Trap Game: Could Kansas Football Struggle Against Cincinnati in Week 5?

The Kansas football team enters this weekend's matchup against Cincinnati as nearly a one-touchdown favorite. Lance Leipold's group opened conference play with a dominant win over West Virginia and now sits at 3-1 on the year.

While the Jayhawks are at home and the betting favorite, this is far from a gimme. In fact, Leipold called Cincinnati the team's toughest opponent yet, even if that might be a slight diss toward Missouri.

Scott Satterfield's Bearcats are not a team to overlook, with an offense led by quarterback Brendan Sorsby, a dual-threat signal caller who has already thrown eight touchdowns and rushed for four this season. He and running back Tawee Walker form a dynamic rushing attack for Cincinnati.

On defense, the Bearcats have a formidable unit. They nearly pulled off a win against Nebraska in a neutral-site contest if not for a late interception by Sorsby, as the defense held the Cornhuskers to 20 points.

Their best player is defensive tackle Dontay Corleone, a projected first-round NFL Draft pick. His status is questionable on the opening injury report, which is something worth monitoring.

Even if UC were to be without him, it has other defensive playmakers such as linebacker Jake Golday (28 total tackles, 2.0 sacks) and cornerback Matthew McDoom (11 pass deflections, three interceptions last season).

Kansas vs. Cincinnati Football: Trap Game?

This matchup has the feeling of a trap game for Kansas. It feels as though people are already looking toward opponents like Texas Tech and Iowa State down the road when Cincinnati presents Leipold's squad with a huge test.

Satterfield and Co. are well-rested off a bye week and are looking for revenge from the 2023 campaign when Jason Bean and the Jayhawks dismantled the Bearcats in the regular season finale.

Despite the final score against West Virginia, the Jayhawks punted on four of their first six drives and struggled to find rhythm early on the offensive end. The Mountaineers couldn't capitalize due to their weaker roster, but Cincinnati won't let those chances slip like WVU did.

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A slow start could allow the Bearcats to grab an early lead, and with their run game and defense, they are certainly capable of maintaining it.

Even if KU is the better team on paper, the Jayhawks will need to play much sharper offensively than they did last week to stay undefeated in Big 12 play.