Bearcats Beat: Players to watch and keys to the game Saturday at Kansas

CINCINNATI — Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield is leading a program that, this season, believes it can achieve something special. This Bearcats team believes it can be really good this season.

The Bearcats are three points away from being 3-0. If it wasn’t for two turnovers against Nebraska, they could have pulled out a big win in Kansas City. Still, though, this team has done some good things through non-conference play and is poised to continue that momentum going into Big 12 play.

It’s becoming evident that the Big 12 is, arguably, the deepest conference in college football. With four ranked teams and seven undefeated teams, this conference is wide open. Any two teams can play in the Big 12 Championship in Dallas on the first Saturday of December.

Through two seasons in the Big 12, the Bearcats are just 4-14. That includes just 2-7 on the road. That’s what makes Saturday’s game against Kansas a potential tone-setter for the remainder of the season.

Can the Bearcats go on the road, with a clear and obvious game plan, and execute the game plan to what would be a needle-moving win? If they can, expectations will get raised. The alternative? It will be more of the same middling, at best, in the Big 12.

Kansas is a really good team. They’re dynamic offensively, with sixth-year quarterback Jalon Daniels leading the up-tempo pace they like to play with. The Jayhawks are also really strong upfront defensively, ranking tied for second in the Big 12 with 12 sacks.

The last time these two teams played, Kansas won 49-16. Satterfield emphasized how difficult the Winter program was going to be after that game, which was the last game of the 2023 season, ending at 3-9. Although incremental progress has been made, this season is make-it-or-break-it for Satterfield as the Bearcats head coach. That pressure is being ramped up with Big 12 play starting on Saturday.

Let’s look at the keys to the game on Saturday at Kansas.

Keys to the Game

1. Stop the run

Most games should have stopping the run as the first key. That key applies to this game on Saturday. Kansas’s offense is designed to be built on its ability to run the football.

Kansas is averaging 191.3 rushing yards per game through four games this season. Daniels is averaging 6.1 yards per carry with 159 net rushing yards. Daniels’s rushing abilities complement what he does as a passer, so stopping him and running backs Leshon Williams and Daniel Hishaw Jr. will be a big key to Saturday’s game.

2. Offensive efficiency

The Jayhawks average 37.3 points per game. That means the Bearcats have to score on nearly every possession they have the ball on Saturday. Specifically, the Bearcats can’t settle for field goals. Touchdowns will be what gives Cincinnati a chance to win this game.

3. Create turnovers

It’s something the Bearcats are looking to create more of this season. Forcing turnovers gives teams extra possessions, and those can be vital in a matchup like this one on Saturday. Turnovers can be a fluctuating stat from year to year, but being fundamentally sound can lead to being in the right place at the right time to create those turnovers.

4. Special teams

Kansas excels on special teams. They had two long kick returns last week against West Virginia, including a 94-yard return for a touchdown to start the second half. Cincinnati can’t let Kansas get short fields and favorable field positions in the return game on Saturday. That puts pressure on punter Max Fletcher and kicker Stephen Rusnak to have pinpoint placement on their kickoffs and punts.

Score Prediction: Jayhawks 38 – Bearcats 28

The Bearcats’ offense can score when both their passing and running games are working. It’s their defense that’s concerning, especially going up against Jalon Daniels and the Jayhawks’ dynamic offense.

Kansas’s offense looks really good coming into this game, and they’re also clicking on defense and special teams. If the Bearcats can force multiple turnovers, they can steal this game. But if they can’t get the Jayhawks’ offense off schedule and off their rhythm, that will be too much for the Bearcats to overcome.