Per GoBearcats:
University of Cincinnati football head coach Luke Fickell was named a finalist for the 2020 Dodd Trophy Tuesday, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl announced.
Fickell joins Tom Allen (Indiana), Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) and former UC coach Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) as finalists.
It’s the second finalist honor of the week for UC’s fourth-year head coach who was the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the second time and also tabbed a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award on Monday.
The Bearcats (9-0) won the AAC Championship, their first outright league crown since 2009. UC was No. 8 in the final College Football Playoff rankings and will play in its first New Year’s Six game and its first New Year’s Day bowl since the 2009 season when the Bearcats battle No. 9 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
UC and Clemson are the only teams in the CFP top eight to rank among the NCAA FBS’ Top-20 teams in scoring and total offense and scoring and total defense.
The Bearcats boast one of the nation’s top defenses which ranks in the top 15 in five categories, including second in team interceptions (15) and seventh in scoring defense, giving up only 16 points per game.
UC’s offense led the American in rushing offense (225.0) and fewest sacks allowed (11.0) while ranking second in scoring offense (39.3) and third in total offense (467.2). QBDesmond Ridder (Louisville, Kentucky/St. Xavier) was the American’s Offensive Player of the Year and is a finalist for the Manning Award.
No. 8 UC (9-0) and No. 9 Georgia (7-2) will meet on Jan. 1, 2021 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is scheduled at noon ET and the game will air on ESPN and 700 WLW AM. UC will make its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff’s New Year’s Six and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
ABOUT THE DODD TROPHY
The Dodd Trophy was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd’s teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football’s legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.
