By Cord Rankin
GAME NOTES
https://gobearcats.com/documents/2024/9/3/Game_2_vs_Pitt.pdf
WATCH TUESDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE
CINCINNATI – Fresh off a 658-total-yard performance – the fifth-best in the FBS and the 10th best in Bearcats history – the Cincinnati football team will welcome Pitt on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET at Historic Nippert Stadium to wrap up a home-and-home series that restored the “River City Rivalry.”
Transfers quarterback Brendan Sorsby (383 passing yards), tight end Joe Royer (5 receptions, 89 yards), safety Josh Minkins (3 PBUs) and running back Evan Pryor (105 yards) led UC to a 38-20 win season-opening win over Towson last Saturday. Those four were part of 34 players making their UC debuts in the game as Cincinnati extended its home-opener wins streak to 23 games.
“This game is obviously something to build off of as we move forward to Pitt,” Head Coach Scott Satterfield said. “We’re excited about playing Pitt and hosting them here this weekend. This matchup has been a great rivalry game over the years. Coach Narduzzi is a guy who coached here and was a defensive coordinator for several years, so he knows a lot about the Bearcats. They are coming off a big win where they scored 55 points. They have a new-look offense with a transfer quarterback from Alabama who was 30 for 40 and had an efficient day. Their running back had a big day as well, he is a transfer from Western Carolina. Their defense is very similar with the Pat [Narduzzi] defense. The defense is flying around and putting pressure on the offense and causing havoc. We are looking forward to playing Pitt, and we can’t wait to get back in Nippert.”
Pitt is coming off a 55-24 win over Kent State in its opener. Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns in his collegiate debut after transferring from Alabama.
Holstein and Sorsby, who earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following his four-touchdown performance in Week 1, will take center stage in the Queen City.
Sorsby had 328 passing yards, two rushing touchdowns and touchdown passes of 42 yards to Xzavier Henderson and 61 yards to Sterling Berkhalter by halftime in his UC debut.
“I believe that we can continue to build on the playbook and add more things to it as long as he keeps making good decisions,” Satterfield said about his signal-caller. “This all comes down to decision-making and having a plan with the ball when it is snapped. It depends on what the defense gives us as well. Brendan [Sorsby] is still young as he is just a sophomore and doesn’t have a ton of experience. He is still learning things and what he is seeing out there. I like his poise, the way his vision was this past week, and how good his decision-making was. Hopefully, he will continue to build on that, and this week is a new challenge for him.”
Broadcast Information
The game will be televised on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott (pxp), Sam Acho (analyst) and Taylor Davis (sideline) on the call. Cincinnati’s Bearcats Sports Network will broadcast the game on the radio on 700 WLW and on Sirius XM Channels 137 and 200. Dan Hoard (pxp), Jim Kelly (analyst) and Tony Pike (sideline) are on the call with Mo Egger hosting the pregame show that begins at 11 a.m. ET.
Corleone Cleared for Games
Cincinnati football redshirt junior defensive tackle Dontay Corleone, a 2022 All-American and preseason All-Big 12 selection this fall, has been cleared to play in games by the Cincinnati Athletics sports medicine staff.
He was a full participant in practice for the first time this season on Tuesday. His playing status for Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh (12 p.m. ET) will be determined later in the week.
Corleone was treated for blood clots in his lungs in June.
Led by Senior Associate Athletic Director of Sports Medicine Aaron Himmler and team physician Dr. Jon Divine, Cincinnati sports medicine staff, Corleone and his family met with several physicians and specialists to develop a personal medical plan for the Cincinnati native to return to football activities safely.
“I’m excited to be back on the field with my brothers,” Corleone said. “I will continue to lead on and off the field. My family and I are very thankful for Aaron Himmler, Dr. Divine and the entire UC sports medicine staff. I also want to thank all of our fans for their love and support throughout this process. For the last few months, I have worked extremely hard to make a return. With the help of our strength and conditioning staff, especially (assistant director of sports performance) Brandon Garcia, who worked with me daily, I feel fully prepared to play this season.”
JOE ROYER MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT
- Starting at tight end in his first game as a Bearcat, redshirt junior Joe Royer proved to be one of Brendan Sorsby’s top targets. He hauled in five catches for 89 yards and was targeted six times in the win over Towson. Royer entered the game with four career receptions for 24 yards.
- Royer joined the program this past offseason as a transfer from Ohio State, and the Cincinnati native turned heads in his first fall camp as a Bearcat.
- Royer battled through injuries during his three seasons at Ohio State and was a member of the 2022 team that made it to the College Football Playoff.
JIQUAN SANKS IN RARE AIR
- Freshman Jiquan Sanks started on defense for UC in the season opener vs. Towson, totaling four tackles in his first-ever collegiate game.
- Sanks became the first true freshman position player to start the season opener for the Bearcats since DE Marquise Copeland accomplished the feat against Alabama A&M nine years ago (2015).
- Copeland, a Super Bowl Champion with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, was the first since DT Terrill Byrd and CB Mike Mickens made their first career starts in the 2005 season opener against Eastern Michigan.
AN ELITE PROGRAM BY THE NUMBERS
- Cincinnati, which started playing football in 1885, is in its 137th season and owns an all-time record of 663-608-50.
- 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the dedication of James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium. More information about the 100th anniversary can be found on page 11.
- Since the start of the 2015 season, the Bearcats are 43-16 at Nippert Stadium and did not lose a home game from 2018-21. Overall, UC is 87-28 when playing at Nippert since the start of the 2000 season.
- Cincinnati is 57-20 since the start of the 2018 season, which ranks ninth among FBS programs and is the best record among current Big 12 programs during that span.
- The Bearcats became the first-ever “Group of Five” team to advance to the College Football Playoff in 2021, defeating No. 9 Notre Dame on the road and finishing undefeated in the regular season along the way.
- Cincinnati (2021) was one of just 15 teams to make the College Football Playoff in the four-team era (2014-23) and one of just two current Big 12 teams (TCU, 2022) to make it. UC was the only non-Power Five program to ever earn a CFP berth in the four-team format.
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