Cincinnati is 4-0, and the Bearcats earned that spotless start the hard way.
On Saturday, UC turned a first-half deficit into a 31-26 win over Kansas State, the second straight week it came from behind to finish the job. That kind of response has become the story of this team through September: stay patient, lean on the ground game, and let the defense create enough disruption to swing the game.
The run game was again the engine. Cole Tabb kept ripping through Kansas State for 124 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries, giving Cincinnati the kind of explosive production that has defined its offense so far. The Bearcats piled up more than 250 rushing yards for the 10th time under Scott Satterfield, and they did it against a defense that entered the day ranked second in total defense, allowing 182.7 yards per game.
JC French IV did his part without overcomplicating anything. He finished 8-for-13 for 165 yards and a touchdown, playing clean football while Cincinnati’s ground attack did the heavy lifting. French has just one turnover all season, and the Bearcats have yet to lose the turnover battle in a game this year.
That formula has carried Cincinnati to its first 4-0 start since the 2021 season. It also put the Bearcats in rare company: entering the weekend, they were one of just 10 undefeated FBS teams in September games over the last two years, listed at 6-0 in that span.
Tabb’s day stood out even by his own standards. The 5-8 junior has been one of the most efficient backs in the country, and he showed it again in his first top-30 matchup of the season.
Before kickoff, he was the only FBS player averaging double-digit yards per carry and double-digit yards per catch while meeting the minimum thresholds of 15 rushing attempts and four receptions. He had already produced 230 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns across his first 21 touches, and Saturday added another big number to the pile.
He kept finding space behind Cincinnati’s offensive line and turned those lanes into chunk gains, mixing sharp cuts with enough burst to make the defense pay every time it lost contain.
The defense had its own game-changing moment. Antwan Peek Jr. forced a fumble that Cincinnati recovered in the open field, and he was a steady presence throughout the game. Peek finished with seven tackles, second on the team, and helped limit Kansas State’s rushing attack while also holding up in coverage.
The performance added to an already impressive season for Peek. He entered the day as Cincinnati’s tackles leader with 23, and after forcing two fumbles against Miami, he now has nine forced fumbles for his career. That breaks a tie for second in school history with Jeff Luc (2013-14) and current defensive line coach Walter Stewart (2009-12).
Cincinnati finished with 436 total yards against a Kansas State defense that had been getting top-five treatment from the numbers. The Wildcats looked more like a top-15 unit than a top-five one, but UC still had to earn every bit of this win.
Now the Bearcats head on the road for the next two weeks, starting with an 11 p.m. ET kickoff at Arizona next week.
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