A First Look At Arizona's Next Opponent, the Cincinnati Bearcats

The Arizona Wildcats are officially going bowling for the second time in three years, the first time in Brent Brennan's tenure, as they beat the Kansas Jayhawks 24-20 in the final 39 seconds of the game. The defense then held Kansas out of the end zone to solidify the victory.

The Wildcats overcame a 17-7 deficit to come back late in the game, much due to the dynamic playmaking ability of Noah Fifita by moving the ball with his legs and Quincy Craig scorching past the Kansas defense for the 24-yard, game-winning touchdown.

Fitita threw for two touchdowns, which put him in a three-way tie with Nick Foles and Willie Tuitama for the most career touchdowns in Arizona history with 67. In the last two single-possession games, things didn't seem to go Arizona's way, but now momentum seemed to swing towards the Wildcats as costly turnovers were wiped away. They are now 2-2 in single-possession games.

Arizona will now be looking to carry that momentum into its next game, which will be another challenging one when it takes on the No. 22-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium.

Cincinnati's season so far

The Bearcats have had quite the season so far, battling their way to a 7-2 record, a No. 22 ranking, and boasting a top-three offense in the Big 12.

Cincinnati's biggest win of the season was a 70-0 stomping of Northwestern State. Before that, it started its season with a close 20-17 defeat at the hands of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Since then, the Bearcats have lost just one other game, a 45-17 defeat to the No. 15-ranked Utah Utes in Salt Lake City.

Cincinnati's offense is backed by a seventh-ranked defense that has been solid through nine games.

On offense

The Bearcats' offense has been efficient over the season and is in possession of one of the better offensive lines in the Big 12.

The dominant passing game is headlined by quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has thrown for an impressive 2064 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions. He is currently ranked as the sixth-best quarterback in the Big 12.

Much like Arizona, the Bearcats' offense spreads the ball around to its receivers, but Sorsby's favorite target is Cyrus Allen, who has caught 38 receptions for 514 yards and 10 touchdowns.

On defense

Oct 25, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baylor Bears tight end Michael Trigg (1) is unable to hold on to a catch as he is tackled by Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday (11) and defensive back Tre Gola-Callard (6) in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Bearcats' defense is a stout group that has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses through nine games. Although Cincinnati only has 16 sacks this season, it is still a group of edge rushers that is to be feared, as Arizona is coming off a game in which it gave up five to the Jayhawks.

The Arizona offense should be able to put up a large number of points in both the run and pass games. Cincinnati's passing defense is ranked 13th in the Big 12, while the rushing defense is 12th.

The Wildcats will need to get their running game going and impose their will, as the Bearcats have a group of tacklers unafraid to make contact. That group is led by Jake Golday, a physical linebacker who leads the team in tackles with 80. It was his efforts against Nebraska that earned him the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week@GoldayJake had 12 tackles, 1 sack and 1 TFL vs. Nebraska

📰 » https://t.co/2DQISaSWax pic.twitter.com/xYtPQuszDl
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) September 2, 2025

The Wildcats should have the most success through the air as their passing game, headlined by Fifita and a group of veteran wide receivers, is the fourth best in the conference.

Satterfield leading the Bearcats

Head coach Scott Satterfield is in his third season with Cincinnati after taking over the program in 2022 following a successful career at Appalachian State.

Satterfield's first two seasons with the Bearcats were ones to forget. During his first year, he went 3-9. His second year was a better one, but he still couldn't get across the .500 mark and went 5-7.

The Bearcats are now much improved from the previous two seasons and are among the top three teams in the Big 12, sitting behind No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 12 BYU.

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