UCF at Cincinnati
Where: Nippert Stadium
When: Saturday, Noon
TV: FS1
Weather: 63 degrees with 0% chance of precipitation
Latest line: Cincinnati by 11.5 points
Coaches: Scott Frost, 3rd season at UCF, 22-9 (38-40 overall); Scott Satterfield, 3rd season at Cincinnati, 12-17 (84-57 overall).
Quick slant: This is the 11th meeting between the two programs, both of which were previously members of the American Athletic Conference. The series is tied at 5 wins apiece with UCF having lost last year’s meeting, 19-13. … Frost is 2-0 against Cincinnati during his coaching career, including a 51-23 win over the Bearcats at Nippert Stadium on Oct. 7, 2017.
UCF’s new space game uniforms pay tribute to hypersonic travel
About UCF (3-2, 0-2 Big 12): After jumping out to a 14-0 lead, UCF’s offense went cold in the second half, allowing Kansas to mount a comeback and secure a 27-20 win at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium last week. It was the second consecutive loss for the Knights and the fifth straight loss to a Big 12 opponent. Running back Myles Montgomery scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and kicker Noe Ruelas connected on a pair of 38-yard field goals.
About Cincinnati (4-1, 2-0 Big 12): Quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another as the Bearcats scored 17 points in the first quarter before holding on for a 38-30 win over then-No. 14 Iowa State last week. Running back Evan Pryor rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns to power a rushing attack that amassed 260 yards. It was the first win by a Cincinnati team over a ranked team since 2021.
3 things to watch
1. Sorsby has been pressured 44 times, but has been sacked only once this season. It’s happened in the Bearcats’ 37-34 win over Kansas on Sept. 27. In their 38-30 win over then-No. 14 Iowa State last Saturday, Sorsby was only pressured twice. UCF only managed to pressure Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels 15 times in last Saturday’s 27-20 loss.
2. UCF had forced a turnover in each of its first four games, but failed to generate one against Kansas last week. The majority of those takeaways were interceptions (5), something that Sorsby hasn’t thrown a lot of this season (1). In fact, the redshirt junior hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 107 pass attempts.
3. UCF’s Myles Montgomery and Cincinnati’s Tawee Walker are among the best running backs in the Big 12 this season. Montgomery is fifth in the conference in rushing yards (378) and sixth in missed tackles forced (18), while Walker is ninth in rushing yards (313) and missed tackles forced (15).
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
