Colorado and Cincinnati both look to continue their momentum and become bowl eligible Saturday night as they continue their back-to-back seasons in Boulder, Colo.
The Bearcats (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) are on a two-game winning streak and knocked off Arizona State 24-14 at home last week. They missed the bowl game last season with a 3-9 record and went 1-8 in their first Big 12 campaign.
Back in the Big 12 for the first time since 2011, the Buffaloes (5-2, 3-1) won 34-7 at Arizona last week and have already surpassed their win total from last season’s 4-8 campaign. With a win, Colorado will become bowl eligible for only the third time since 2007.
Cincinnati is also strong behind quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has 1,928 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, a team-high six rushing touchdowns and four interceptions.
Corey Kiner leads the Bearcats with 628 rushing yards. Xzavier Henderson has 541 receiving yards and four touchdown catches. Jared Bartlett has 4.5 sacks and two passes defensed.
“I like the way (Cincinnati) is attacking,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “They come to the ball and I like what they are doing this season. We can’t make mistakes or start slow. We have to go get them.”
The Bearcats and Buffaloes are tied with Kansas State and Texas Tech for the Big 12’s lone loss.
“There’s a lot riding on the line,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “Both of us are sitting right there at the top of the conference and there is a lot at stake.”
Last week, the Colorado defense recorded seven sacks of Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita and held Arizona to a season low in points. Colorado has 16 sacks in its past three games and leads the Big 12 with 21.
Shedeur Sanders is fifth in the nation with 2,268 passing yards and is tied for second with 27.68 completions per game. Big is tied for fifth in the country with 19 touchdown passes compared to six.
Two-way star Travis Hunter leads Colorado with 604 receiving yards and six receptions. LaJohntay Wester has 445 receiving yards and a team-high seven TD catches.
“(Colorado) has an amazing passing game,” Satterfield said. “It’s hard to defend, it’s hard to stop and it’s hard to slow down.”
–Field Level Media
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