By Cord Rankin
UC WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE PREVIEW TEXAS TECH
UC GAME NOTES
https://gobearcats.com/documents/2024/9/23/Game_5_vs._Texas_Tech_.pdf
CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati football team hits the road for its first Big 12 game away from home this season on Saturday when it faces Texas Tech in Lubbock. Kickoff from Jones AT&T Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Bearcats and Red Raiders enter the game with identical 3-1 overall records and 1-0 marks in conference play. UC is coming off a 34-0 shutout victory against Houston last Saturday, its first shutout since 2018. Despite temperatures reaching into the mid-90’s during the game, Cincinnati posted its first sellout of the season.
“I want to thank our fans because that was an awesome atmosphere again on Saturday,” head coach Scott Satterfield said. “I know it was a hot day and I felt it for sure on the sideline. I looked up in the stands and everybody’s in black and cheering their tails off and it was awesome.
“Our guys played a complete game,” Satterfield continued. “I thought from offense to defense and kicking, we really did a nice job with it defensively to get a shutout. It is very tough to do that, especially nowadays in college football, to shut a team out with the way these offenses are and with the great skill players that teams have. We created three turnovers and that was huge defensively as well. Offensively, we were very efficient again and Brendan [Sorsby] was very efficient as a passer, and we took care of the football. I thought that was huge as well and our special teams were solid.”
Sorsby had another outstanding game, completing 12-of-15 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to wide receiver Xzavier Henderson.
The Denton, Texas native has now completed 77 of 118 attempts (65%) for 1,055 yards and 8 TDS with 0 interceptions this season. He has thrown the most passes (118) without an interception among FBS quarterbacks in 2024 and he has gone 130 pass attempts without an interception dating back to last season. His 95.5 Week 4 QBR ranks No. 1 in Big 12, No. 4 in the Power 4 and No. 9 in the FBS.
“He’s unique in the fact that he can throw the football with such a quick release, and he’s accurate and he can run,” Satterfield said of his starting quarterback. “I think he’s a special player. He is still young and learning. He’s continuing to grow as a player, and I think we still haven’t seen his best ball.”
Sorsby’s overall 79.0 QBR ranks second in the Big 12 and 19th in the FBS ahead of players like Dillon Gabriel, Jalen Milroe, Nico Iameleava. His 794 passing yards in the first half are the third-most in the nation. He is 55 of 78 (70.5%) with seven touchdowns in the first half.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
The game will be televised on ESPN2 and feature Brian Custer (pxp), Rod Gilmore (analyst) and Lauren Sisler (sideline) on the call. The game will be broadcast on radio via 700 WLW and SiriusXM Channel 382 with Mo Egger (pxp), Jim Kelly (analyst) and Tony Pike (sideline) on the call.
TWO OF BIG 12’S TOP OFFENSES FACE OFF IN TEXAS
- Texas Tech enters Saturday’s game at 3-1 after beating Arizona State 30-22 in Lubbock behind two touchdown passes from QB Behren Morton and 117 rushing yards on 27 carries from workhorse RB Tahj Brooks.
- The Red Raiders (487.5) and the Bearcats (467.5) rank 2-3 in the Big 12 in total offense.
- The matchup will feature two of the league’s most prolific quarterback and running backs.
- Morton is averaging 293.8 pass ypg with a conference-best 12 TDs and two INTs, while UC’s Sorsby is averaging 263.8 ypg with eight TDs and zero INTs. Morton (one) and Sorsby (two) combine for 3 of the Top 5 QBR games in the Big 12 this season.
- Brooks ranks fourth nationally among active running backs with 3,431 career rushing yards and fifth with 30 rushing TDs. Brooks is second in the league in rushing (126.3) in 2024. UC running back Corey Kiner joined Brooks as a 1,000-yard rusher last year (1,047 yards). He ranks seventh in the conference with 101.00 yards per game in 2024.
GREG COOK, JIM O’BRIEN LEAD UC TO TIE AT TEXAS TECH IN 1968 OPENER
- Cincinnati and Texas Tech opened the 1968 season with a 10-10 tie in front 35,258 at Jones Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders scored a TD on their opening possession on a two-yard run by QB Joe Matulich. Future NFL kicker and star wide receiver Jim O’Brien tied the UC record with a 47-yard field goal. Texas Tech led 10-3 at halftime after a FG of its own.
- Cincinnati tied the game 10-10 when QB Greg Cook tossed a 53-yard touchdown to O’Brien.
- Cook finished 22-of-40 for 261 yards with O’Brien catching five balls for 116 yards.
- Behind Cook, who passed for 3,272 yards and led the nation in total offense en route to All-America honors, Cincinnati finished 5-4-1 in 1968. He was the fifth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1969 draft and earned AFL Rookie of Year honors.
- O’Brien, a receiver and kicker, led the nation in scoring with 142 points – a mark that remains a UC single-season record. He kicked the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl V. Texas Tech finished 5-3-2.
BEARCATS BUILDING A RESUME
- Cincinnati ranks ninth in the country in the ESPN CFB Power Index metric, “Game Control,” which is defined as: “Reflects chance that an average Top 25 team would control games from start to end the way this team did, given the schedule.”
- Led by S Jiquan Sanks (four starts), 10 true freshmen have played a total of 336 snaps on offense or defense, which is already more than the 2021, 22 and 23 seasons combined (260). Sanks and classmate LB Simeon Coleman both have 13 tackles.
- TE Joe Royer (Ohio State transfer) leads all Big 12 tight ends in receptions (12), and is second in yards (206) and TDs (2).
- P Mason Fletcher leads the Big 12 in punting average (46.8). The single-season UC record is 46.9 by Kevin Huber in 2007.
- DT Dontay Corleone, a 2022 All-American, returned to the starting lineup Week 2 after blood clots were discovered this summer.
- Corleone (2022), Fletcher (2022) and RG Luke Kandra (2023) are all AP Third Team All-Americans.
- RB Corey Kiner has two 100-yard games in 2024 and nine career 100-yard games. UC is 3-1 when he has 20+ carries.
- Gavin Gerhardt is PFF’s highest-rated C in the Big 12 (77.2) and Luke Kandra is the league’s top-rated right guard (79.8).
- Derrick Canteen (84.8) and Josh Minkins (81.3) rank 1-2 among Big 12 safeties in PFF grades.
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