Cincinnati didn’t just beat Kansas State on Saturday night. It forced the Big 12 to pay attention.
The Bearcats walked into Nippert Stadium as a 6.5-point underdog and walked out with a 31-26 win, a 4-0 record, and Scott Satterfield’s first 4-0 start as a head coach. That’s the kind of result that changes the conversation fast, especially in a league where early surprises tend to get sorted out in a hurry.
Kansas State came in rolling under first-year head coach Collin Klein, but Cincinnati had other plans. The Wildcats grabbed a 17-10 lead at halftime, then watched the game swing after the break as the Bearcats put up 21 second-half points and leaned on a ground game that kept one of the nation’s top statistical defenses on its heels all night.
Cole Tabb was the engine. He ripped off 124 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, the kind of efficiency that turns a close game into a problem for the other sideline. Quarterback JC French IV did his part without having to carry the whole load, going 8 of 13 for 165 yards and a touchdown.
It was also a familiar kind of night for Cincinnati, which had already shown some late-game bite a week earlier in a 35-31 comeback over Miami (Ohio). That one came from 21 points down. This one came against a ranked-quality Big 12 opponent with real momentum behind it.
Now the Bearcats are 4-0 for the first time since 2021, when they ran the table in the regular season and reached the College Football Playoff. Nobody is handing out those comparisons yet, and they shouldn’t. But Satterfield’s team has clearly done enough to put itself in the early mix of the Big 12 race.
For Kansas State, the loss is the first one of the Collin Klein era. The Wildcats drop to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, is 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big 12. And right now, that’s a record that demands a closer look.
In Other News...
Collin Klein Owns Kansas States Biggest Problem After Cincinnati Loss
The frustration after Kansas States 31-26 loss at Cincinnati landed squarely on the part of the game the Wildcats could least afford to let slip. Collin Klein addressed the media afterward and made clear he was disappointed with the overall performance, pointing in particular to a defense that gave up 280 rushing yards and left the Wildcats chasing the game far too often. He also acknowledged the self-inflicted issues that piled up along the way, from turnovers to penalties.
Kleins message was less about excuses than about the basics Kansas State has to get right if it wants to stabilize itself. He stressed the need to improve at the line of scrimmage and noted the effort he got from Derrick Salley during the game, even as the bigger picture remained frustrating. For a team trying to find its footing, the problem is not hard to identify. The challenge is fixing it quickly enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Big 12 Opener Exposed A Problem That Could Linger
Kansas States Big 12 opener at Nippert Stadium ended with a familiar kind of frustration for a team trying to settle into conference play. The Wildcats fell 31-26 to Cincinnati, and the difference came in large part on the ground, where the Bearcats kept leaning on a rushing attack that let them control enough of the evening to stay ahead.
Cole Tabb and GiBran Payne helped Cincinnati set that tone, while Kansas State did find an unexpected lift from Derrick Salley at wide receiver. The Wildcats still had a chance to claw all the way back in the final minute, but the comeback came up short, leaving them with a loss and a bigger question about whether the issue they ran into can be fixed quickly enough. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Defense Faces Its First Real Big 12 Stress Test
Kansas States defense has spent most of the season looking like one of the countrys best units, but the numbers have not been spotless. The Wildcats have been stingy in a lot of categories, yet explosive runs on the ground have shown up as a recurring issue, and that is exactly the kind of weakness Big 12 opponents tend to probe once the conference schedule settles in.
Cincinnati brings a challenge that makes that test feel real. The Bearcats have one of the nations better offensive lines, a group that has already drawn national recognition and helped power one of the top rushing attacks in the country. Quarterback JC French IV has been accurate, but his low average depth of target points to a more cautious passing game, which puts even more weight on whether Kansas State can control the line of scrimmage and keep the run game from dictating the pace. [Read more 🡒]