary conversations, that we will continue to play into the future and look forward to working with the UC administration to make that happen.”
FC Cincinnati announced plans to upgrade the stadium for other events like football, rugby and concerts this past April.
Tuesday, June 16, Satterfield left the door open for the rivalry to continue, assuming the TQL experiment works.
“We all know it’s one of the longest rivalry games in the country,” he said. “We’ll see what happens in the future. If this is a hit this season and everything runs smoothly and you get a great crowd and great game, the higher-ups may decide this is something they want to continue in the future.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC Bearcats, Miami RedHawks Victory Bell game to be at TQL Stadium
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
