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The Cincinnati Bearcats are set to welcome Kansas State to Nippert Stadium on Sept. 26 for their Big 12 opener, marking the final of four September games played on or near campus. It will also be the second "Nipp at Night" in three games at the historic venue, following last weekend's Victory Bell win over the Miami RedHawks at TQL Stadium, just over two miles from UC's campus.
Both teams come in with unblemished 3-0 records. The Bearcats have defeated Boston College, Western Carolina, and Miami University, while the Wildcats have secured three straight wins at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas, over Nicholls, Washington State, and Tulane.
UC leads the all-time series 4-3, but has not beaten Kansas State since 1966. The Wildcats last visited Nippert over 31 years ago and spoiled an upset bid by Rick Minter's squad with a last-second touchdown pass. The last two meetings took place in Manhattan, with Kansas State winning handily in 2024, 41-15.
In that 2024 contest, current dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. In his most recent outing against Tulane, he passed for 227 yards and rushed for 152 with two scores.
"Once he hits the sideline, he is fast-fast," UC head coach Scott Satterfield said. "He's a different speed. Even like a quarterback that can move and run, he's a little bit better. 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 now, getting outside and making some big-time runs."
The game will also feature an intriguing quarterback duel with UC's JC French IV, who threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score against Miami's RedHawks. Johnson has six touchdown passes to French's five, but has thrown two interceptions while French has been clean. Johnson has more rushing yards, but French leads in rushing touchdowns 4-3.
"They have a lot of talent on that (Kansas State) defense," French said. "Their stats speak for themselves. They're really good and we're going to have to be on-point with our preparation and obviously go execute this Saturday."
Satterfield added, "From this point forward, you can't start like that (down 28-7 vs. Miami U.), or it will not end good for us. We've got to come out and play much better early in the game and at the same time finishing in the second half."
Key Analysis
The Bearcats received national recognition with two players on the Pro Football Focus Big 12 Team of the Week: left guard Evan Tengesdahl and linebacker Jonathan Thompson. On Pro Football Network, right guard Judea Milon ranks No. 1 at his position through three weeks with a 95.5 grade, center Taran Tyo is No. 4 at 94.9, and right tackle Xavier Lozowicki is No. 6 at 90.7. However, Kansas State's offensive line ranks as the top group through three weeks at 98.9, while UC's offensive line is No. 16 overall in FBS.
Kansas State quarterback Johnson earned the sixth-best ranking from Week 3 games for his performance against Tulane, where he accounted for 152 of the team's 201 rushing yards.
The Big 12 has not conducted an official media poll the last two seasons, but in an unofficial tally organized by beat writers, Kansas State was picked eighth and UC 11th. The Wildcats went from 9-4 in 2024 to 6-6 last season. In December, Collin Klein was hired from Texas A&M, where he was offensive coordinator. Klein is also a former Heisman finalist quarterback at Kansas State.
Why UC has an advantage: There's no place like home, and the Bearcats have won 40 of 56 night home games since 2006. The weather has cooled some and the crowd should be excited to see a team averaging nearly 44 points per game. UC is averaging almost 270 yards rushing and 222 yards through the air. French has taken what he's been given; JV Gibson has a touchdown reception in each game, and running backs Cole Tabb and Gi'Bran Payne have had electric runs.
"Cole's had a huge impact on our team the first three weeks," Satterfield said. "He caught some great throws (vs. Miami). He's a big play threat. If he gets the ball in his hands, he can make people miss, but he also runs through tackles. He's low to the ground and has a really good skill set. Each and every week he just warrants more touches."
Why Kansas State has an advantage: Avery Johnson is the toughest dual-threat the Bearcats have faced thus far and now he's being coached by a former quarterback (Klein). At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he's bigger than the scramblers UC saw against Boston College and Western Carolina. Over the past two seasons, he's thrown 47 touchdowns with 16 interceptions, while French has 37 touchdowns with 18 interceptions.
"I'm going to attempt to go get him," UC nose tackle Josh Hough said of Johnson. "I hear he's really fast, but that's not going to stop me from chasing the ball."
Jaron Tibbs and Josh Manning are both 6-foot-3 and have 28 receptions between them. It could be a scorefest as Kansas State averages over 45 points, but Big 12 competition should take the offensive numbers down a peg on both sides.
"This will be a great matchup to watch," Satterfield said. "Normal fans like to watch all the skill guys, but this game, watch the D-linemen vs. the O-line. It's going to be incredible to see. If we can live up to what we're supposed to do up front, that can have a huge impact on this game."
Local connections: Kamari Burns was on UC's defensive line before transferring to Kansas State. He has five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss for the Wildcats. Koy Beasley, from La Salle High School, is second on the team in tackles with 12 at safety. Beasley has also played at Purdue and Miami University.
Now that Big 12 play has arrived, both schools will have their initial player availability reports out by Wednesday evening, Sept. 23.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Network: Moneyline: +525 Miami, -700 UC; Spread: -6.5 Kansas State; Over/under: 55.5.
Since 2006, the Bearcats are 40-16 under the lights at home.
"I like 'Nipp at Night'," UC cornerback Kenny Worthy said. "The energy is unmatched, like nothing I've ever been in before. The fans show up every time, they come with full force every time."
Originally reported by yahoo.