TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati football team will look to keep rolling this Saturday against UCF at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon on FS1.
The Bearcats, who have won four straight games and received votes in this week’s AP and coaches polls, are coming off a 38-30 win vs. No. 14/12 Iowa State. The biggest win since joining the Big 12 Conference was witnessed by a sold-out crowd in a striped-out stadium, providing head coach Scott Satterfield and his squad with an unforgettable backdrop.
“I really appreciate the crowd that we had today with the striping out of the red and black all across the whole stadium,” Satterfield said. “It was a great environment for college football.”
The defense stood tall several times on Saturday, stopping the Cyclones on fourth down three separate times. Linebacker Jake Golday’s stop on 4th-and-1 with less than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter set the stage for and 82-yard touchdown pass from Brendan Sorsby to Caleb Goodie that sealed the game.
The offense, led by star quarterback Brendan Sorsby, once again was outstanding. Cincinnati rushed for a season-high 260 yards against ISU, its 17th game with 200-plus yards under Satterfield. Sorsby finished with 278 yards of total offense (214 passing, 64 rushing), registering a 20-yard rushing score and a 12-yard touchdown pass in the first half as UC jumped out to a 31-7 lead.
While Cincinnati has been able to generate big plays this season, another thing it has been able to hang its hat on is its play in the red zone. The Bearcats are 21-for-21 in the red zone this year, scoring 17 touchdowns and converting four field goals. They’re one of nine teams in the country to be perfect in the red zone.
“I think we've been really good this year in the red zone,” Satterfield said. “We've been good as far as converting those opportunities into touchdowns. You want to score those seven points and to give yourself a chance to win. Our coaches come up with a good plan, and our kids have been executing. Those game plans in the red zone is huge to be able to get those seven points.”
UCF is coming off a 27-20 loss to Kansas in which it held Jayhawks QB Jalon Daniels to zero touchdowns, but failed to score themselves in the second half. The Knights are allowing only 305 yards per game (No. 5 in Big 12) and former Bearcat Myles Montgomery leads UCF in rushing (75.6 ypg, fifth in Big 12). UCF has not allowed a point in the first quarter this season.
The all-time series between between the Bearcats and Knights is tied at 5-5. Five of the last six meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
The game will be broadcast on FS1 and Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst) will have the call. The game will be broadcast on radio via 700 WLW and SiriusXM Channel 139 or 198 with Dan Hoard (pxp), Jim Kelly (analyst) and Tony Pike (sideline) on the call.
LED BY SORSBY, GOLDAY, CINCINNATI LOOKS TO CONTINUE WIN STREAK
- The Cincinnati football team, on the brink of the Top 25 - receiving the 26th most votes in this week’s AP poll, will look to extend its win streak to five games when it welcomes UCF on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET inside Historic Nippert Stadium.
- Following a 38-30 victory over No. 14/12 Iowa State, the Bearcats improved to 2-0 in the Big 12.
- The Knights bring a 3-2 overall record and 0-2 mark in the league following losses to Kansas and Kansas State.
- Led by the nation’s top-rated QB, according to Pro Football Focus, Brendan Sorsby, and buoyed by the return of All-America DT Dontay “The Godfather” Corleone, the Bearcats jumped out to a 31-7 lead and tallied 342 yards of offense in the first half against the Cyclones before using timely defensive stops and an 82-yard 4Q TD pass from Sorsby to Caleb Goodie to secure the victory.
- The win marked the highest ranked opponent to lose inside Nippert Stadium since No. 7 Rutgers fell 30-11 on Nov. 18, 2006.
- The Knights are led by head coach Scott Frost, who guided UCF to a 13-0 record in 2017 before taking the Nebraska job.
- UCF is coming off a 27-20 loss to Kansas in which it held Jayhawks QB Jalon Daniels to zero touchdowns, but failed to score themselves in the second half. The Knights are allowing only 305 yards per game (No. 5 in Big 12) and former Bearcat Myles Montgomery leads UCF in rushing (75.6 ypg, fifth in Big 12). UCF has not allowed a point in the first quarter this season.
SORSBY IS PFF’S HIGHEST-RATED QUARTERBACK THIS SEASON
- Sorsby, a Denton, Texas native, remains the nation’s highest-rated quarterback per Pro Football Focus (91.1).
- He has 17 total TDs (12 passing, five rushing) against just one turnover - on the final play of the Nebraska game in the opener.
- He is a two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and ranks fifth nationally and No. 1 in the Big 12 in Total QBR (87.6).
- This season, he has a five-touchdown first quarter vs. Northwestern State, a game-winning come-from-behind TD drive on the road at Kansas, the nation’s highest single-game QBR this year (99.8, NW ST), two 300-yard games and four three-total-TD games.
- Over the last four games, Sorsby has been red-hot, completing 74 of 107 passes (69%) for 1,188 yards and 12 TD with zero picks. He has rushed for 195 yards on 31 carries (6.3 ypc) with three scores on the ground.
- At home in 2025: Sorsby has completed 45 of 64 passes for 800 yards and 10 TDs with no turnovers. He has added 143 yards on 18 carries (7.9 ypc) with three TDs on the ground, as well.
- Over nine games at Nippert Stadium in his career: Sorsby has completed 170 of 249 passes for 2,314 yards and 18 TDs with three INTs in 2024 and 2025. He has rushed for 319 yards and 10 touchdowns at Nippert Stadium.
NIPPERT STADIUM: OUR HISTORIC HOME
- UC has played at the same site since 1901, making Carson Field the second-oldest playing site in the nation for college football - behind only Penn’s Franklin Field. Arch Carson, as team captain, helped start football at UC in 1885 and in 1901 as physical director at UC, he led the construction of the field. In 1915, brick and concrete structure replaced wooden stands.
- On Nov. 8, 1924, the completed stadium was dedicated as James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium with a capacity of 12,000.
- The stadium was named in honor of team captain Jimmy Nippert who died a month after sustaining a spike wound injury during the season-ending clash with Miami (Ohio). His grandfather, James N. Gamble of Procter and Gamble funded the completion.
- Today, Nippert Stadium holds just over 38,000 seats, features more than 1,000 club-level seats and over 50 suites, and sits as a bowl below the surface at the center of campus. The “Wrigley Field of college football” provides a unique homefield advantage.
- Since the start of 2015, Cincinnati is 48-19 (72%) at Nippert Stadium and 92-31 (75%) since 2000.
- The Bearcats boast an all-time record of 363-200-13 (.641) at Nippert Stadium since its dedication on Nov. 8, 1924.
- Cincinnati, which started playing football in 1885, is in its 138th season and owns an all-time record of 671-616-50 (.521).
GOLDAY LEADS DEFENSE, HAVING ALL-AMERICA CALIBER SEASON
- LB Jake Golday has been playing at an All-America level this season. He collected his second Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor following his 13-tackle, one FF, one PBU, one TFL performance in the win over Iowa State.
- The Central Arkansas transfer leads the Big 12 and ranks 13th nationally with 9.8 tackles per game.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Led by four-year starter and three-year captain center Gavin Gerhardt, the Bearcats have allowed just one sack (T-1st nationally). The offensive line was named the Big 12 O-Line of the Week for a third time following the ISU victory.
- UC brought in 39 new scholarship players in 2025, including 21 transfers.
- Cincinnati ranks No. 2 in the country in yards per play (8.05) and yards per rush (6.58).
- K Stephen Rusnak has made 18 straight FGs and is 7 for 7 in 2025 after making all 11 of his tries at Charlotte in 2024. He is the only kicker in the country to be perfect in 2024 and 2025. He was named Big 12 Special Teams POTW after the KU win.
- Sorsby, Corleone, Gerhardt and seventh-year CB Logan Wilson are Cincinnati’s captains this season. Corleone and Gerhardt are the just the third and fourth players to be named three-time team captains in school history.
- The Bearcats rank second in the Big 12 in scoring (39.2) and third in total offense (478.4).
- RB Evan Pryor ranks fourth in the country in yards per carry average (9.1). He is second in the Big 12 behind only UCF’s Jalen Dixon (12.1). He had two TDs versus Iowa State. Pryor has five TDs of 30+ yards in his two-year career with the Bearcats.
- RB Tawee Walker is the Big 12’s third-highest graded RB per PFF (78.4)
- Evan Tengesdahl (74.2) and Taran Tyo (70.2) both rank among the top six best guards in the league per PFF.
- S Antwan Peek Jr. (90.4) is the nation’s third-highest rated safety. Golday is third-best in Big 12 (81.9).