Saturday night brings a 3-0-on-3-0 Big 12 opener, with Cincinnati hosting Kansas State in a matchup that pits one unbeaten team built on offense and defense against another that has found plenty of ways to score.
Kansas State arrives with momentum under new coach Collin Klein, and the Wildcats have looked every bit like a team that’s clicked early. They’re putting up more than 45 points per game, with quarterback Avery Johnson driving the attack, while the defense has been just as sharp.
Through three games, Kansas State has allowed only 182.7 total yards per game, including 96.0 on the ground and 86.7 through the air. Opponents are just 13-for-43 on third down, and that stinginess has pushed the Wildcats to first nationally in passing yards allowed per game and second in total defense.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, is chasing a 4-0 start for the first time since 2021 and the first such start of Scott Satterfield’s head coaching career. The Bearcats got there last week in dramatic fashion, erasing a 21-point second-half deficit to beat longtime rival Miami (Ohio), 35-31.
"This will be a great matchup to watch," Satterfield said. "The normal fans, they like to watch all the skill guys.
But this game, it will be the defensive line vs the offensive line. That is going to be incredible to see."
The comeback was part of a bigger offensive surge for Cincinnati. The Bearcats have now posted three straight 30-point games for the first time since 2021, powered by the nation’s eighth-ranked rushing attack at 269.7 yards per game and quarterback JC French IV’s 76.5% completion rate.
Cincinnati’s defense has its own playmaker in Antwan Peek Jr., who leads the team with 23 tackles and had two forced fumbles last Saturday. He has eight forced fumbles in his career, which ties him for second in school history. The school record belongs to his father, Antwan Peek Sr., who finished his career with 17.
Kansas State knows the challenge ahead, especially against a Cincinnati front that can make life difficult in the trenches.
"Their offensive line is very big, very talented, and athletic," Klein said of Cincinnati. "I think their quarterback is extremely competitive and made plays for them last week when the game was in jeopardy and did some really nice things there. I think their running backs are hard to tackle, so we have a big challenge defensively."
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Risky Avery Johnson Problem
Kansas State heads into its Big 12 matchup with Cincinnati in a tricky spot under center, with senior quarterback Avery Johnson expected to be the only confirmed healthy quarterback available. The Wildcats are already dealing with a thin depth chart at the position, as backup Blake Barnett is out, while Dillon Duff and Jacob Knuth are both listed as questionable.
The rest of the injury report adds to the uncertainty, with safety JaSon Prevard and offensive lineman Oliver Miller ruled out as well. Cincinnati is carrying its own list of unavailable and uncertain players, but for Kansas State, the quarterback situation is the one that looms largest as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Got A Clearer Look At The Big 12 QB Race
The Big 12 quarterback picture got a little sharper after Week 3, and for Kansas State fans, the early read is as much about the conference race as it is about the Wildcats themselves. A new ranking of the leagues top passers entering Week 4 puts recent performances front and center, using last weeks results from around the conference to sort out who is surging, who is settling in and who still has work to do.
Kansas States place in that conversation matters because the league schedule is already starting to separate contenders from the pack, with Week 4 matchups offering another chance to shuffle the order again. The update also folds in results and evaluations from teams like Texas Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Houston, giving BYU a clearer view of the field it has entered and leaving the next round of quarterback tests to decide how stable those rankings really are. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Finally Gets Its First Real Big 12 Test
Kansas State rolled through its non-conference slate unbeaten, but now the schedule turns toward the kind of week that tells a team what it really is. First-year coach Collin Klein has said those early games served a purpose beyond the wins, giving the Wildcats a chance to sharpen themselves before the more demanding stretch of Big 12 play begins with Cincinnati.
The road opener brings a different sort of pressure, too, because Kansas State is trying to carry that clean start into a conference race that rarely gives teams much margin for error. A win would keep the momentum rolling and reinforce the fast start under Klein, but the Bearcats are the first test that can show how well the Wildcats early progress travels when the opponent knows what is coming. [Read more 🡒]