The eighth meeting between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Kansas State Wildcats will take place Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at Nippert Stadium.
The Bearcats lead the overall series 4-3, but haven't had a win since 1966.
Kansas State won the lone Big 12 matchup of the series in 2024 with current quarterback Avery Johnson, 41-15 in Manhattan, Kansas. In their last visit to Nippert, 31 years ago, the No. 22 Wildcats spoiled an upset bid by Rick Minter's Bearcats with a last-second touchdown pass.
Both teams are 3-0 and loaded with transfers, as UC has 22 and Kansas State 27. Also 3-0 among Big 12 teams are No. 9 BYU, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 15 Utah, along with West Virginia. No. 25 Houston is 2-1. The Bearcats have all of the currently ranked teams on their
schedule, while Kansas State only hosts Houston Oct. 10.
A 4-0 start would be the first in Scott Satterfield's career and might be necessary for the Bearcats to reach bowl eligibility. Brian Kelly (2), Butch Jones and Luke Fickell (3) most recently had 4-0 starts and bowl appearances.
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3 bold predictions for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Kansas State Wildcats
1. UC Bearcats win, but neither team scores 30 points
UC averages roughly 44 points per game and is giving up 19. Kansas State averages 45 and is giving up 10. I expect it to be fairly close, but given how treacherous UC's schedule is from here, they must exit the field 4-0. With eight to play, it's not the end of the world if they don't, but the Big 12 is full of traps and underrated teams.
Neither team has been on the road yet, but UC did have to leave their stadium for the Miami win. Defensive coordinator Nate Woody has been successful with second-half adjustments and did the same to Kansas State last year when he was with the Army Black Knights.
Given the scare last weekend at TQL Stadium, I expect the offensive and defensive lines to play better, but they'll have tough matchups across from them all game. UC is 40-16 in night games since 2006.
"Every week it's a new opportunity, so we always strive to get better as a team," defensive lineman Marquaze Parker said.
On the other side, center Taran Tyo knows the offensive line will have to be more effective than they were last weekend in the win over Miami University.
"I think we have a great scheme," Tyo said. "We have a lot to fix after last week: three sacks, three tackles for losses; there's a lot to fix. We're nowhere near a complete product, but hopefully this week we can get a lot better and get those things corrected so we can go out and play fast."
2. It may take time, but UC Bearcats get 200 yards on ground
Kansas State's defense has given up 92 yards to Nicholls, 101 to Washington State and 95 to Tulane. The Bearcats were held to a season-low 137 rushing yards against Miami, which stuffed the box. The Bearcats dropped from No. 4 to No. 8 in rushing yards, but still are averaging 269.7 yards.
Gi'Bran Payne had back-to-back 100-yard-plus games in the first two weeks, but it was Cole Tabb grabbing the spotlight vs. the RedHawks and leading the way with 78 yards. Either one is a good option with Tabb averaging 11 yards per carry and Payne 6.9. Zylan Perry is at 8.1 per carry and quarterback JC French is at 143 yards, on pace for a career-high.
Tabb's yards per carry put him at No. 3 in the nation.
For perspective, Kansas State's Johnson ran for 152 yards alone vs. Tulane and is at 253 for the season with a 10.5 per-carry average.
"Coach has been harping on how electric he is," Parker said. "We see it on film. He's a great athlete. It's our job to do what we're supposed to do and contain. He's going to get his regardless. We just have to execute the game plan that Coach has for us."
3. Bearcats will have interception, sack vs. Kansas State
Against Miami University, Kenny Worthy picked off RedHawks quarterback David McComb to give the redshirt freshman his first interception of the season. Kansas State's Johnson has only had two passes pilfered, both coming against Washington State.
Turnovers will be crucial, as is stopping Johnson.
The senior quarterback has not yet been sacked and is the fastest quarterback UC's seen thus far. The Bearcats put McComb down three times in the fourth quarter at TQL Stadium. Johnson could be a slippery customer.
"He has the speed," Satterfield said. "We have to do a really good job to contain the perimeter runs. They hurt us with that in '24 and he's still doing that."
What Kansas State coach Collin Klein says of Cincinnati Bearcats
On UC's offense: "Their offensive line is very big, very talented, and athletic. I think their quarterback is extremely competitive and made plays for them last week when the game was in jeopardy and did some really nice things there. I think their running backs are hard to tackle, so we have a big challenge defensively."
On UC's defense: "New defensive coordinator (Nate Woody), new defensive scheme. He's brought in a lot of new players to fit his scheme and do what he wants to do."
Predictions for Cincinnati Bearcats, Kansas State Wildcats
Arizona Republic – Kansas State 28-24
Topeka Capital-Journal– Kansas State 30-24
Heartland Sports – Kansas State 31-21
Enquirer prediction for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Kansas State Wildcats
In my preseason picks, I took the Bearcats 28-21, based mainly on the sense of urgency they should have to finish four games in Cincinnati 4-0. Of the next eight, four of those teams are currently in the Top 25 and UC might not be favored in any game until November dates with Colorado and at Iowa State. Keep in mind, they haven't had a November win since 2023 in Houston. If ever there was a moment for "Nipp at Night" to come alive, it would be this game if you were looking at the big picture. We'll run with the same score: Cincinnati 28, Kansas State 21.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A Bearcats win and other bold predictions for UC vs. Kansas State
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