CINCINNATI — Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield didn’t mince words when he said that Saturday’s matchup against Central Florida is a bigger game than last week’s against Iowa State. He’s been adamant that as the Bearcats are winning games, every game is going to get bigger for them.
Even though Central Florida enters Saturday at 3-2 and 0-2 in Big 12 play, the Knights know the Bearcats as well as any team in the Big 12 and the country. These two teams have played five games over the last six seasons that have been decided by six points or less. Cincinnati is 3-2 in those games, including a 19-13 win in Orlando last season.
Let’s take a deeper look at Central Florida ahead of Saturday’s game.
Quarterback: No. 2: Taven Jackson — 6-4, 215 lbs. R-Jr. Greenwood, Ind. Indiana/Tennessee Transfer
Jackson has battled injuries over the Knights’ last two games, but he has had a nice start to the season. He’s thrown for 906 yards over the Knights’ first five games while completing 64.5 percent of his passes.
If he can’t go, it will be redshirt-senior Cam Fancher getting the start for the Knights. Fancher is a Dayton, Ohio native and played at Wayne High School, where he was a state champion in the triple jump. Like Jackson, Fancher has also played for two other schools, Marshall and Florida Atlantic.
Four Players to Watch on Central Florida
1. No. 22: Running Back, Myles Montgomery — 5-11, 200 lbs. R-Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. Cincinnati Transfer
A former Bearcats running back, where he spent three seasons with the program, including a 428-yard, three-touchdown performance in 2023, Montgomery is now the Knights’ lead running back, with 378 rushing yards and three touchdowns, as well as nine receptions for 112 yards.
2. No. 5: Running Back, Jaden Nixon — 5-10, 200 lbs. R-Sr. Las Colinas, Texas Western Michigan/Oklahoma State Transfer
Nixon is the complement to Montgomery in the backfield, and he was named to three Award Watch Lists in the Preseason. Through five games, Nixon has 286 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The key is, he’s averaging 12.4 yards per carry with a long of 87 rushing yards.
Last season at Western Michigan, Nixon was First-Team All-MAC with 921 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Nixon is the second cousin of former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
3. No. 9: Edge Rusher, Nyjalik Kelly — 6-5, 265 lbs. Sr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Miami (FL) Transfer
Kelly is the leader on Central Florida’s defensive line, with 1.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss this season to go along with four quarterback hits. He was named Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2024 with 53 tackles, three forced fumbles, and 5.5 sacks. This season, he was named to Phil Steele’s Preseason Big 12 Second Team.
4. No. 10: Edge Rusher, Sincere Edwards — 6-3, 250 lbs. So., Orlando, Fla. Pitt Transfer
A homegrown player who came home to Central Florida after spending his first season at Pittsburgh, Edwards has 1.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss through five games this season.
Head Coach: Scott Frost (1st Season of 2nd Stint, 22-9 overall at Central Florida; 8th Season Overall as a Head Coach) — 50 years old
Frost is back at Central Florida after five seasons at Nebraska and spending 2024 as a senior analyst with the Los Angeles Rams. This is a head coach who knows offensive football, taking the Knights offense in 2017 to incredible heights. He was also the Oregon Ducks’ offensive coordinator from 2013-2015, during which quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 on a Ducks team that played for the College Football Playoff National Championship. Forst was the Ducks’ passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2009-2012, coaching under Chip Kelly and coaching players that included D’Anthony Thomas.
The 2017 Knights went undefeated and won the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl over Auburn, with an offense that averaged 48.2 points per game. Frost won eight different conference and national Coach of the Year awards.
Frost had a decorated playing career at Nebraska, starting for two seasons, leading the Cornhuskers to a 24-2 record, and being part of two national championship teams. In 1997, he became one of just 10 players in college football history to throw and rush for 1,000 yards.
Offensive Coordinator: Steve Cooper (1st Season)
Cooper joins the Knights coaching staff after serving as an offensive analyst at Boise State in 2024. The Broncos made the 12-team Playoff with the No. 4 scoring offense and the No. 6 rushing offense, led by future first-round draft pick Ashton Jeanty.
Prior to Boise State, Cooper was on Frost’s staff at Nebraska for five seasons in various roles. In 2021, Cooper served as interim quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, where he was responsible for the game plan against Wisconsin and Iowa. During those games, Nebraska averaged 390 yards of offense against a Wisconsin team with the No. 4-ranked total defense and the Hawkeyes, who ranked 13th in total defense.
Defensive Coordinator: Alex Grinch (1st Season) — 45 years old
A two-time semifinalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach, Grinch has been a defensive coordinator for the last 10 seasons at Washington State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, and Wisconsin.
Grinch is a Grove City, Ohio native and played safety for four seasons at Mount Union, winning three NCAA Division III national championships.
Keys to the Game
1. Stop the run
This Knights team can run, averaging 202.2 yards per game. But like the Bearcats were able to do against Iowa State, they will be in position to win this game if they can stop the run and force the Knights’ quarterback —Jackson or Fancer —to beat them through the air.
2. Red zone defense
The Bearcats’ defense got several stops when they needed to against Iowa State last week. Central Florida converts 89 percent of their red zone trips but has only scored touchdowns on eight of their 18 red zone trips through five games. That can play into the Bearcats’ favor.
3. Win the line of scrimmage
There was a conversation this week about Central Florida’s defensive line being a point of emphasis in the Bearcats’ preparation for this game. As long as the Bearcats’ offensive line plays to the standard it has set through five games, the Knights’ defensive line shouldn’t be a big factor in this game.
4. Make the crowd a factor early
Satterfield has been quick to deflect any questions about the momentum this team has. The fact is, though, this team has a lot of it. Bearcats fans know that, and the crowd at Nipper Stadium Saturday will be loud just like it was against Iowa State. If the Bearcats get off to as good a start this week as they did against the Cyclones, the crowd will be loud for 60 minutes.
Score Prediction: Bearcats 41 – Knights 24
Even with the close games these two teams have played in recent seasons, this Bearcats team is a tier above the Knights in the Big 12 hierarchy. The Bearcats won’t be overlooking the Knights, and they should keep the momentum going this Saturday.
