Cincinnati’s Homecoming game will bring Texas Tech to Nippert Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24, and the Bearcats will be kicking off in daylight for their 100th Homecoming game.
The Big 12 announced Sunday, Oct. 18, that the 4-2 Bearcats and 6-0 Red Raiders will meet at noon Eastern on FS1. Cincinnati enters the matchup on a two-game October skid after opening the month with four straight wins in September. Against West Virginia, the Bearcats led six different times, only to watch the Mountaineers answer late, force a stop, and line up the game-winning field goal that sent UC fans home disappointed from Morgantown, 45-42.
Texas Tech arrives unbeaten and fresh off a convincing 53-25 win over Arizona State in Lubbock. The meeting had already drawn extra attention because of former UC quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who left the Bearcats before last season’s bowl game and signed with Texas Tech on Jan.
- That subplot faded when Sorsby’s gambling issues, which began at Indiana, continued during his time with the Red Raiders and he was eventually declared ineligible.
In early September, the NCAA ruled that no impermissible gambling by Sorsby was found to have been done at UC. He is now training for the NFL Draft in April.
With Sorsby out, Will Hammond has handled the Texas Tech offense. Against Arizona State, he threw for 232 yards and a touchdown while also adding a rushing score.
The series between these teams has produced some memorable numbers. Cincinnati and Texas Tech played to a 10-10 tie in Lubbock in 1968, and in 2024 the Bearcats dropped a 44-41 shootout in which Sorsby passed for 426 yards and four touchdowns. Saturday’s game will be Texas Tech’s first trip to Nippert Stadium.
Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire already knows the place. During his high school coaching days, he once played at Nippert in a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown game. His Cedar Hill High School team beat La Salle, and he also watched some of the Tri-State’s best teams at the time.
"I also saw Colerain and St. X (Xavier) play," he said.
"That was the first time I was in the stadium. I'm excited.
I think it's cool the way it's built and the way the campus is built around it. I think it's a really cool environment."
The night before kickoff, Cincinnati will hold inductions for the James P. Kelly UC Athletic Hall of Fame at Fifth Third Arena. This year’s class includes Naismith Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Huggins, future NFL Hall of Famer Jason Kelce and former NFL lineman Connor Barwin.
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Jerrod Calhoun Just Saw Cincinnatis Biggest Early Test Get Harder
Cincinnati has already had to learn a few things early under new head coach Jerrod Calhoun, and the biggest lesson so far has been how quickly a preseason look can change. The Bearcats are 1-1 in exhibition play after a 105-96 home loss to Illinois, and Calhoun said the team is still sorting through where it stands while trying to build habits, piece together rotations and get a feel for who can handle bigger roles.
The more immediate challenge is that the Bearcats are doing it while managing some injury concerns, even as MJ Collins has returned to game action and remains eligible under a recent executive order. Calhoun also had reason to smile about the way the backcourt responded against Illinois, with Eric Mahaffey taking on the point guard duties in a stretch that showed the staff how flexible this roster may need to be if the early-season tests keep getting tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Riley Gave Cincinnati Hope But Exposed An Early Bearcats Concern
Ty Riley offered Cincinnati a real jolt against Illinois, showing exactly why the Bearcats have reason to believe this group can score with more freedom than expected. He was comfortable as both a shooter and a table-setter, and coach Jerrod Calhoun had plenty to like in the way Riley stretched the floor and created for others while the roster's depth still leaves room for optimism.
The concern came at the other end, where Cincinnati had trouble controlling the glass and spent too much of the night chasing Illinois points. Giving up that many clean looks and losing the rebounding battle is the kind of early warning sign that can linger for a team still trying to sort out its identity, even with Calhoun acknowledging the defensive issues and pointing to the Bearcats' long-term potential. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Showed One Encouraging Sign And One Big Defensive Concern
An exhibition loss is rarely the kind of result that defines a season, but Cincinnati got enough of a look at Illinois to leave with a clearer sense of what still needs work. The Bearcats saw the Illini make shots from deep and control the glass, even as Illinois piled up 15 turnovers and showed some early-season sloppiness that kept the game from settling into a clean rhythm.
For Cincinnati, the more uncomfortable takeaway came on the defensive end, where Tyler Riley kept finding answers and stayed in control for long stretches. The Bearcats need that part of the tape more than the final score, because the kind of production Illinois got there is the sort of problem that can linger if it is not addressed before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]