Cincinnati football is giving fans a morning built around pancakes, practice and a close-up look at the Bearcats on Saturday, Aug. 8.
The day starts with a free pancake breakfast at 9 a.m. on Sheakley Lawn, followed by an open practice at Historic Nippert Stadium at 10 a.m. The first 100 fans on Sheakley Lawn will get custom syrup bottles.
The event will also include concessions on the East Side of the stadium, plus family games and inflatables for kids on Sheakley Lawn. Before practice begins, the offensive line will help serve pancakes.
After practice, fans can stick around for an on-field autograph and photo session with Cincinnati players. During the breakfast portion, attendees also will have a chance to win special giveaway prizes.
The “Pancake With Us” event continues Cincinnati Football’s campaign built around one of the nation’s top offensive lines. The group is led by preseason All-America guard Evan Tengesdahl, along with All-Conference standouts Joe Cotton and Taran Tyo, and the Bearcats bring back one of the country’s most experienced and accomplished offensive line units entering the 2026 season.
With the annual Spring Game canceled in April, the pancake breakfast and open practice give fans an unofficial kickoff to the season - a chance to meet the team, spend a morning with the Bearcat family and get an early look at one of the most anticipated Cincinnati squads in recent years.
The line’s resume backs up the hype. Cincinnati returns three starters from last season’s Joe Moore Award semifinalist unit. Tengesdahl earned All-Big 12 First Team and Associated Press All-America honors, while Tyo and Cotton are back after All-Big 12 seasons of their own.
The Bearcats allowed just 8.0 sacks and 43.0 tackles for loss in 2025, the fewest by any Power Four team. They also finished third nationally in yards per carry at 5.7 and eighth in yards per play at 6.9.
That confidence in the front shows elsewhere, too. Offensive line coach Nic Cardwell was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in the offseason, and Cincinnati did not need to add an offensive lineman through the transfer portal, with the room already stocked with big bodies ready to compete alongside Tengesdahl, Tyo and Cotton.
Season ticket packages start as low as $300, and a three-month payment plan is available. Season parking can be purchased for $100 at Eden Garage.
Fans can also use the Nippert Stadium map to select seats, and Ticketmaster’s step-by-step ticket guide is available. For information, fans can visit GoBearcats.com/tickets, call 1-877-228-7849 or email uc.tickets@uc.edu.
In Other News...
Bearcats Face An Early Lineup Test After Key Injury
The Bearcats head into their first competitive games of 2026 in the Bahamas with a little less certainty than they would have liked, and not just because opening weekend always brings its own questions. Cincinnati is set to face the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria, but the early look at the roster has already been altered by an injury in practice, forcing the staff to sort through lineup and role adjustments before the season truly gets going.
Tylen Rileys absence changes the feel of the offense and puts more pressure on the rest of the backcourt to settle in quickly, while the projected starting group also leaves a few defensive questions to be answered once the games begin. The Bearcats still have time to adjust before conference play matters, but these early trips often reveal more than a coach would prefer, and Cincinnati will learn fast how much it can lean on its new combinations. [Read more 🡒]
Tylen Riley's Injury Adds New Question For Cincinnati's Bahamas Trip
The Bearcats trip to the Bahamas has already been pushed back by travel issues, and now there is another wrinkle before the first exhibition game even tips off. Cincinnati will face Victoria on Aug. 4 and Calgary on Aug. 5, with both games set to stream on FloCollege Basketball, giving the staff a first real look at the roster against outside competition after a summer of anticipation.
Tylen Riley will not take part in those games because of a hand injury, leaving the point guard spot without one of the players Cincinnati hoped to evaluate on this trip. There is some optimism he could be available for the fall exhibitions in October, but for now the Bearcats will have to keep sorting through their backcourt plans without him while the rest of the group gets its first game action in a new setting. [Read more 🡒]
