Both Colorado and Cincinnati hope to maintain their momentum and earn a bowl berth Saturday night when they continue their comeback season in Boulder, Colorado.
The Bearcats (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) are on a two-game winning streak, defeating Arizona State 24-14 at home last week. They went 3-9 last season and missed a bowl game and went 1-8 in their first Big 12 campaign.
Returning to the Big 12 for the first time since 2011, the Buffaloes (5-2, 3-1) have already surpassed last season’s 4-8 win total with a 34-7 win over Arizona last week. . If they win, Colorado will be bowl eligible for the third time since 2007.
Cincinnati was second in rebounds behind quarterback Brendan Thorsby, who had 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. Xavier Henderson had 541 receiving yards and four touchdown catches. Jared Bartlett had 4.5 sacks and two passes defended.
“I love the way (Cincinnati) attacks,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “They get close to the ball and I love what they’ve accomplished this season. We can’t make mistakes or fall behind. We’ve got to go get them.”
The Bearcats and Buffaloes are tied with Kansas State and Texas Tech in the Big 12 with one loss.
“There’s a lot at stake,” Cincinnati manager Scott Satterfield said. “We’re both sitting near the top of the conference and there’s a lot at stake.”
Last week, the Colorado defense recorded seven sacks of Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita and held Arizona to its fewest points of the season. Colorado has 16 sacks in the last three games and leads the Big 12 with 21 sacks.
Shedur Sanders ranks fifth in the nation with 2,268 passing yards and is tied for second with 27.68 completions per game. The senior is tied for fifth in the nation with 19 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Two-way star Travis Hunter leads Colorado with 604 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. Rajontay Wester had 445 receiving yards and a team-high seven TD catches.
“(Colorado State) has a great passing game,” Satterfield said. “They’re hard to protect, hard to stop, hard to slow down.”
–Field level media
