Cincinnati (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) will face Kansas State (7-3, 4-3) this coming Saturday at 8 p.m. EST, with coverage available on ESPN2.
The current odds from BetMGM for the game indicate Kansas State as an 8½ point favorite. Historically, Cincinnati holds a slight lead in their encounters, having won four out of the six matchups played thus far.
The stakes are high for both teams; Kansas State aims to end a two-game slump, while Cincinnati needs a victory in one of its remaining games to secure bowl eligibility.
The Wildcats recently suffered a heartbreaking defeat where they squandered a nine-point lead against Houston and added to their woes by losing to Arizona State at home. During the Arizona State game, Kansas State struggled with turnovers, including two failed field-goal attempts due to snapped issues, which jeopardized their chances of contesting for the Big 12 championship.
In this matchup, a critical focus will be on Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson going up against the Cincinnati defense.
Johnson has faced challenges in his last couple of performances, having been significantly outperformed by Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt just last week. The Wildcats are hoping to see Johnson leverage his running ability more often, particularly in critical red-zone scenarios, which would place added strain on a Cincinnati defense that has been allowing over 31 points in each of its last three games.
Notable players to keep an eye on include Cincinnati’s quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who showcased his throwing ability by racking up 426 yards in a recent game against Texas Tech, but saw that performance drop to just 66 yards passing last week against Iowa State. He made up for his passing struggles by rushing for 141 yards and finding the end zone once on the ground.
Meanwhile, Kansas State running back DJ Giddens had a standout performance against Arizona State, accumulating 133 rushing yards on 14 carries, although much of that occurred during the later stages of the game when the Sun Devils adopted a prevent defense to conserve their lead, allowing Giddens some space for big gains.
Looking at the facts, these two teams have met only six times, with their last encounter dating back to September 9, 1996, when Kansas State claimed a dominant 35-0 victory at home. Cincinnati has a chance to become bowl-eligible for the sixth time in seven seasons.
Notably, running back Corey Kiner for Cincinnati amassed 120 yards against Iowa State last week, bringing his career total to 2,312 yards, which places him ninth in the school’s history.
Additionally, linebacker Jared Bartlett has contributed significantly to the Bearcats’ defense with 7½ sacks, ranking second in the Big 12 conference.
For Kansas State, Giddens has also made his mark by surpassing 3,512 all-purpose yards, putting him in ninth place in the team’s record books, and he currently boasts 2,872 rushing yards, ranking fourth overall in that category. Kansas State’s recent game against Arizona State marked the first time since 2022 that they were held scoreless in any half when they were shut out in the first half.