By Bane Rossi
The Bearcats will look to win their fourth straight against the Cougars
CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati football team heads to Houston this Saturday for a 6 p.m. CT matchup at TDECU Stadium looking to snap its seven-game losing streak and get back on the winning track over the final three weeks of the fall season.
The Bearcats were knocked out of bowl contention in last weekend’s 28-26 loss to UCF at Nippert Stadium, but they aren’t throwing in the towel. Far from it.
Cincinnati ranks sixth in the country in rushing (225.4), 22nd in total offense (452.3), but bad luck, fluke plays and a negative-6 turnover margin has kept UC out of the win column since a 27-21 victory at Pitt on Sept. 9.
Head coach Scott Satterfield said the team held a heated team meeting this past Sunday in an effort to fix the problems that have plagued Cincinnati during the last two months.
“The key, as coaches, we have to do the best job we can to get everybody pulling in the same direction, doing the things that it takes to win and to play disciplined football,” Satterfield said. “When you don’t, there are consequences. You’re going to get called out, you’re going to get coached hard. That’s what it was a lot of the time.
“I thought Sunday night the team practiced hard and I think (Tuesday), those guys will be coming out and competing hard.”
The Bearcats will the carry the fight to the Cougars – a team UC has faced off against in four different conferences.
Houston joined Cincinnati, UCF and BYU as newcomers to the Big 12 this summer. The Cougars and Bearcats are peers in the same conference for the fourth time in history. The schools were also members of the Missouri Valley Conference (1957-1959), Conference USA (1996-2004), the American Athletic Conference (2013-2022).
Houston and Cincinnati famously last played in the 2021 AAC Championship at Nippert Stadium with the Bearcats rolling past the Cougars, 35-20, behind 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Jerome Ford in a win that propelled UC to the College Football Playoff Semifinals.
Less than two years later, both teams are looking to finish the season strong after facing adversity in their first year together in a Power 5 conference.
“At the end of the season, we want guys to play their best games,” Satterfield said. “Let’s go out and do the very best we can and send these seniors out on a high note. We have a lot to continue to play for and in general. We have not played great this year completing games so let’s try to do that. We have got enough guys in that room that have enough pride about themselves. They want to go out and do that.”
ON THE AIR
TV: FS1
Alex Faust (PxP), Petros Papadakis (Analyst)
Local: 700 WLW
Satellite: SiriusXM 380
App: IHeart Radio App and Varsity Network: “Search Cincinnati”
CINCINNATI HAS WON THREE STRAIGHT VERSUS HOUSTON
Cincinnati will travel to Houston on Saturday at 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CT local time) to face the Cougars in their homecoming game at TDECU Stadium. The Bearcats are looking to end a seven-game losing streak and pick up their first Big 12 Conference victory.
The Cougars enter the contest at 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12. Houston is coming off a 25-24 overtime win at Baylor last Saturday in which QB Donovan Smith accounted for 302 total yards and three TDs.
Houston is led by the 6-5, 241-pound Smith, who has passed for 18 TDs and rushed for another five scores, as well as defensive end Nelson Ceaser, who leads the Big 12 with eight sacks.
The Bearcats have won three straight in the series, including a 35-20 victory in the 2021 AAC Championship at Nippert Stadium. QB Desmond Ridder passed for three touchdowns and RB Jerome Ford rushed for 187 yards and two scores in the landmark program victory that propelled Cincinnati into the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinals and secured a second consecutive conference championship.
Current Bearcats who played in the last meeting with Houston include: RB Ryan Montgomery, P Mason Fletcher, DB Deshawn Pace (7 tackles, 1 TFL), DE Jowon Briggs (4 tackles, 1 sack) and DE Malik Vann (1 sack).
Cincinnati won 38-23 in its last trip to Houston on Oct. 12, 2019. Ridder accounted for four TDs and the Bearcats tallied four interceptions off the Cougars’ quarterbacks in the win.
Cincinnati and Houston joined BYU and UCF as the four new additions to the Big 12 on July 1, 2023. The move up to the Power 5 has proved to be challenging for all four schools as they bring a 5-19 combined record in conference play into this weekend’s games.
KINER, MONTGOMERY RUSH FOR 100, BUT UCF HANGS ON FOR 28-26 WIN
Running backs Ryan Montgomery and Corey Kiner both rushed for 100 yards, but UCF held on for a 28-26 victory on Saturday at Historic Nippert Stadium.
Trailing 28-20 with 2:41 remaining in the game, the Bearcats fought to the finish.
Quarterback Emory Jones connected with Braden Smith on a 37-yard pass that set up a six-yard rushing touchdown from Kiner to bring UC within two points, but the two-point conversion to tie the game failed.
Cincinnati outgained UCF, 515-393, but lost the turnover battle, 2-0, and committed eight penalties.
Montgomery finished with a career-best 113 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in his first real action after missing more than a month due to injury. Kiner totaled 114 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, constantly moving the chains for his fourth 100-yard game this season.
The performances on the ground marked the third time this season two different players rushed for 100 yards in the same game. The feat had never been accomplished three times in a season before in Cincinnati history.
BEARCATS RUSHING ATTACK AMONG NATION’S BEST
Cincinnati ranks second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally with 224.5 rush yards per game, up from 93rd last year at 129.7. UC has run for 200 or more yards in seven of nine contests, including 248 versus UCF, 288 against Baylor and 277 at Oklahoma State in its last three outings.
Four different Bearcats have rushed for 100 yards in a game this season: Corey Kiner (four times), Ryan Montgomery (twice), Myles Montgomery (once) and Emory Jones (once).
Kiner is seeking the 19th 1,000-yard rushing season in UC history. He has 756 rushing yards this season and needs to average 82 yards per game over the final three contests to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
FLETCHER PROVES TO BE AMONG NATION’S BEST
Cincinnati junior punter Mason Fletcher ranks second in the country in percentage of punts placed inside the 20. He has placed 53% of his punts (17 of 32) inside the 20, which is the best in the Power 5 and behind only Fresno State’s Carson King (54.5%).
In 2022, Fletcher was a Ray Guy Award finalist, collected AP Third Team All-America honors and was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year. In 2023, he is averaging 43.75 yards per punt without a touchback.
QUICK NOTES
All 11 offensive starters in the season opener were starting their first game ever for UC. C Gavin Gerhardt is the only returning offensive starter for the Bearcats. He did not start Game 1, but he has started the last seven contests.
The Cincinnati wide receiver room returned just one scholarship receiver in redshirt junior Chris Scott.
After the 2022 season, Cincinnati had 15 players enter the transfer portal and leave the program and another 17 either graduated or declared for the NFL Draft. The Bearcats brought in 23 college transfers for this fall.
Cincinnati is 661-605-50 (.521) all-time and is playing its 136th football season in 2023 (since 1885, one of 10 oldest in FBS).
Sixth-year senior defensive end Malik Vann rates as the Big 12’s No. 3 top edge (77.2) according to PFF. He has 10 tackles and 1.5 TFLs rotating with the first team defensive line this season.
The Cincinnati native (Fairfield HS) has played in 57 games and tallied 100 tackles, 23.5 TFLs and 10.5 sacks in his career.
