Sport

Cincinnati Visits No. 17 Houston This Weekend

Bearcats will be facing their third consecutive ranked opponent on Saturday

Cincinnati Visits No. 17 Houston This WeekendCincinnati Visits No. 17 Houston This Weekend

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati football team will be facing a ranked opponent for the third straight weekend this Saturday when it heads to No. 17 Houston.

The Bearcats (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) and Cougars (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) will do battle at TDECU Stadium, with the game set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on FOX.

The all-time series between Cincinnati and Houston is tied at 15-15, with UC having won the last five meetings. The two programs were American Athletic Conference foes before joining the Big 12, and UC toppled Houston in the 2021 AAC Championship Game to help clinch its College Football Playoff berth.

Cincinnati is coming off two straight ranked home games against No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 6 Utah, going 1-1 against two formidable foes. The Bearcats have played the nation’s fifth-toughest schedule to date.

Saturday’s game will be another test as UC will look to stop the nation’s No. 7-ranked rushing attack as well as quarterback Conner Weigman, who ranks eighth nationally with 20 touchdown passes. The Cougars keep the ball moving on offense, as their third down conversion rate (60.0%) is the best in college football.

Cincinnati boasts its own star on offense in running back Cole Tabb. Tabb has put together an incredible campaign thus far, leading the nation in rushing yards per carry (9.52) while posting four 100-yard games. Tabb is averaging 140.1 yards per game over his last three contests and has four rushing touchdowns, helping the Bearcats average 6.91 yards per play.

Both teams rank among the Top 20 teams in the country in total offense, potentially setting up a fireworks-filled Saturday in Houston.

Cincinnati visits Iowa State on Saturday, Nov. 14 before returning home to host Colorado the following Saturday.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

The game will be broadcast on FOX with Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst) on the call with Josh Sims provided analysis on the sidelines. The game will be broadcast on radio via 700 WLW and SiriusXM Channel 177 or 237 with Mo Egger (pxp) and Chad Brendel (analyst) on the call.

DOWN THE DRIVE: C-PAW FIRST & 10

  1. Cincinnati and Houston meet for the third time in four seasons since both schools left the American Conference to join the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023, transitioning together alongside UCF. Entering this week, Houston holds a 24-21 overall record, Cincinnati stands at 20-25, and UCF holds a 19-26 record since becoming Big 12 members.
  2. With a win Saturday on the road over No. 17 Houston, it would give Cincinnati its second victory over a ranked opponent this season. This would mark the Bearcats’ first season with multiple wins over AP-ranked opponents since 2021 (No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 21 Houston). Cincinnati has achieved multiple (2 or more) AP Top 25 victories in a single season six times in program history (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2020, 2021).
  3. Cincinnati has scored touchdowns on 81.3% of its red zone drives this season, best in the Big 12 and third best in the FBS (Ole Miss 83.9%, Colorado State 82.8%).
  4. Cole Tabb has rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games. With a fourth Saturday, he would be the first Bearcat to do so since Michael Warren in 2018. Tabb’s 9.5 yards per carry average leads the NCAA and his 13 total touchdowns rank tied for seventh.
  5. Cincinnati is one of only 18 FBS programs (and one of just four in the Big 12) ranking in the top 35 nationally in both total offense (No. 18, 455.4 YPG) and scoring offense (No. 31, 34.1 PPG).
  6. Cincinnati ranks second in the Big 12 with 58 rushing plays of 10+ yards this season, trailing only Utah (59).
  7. Cincinnati ranks seventh nationally, averaging 229.4 rushing yards per game, which stands second in the Big 12.
  8. Cornerback Jacob Finley logged a 79-yard pick-six in the third quarter last week vs. Utah, Cincinnati’s first defensive touchdown of the season. It was the Bearcats’ first interception returned for a touchdown since Matthew McDoom returned an interception for a 100-yard touchdown last season at Oklahoma State. It is also the longest pick-six in the Big 12 this season.
  9. With one more win, Cincinnati will secure bowl eligibility for the second consecutive season under head coach Scott Satterfield. UC has earned a bowl bid in 13 of the last 18 seasons, a stretch that includes four New Year’s Six bowls and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021.
  10. Two weeks ago (Oct 24), Cincinnati sent shockwaves through the college football world, taking down No. 8 Texas Tech in convincing fashion, 37-24. The victory marked Cincinnati’s first home win over an AP Top 10 opponent since a 30-11 win over then-No. 7 Rutgers on Nov. 18, 2006. It is just the third top-10 victory at Nippert Stadium in program history, joining the 2006 win over Rutgers and a 17-12 victory over No. 9 Wisconsin on Sept. 18, 1999. Overall, the Bearcats have four wins against AP Top 10 opponents over the last 45 seasons.

COLE WORLD

  • Cole Tabb is the first player in Cincinnati history to rush for 100+ yards and a touchdown against an AP-ranked opponent in back-to-back games, following his 173-yard performance against No. 8 Texas Tech (Oct. 24) and 131-yard outing against No. 6 Utah (Oct. 31).
  • Averaging 9.5 yards per carry, Cole Tabb currently ranks fifth in FBS history (since 1956) for single-season rushing yards per attempt among players averaging at least 6.25 carries per team game (sports reference database). To qualify for the NCAA’s official 2026 leaderboard, Tabb needs to average 10 carries a game. 11 carries Saturday would qualify him.
  • Tabb ranks tied for seventh in the FBS (and tied for second in the Big 12 alongside Utah’s Wayshawn Parker) with 13 total touchdowns on the season. He trails only West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (16 TDs) for the conference lead.
  • Tabb rushed for a career-high 173 yards on 16 carries in the massive win over No. 8 Texas Tech two weeks ago.

RECORD WATCH

  • Cole Tabb’s 13 total touchdowns rank tied for ninth most in a single season in Cincinnati history. With his next touchdown, Tabb can tie Marcus Barnett (14 in 2007) for eighth place, while a two-touchdown performance would pull him even with Isaiah Pead (2011) and Ed Kovac (1959) for sixth all-time. Program record-holders Jerome Ford (2021) and Michael Warren II (2018) top the list with 20 total touchdowns.
  • Tabb leads Cincinnati in single-season rushing average among players with a minimum of 50 attempts, averaging 9.55 yards per carry (621 yards on 65 attempts). Tabb’s current pace tops the school record of 8.77 set by Dick Goist in 1953.
  • JC French’s 67.1% completion percentage (143-of-213) ranks as the second-highest single-season mark in Cincinnati history among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts, trailing only Brendon Kay’s record of 68.6% set in 2013. Among all passers with a minimum of 100 attempts, French ranks third in program history behind Zach Collaros (75.0% on 124 attempts in 2009) and Kay.

BALANCED OFFENSE

  • Cincinnati averages 6.91 yards per play overall this season, 10th in the FBS. Cincinnati also averages 8.57 yards per play on third down this season, fourth best in the FBS.
  • Cincinnati ranks third in the FBS averaging 6.0 yards per rush behind only Army (6.4) and Louisville (6.3).

SECOND HALF SUCCESS

  • Cincinnati has scored 167 points in the second half this season, fourth most in the FBS.
  • The Bearcats have scored 20+ second half points if six of eight games this season, highlighted by 28 second half points in the 21-point comeback over Miami (Ohio) in Week 3.

AGAINST RANKED FOES ON THE ROAD

  • The Bearcats’ last road win against an AP-ranked opponent came on October 2, 2021, when No. 7 Cincinnati defeated No. 9 Notre Dame 24–13.
  • The last time an unranked Cincinnati team defeated a ranked opponent on the road was November 8, 2008, when the Bearcats went into Morgantown and knocked off No. 20 West Virginia, 26-23, in overtime.
  • Cincinnati is 9-51 all-time on the road vs. ranked opponents.