West Virginia enters the month of November against their Big 12 geographic rival, Cincinnati, hitting the road to face the Bearcats on Saturday.
Cincinnati is 5-3 on the season, 3-2 in Big 12 play. Like WVU, they are coming off a bye week, but prior to that, they lost on the road to Colorado.
Head Coach
Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield is in his second season with the Bearcats. He is 8-12 to start his tenure at UC.
Before Cincinnati, Satterfield coached at both Louisville and Appalachian State. Satterfield is 0-1 all-time against WVU, with the only meeting coming last season. He is 2-2 all-time against Neal Brown.
WVU leads the series 17-3-1, with the last meeting coming on Nov. 18, 2023, with the Mountaineers winning 42-21 in Morgantown.
Offense
The Cincinnati offense has had quite the turnaround from last season, sparked mostly by their improved play at quarterback.
Brendan Sorsby leads the charge under center, as he's completed 65.7 percent of his passes, tossing 15 touchdowns and throwing only four interceptions, which is tied for the fewest in the Big 12. He can also use his legs, rushing for 144 yards and six scores.
At running back, UC deploys two backs who get the majority of the workload. Corey Kiner has 123 carries for 692 yards and two scores. He also has 11 catches for just over 70 yards as well. Helping him out is Evan Pryor, who has 332 yards and five touchdown rushes on 36 carries.
There are multiple weapons on the outside for Sorsby to go to, as Cincinnati has six players with at least 100 yards receiving this year.
At the top of that list is Xzavier Henderson, who has 43 catches for 552 yards and has scored four times this season. At tight end is Joe Royer, who has 36 catches for 437 yards and three touchdowns. Then another wide receiver is Tony Johnson, who has four touchdowns and almost 300 yards on 28 grabs this year.
Cincinnati has not had trouble moving the ball this season, but scoring has come at somewhat of a premium.
They rank third in the Big 12 in yards per game but rank 12th in scoring offense. In addition, they are third in offensive efficiency. During Big 12 play, however, UC's yardage per game totals have dropped almost 40 yards, as they are 11th in the Big 12 in total yards during conference games, averaging 401 total yards per game against Big 12 opponents.
Defense
Defensively, Cincinnati has been fueled by a former Mountaineer who has played well for the Bearcats.
Jared Bartlett, who played 50 games in a West Virginia uniform, has 42.0 total tackles, 8.0 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks. Bartlett leads the Bearcats in both TFLs as well as sacks.
Another linebacker to look out for is Jake Golday, who has 45.0 total tackles, 6.0 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble.
On the back end is Josh Minkins, who committed to WVU out of the transfer portal before decommitting and ending up at Cincinnati. He has two interceptions this season, as well as 32.0 total tackles and three pass breakups.
A guy who has made noise up front for the Bearcats is Eric Phillips, who has 13.0 total tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and 4.0 sacks, as well as a forced fumble this season.
Cincinnati is somewhat similar on defense to what they are on offense — teams move the ball, but scoring isn't easy.
UC ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring defense, holding opponents to 21.1 points per game. However, they rank 14th overall in total defense, surrendering 403 yards per game. During Big 12 play, though, UC has been able to improve that mark, holding opponents to about 380 total yards.
Their rush defense has been where they've been taken advantage of the most, as their 3-3-5 structure allows for a lighter box down low. They rank 12th in the league in rush defense, and during Big 12 play, teams are running for roughly 180 yards per game.
On third down, Cincinnati is allowing opponents to convert on about 41 percent of their tries, but on fourth down, they have been stout, holding teams to a 31.3 percent conversion rate on fourth down.
Special Teams
Nathan Hawks is the kicker for Cincinnati, and he's had success from long distance this season.
He is 3 for 4 on kicks from beyond 50 yards, with his long being from 55 yards. On the season, he is 10 for 14, with two misses coming from between 40-49 yards. He is 5 for 6 on kicks between 20-39 yards this season.
Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday from Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati.
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