Colorado hosts Cincinnati in essential Big 12 contest

Colorado and Cincinnati both want to keep momentum going and become bowl eligible on Saturday night as they continue their bounce-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 a 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 would be bowl eligible for only the third time since 2007.

Cincinnati has rebounded 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 defended.

“I love the way (Cincinnati) attacks,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “They get to the ball and I love what they are accomplishing this season. We can’t make mistakes or start out slow. We’ve got to go get them.”

The Bearcats and Buffaloes are tied with Kansas State and Texas Tech with one Big 12 loss.

“There’s a lot riding on the line,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “We are both sitting right there near the top of the conference with 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 last three games and leads the Big 12 with 21.

Shedeur Sanders is fifth in the nation with 2,268 passing yards and tied for second with 27.68 completions per game. The senior is tied for fifth in the country with 19 touchdown passes against six interceptions.

Two-way star Travis Hunter leads Colorado with 604 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions. LaJohntay Wester has 445 receiving yards and a team-high seven TD catches.

“(Colorado) has an incredible passing game,” Satterfield said. “They are hard to defend, hard to stop and hard to slow down.”

–Field Level Media