CU BUFFS VS. CINCINNATI SCOUTING REPORT

Colorado wide receiver LaJohntay Wester (10) in the first half against Arizona on Oct. 19 in Tucson, Ariz. RICK SCUTERI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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A scouting report of the Colorado Buffaloes and Cincinnati Bearcats ahead of Saturday’s game at Folsom Field.

Colorado Buffaloes

Head coach: Deion Sanders, 2nd season (9-10, 36-16 career)

2024 season: 5-2, 3-1 Big 12

Last week: Won at Arizona, 34-7

Rankings: NR

5 Buffs to Watch

LB Nikhai Hill-Green: CU’s leader in tackles (53), he’s also second in tackles for loss (six) and has two sacks and two pass breakups. He and the linebackers will be key in stopping the run and the Bearcats’ tight ends.

WR Jimmy Horn Jr.: Ranks third on the team with 28 catches and fourth with 356 receiving yards. The senior hasn’t had a big game in a while, though, and is due for a breakout performance.

CB DJ McKinney: Playing lock-down defense most of the year, he’s third on the team with 44 tackles and leads the team with five pass breakups. He also has two tackles for loss.

QB Shedeur Sanders: Ranks among the nation’s leaders in completion percentage (72.2), passing yards (2,268) and touchdown passes (19). He will once again be the key to the offense moving against a solid Cincinnati defense.

LT Jordan Seaton: The true freshman continues to play well, as he is rated as CU’s best pass-blocking lineman on Pro Football Focus. He will face a tough challenge this week against Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats

Head coach: Scott Satterfield, 2nd season (8-11; 84-59 career)

2024 season: 5-2, 3-1 Big 12

Last week: Beat Arizona State, 24-14, at home

Rankings: RV in Coaches’ poll

5 Bearcats to Watch

LB Jared Bartlett: He’s been a force all season, leading the Bearcats in tackles (37), tackles for loss (seven) and sacks (4.5). A transfer from West Virginia, he had 134 tackles and 21 TFLs in 50 games with the Mountaineers.

DL Dontay Corleone: The top defender for the Bearcats, he was second-team All-Big 12 last year after posting 39 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Was named preseason first-team All-Big 12 this year and has posted 21 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, three sacks and four hurries.

WR Xzavier Henderson: Leads the Bearcats in catches (42), receiving yards (541) and TD receptions (four). A year ago, he led Cincy in catches (58) and receiving yards (782), earning all-conference honorable mention. From 2020-22, he played at Florida, catching 73 passes for 835 yards and five touchdowns.

RB Corey Kiner: Ranks seventh in the Big 12 rushing yards per game at 85.4 (598 yards, 2 TDs). He had a breakout season in 2023, rushing for 1,047 yards and five touchdowns. In his career, he has 2,331 yards and 14 touchdowns.

QB Brendan Sorsby: The Indiana transfer has completed 67.2% of his passes for 1,928 yards, 13 TDs and only four INTs, while adding 96 yards and six TDs on the ground. Last year at Indiana, he completed 57.2% of his passes for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five INTs. He also ran for 286 yards and four touchdowns.

When Colorado has the ball

Colorado got the run game going again last week with 148 yards, and the Buffs are at their best when they can run. The ground game is up and down, but there should be opportunities to run this week against a Cincinnati defense that is giving up 168.6 rushing yards per game (14th in the Big 12). “I feel like opening up the run game and being more consistent with the run game will help open everything else that we have with our great (offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur) that we got,” left tackle Jordan Seaton said. As always, though, the offense will be led by Shedeur Sanders, who is having a sensational season at quarterback for the Buffaloes. Sanders and the Buffs will have to play well, as Cincinnati is allowing just 19.3 points per game (fourth in the Big 12). “They’re going to play hard, like every team plays against us,” Seaton said. “They’re going to play fast, but we also play fast, and we also play hard. I feel like it’s more so not about what they do, but how we do. If we make the right push calls, block the right guys, communicate the right blitzes, and just all be on the same page, I feel like that is really what it’s going to ultimately come down to, and I feel like nobody could beat us if we don’t beat ourselves.”

When Cincinnati has the ball

The addition of Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby at quarterback has been huge for the Bearcats. He’s completed 67% of his passes for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions while also rushing for six scores. “He’s definitely a mobile guy,” CU defensive end Arden Walker said. “We gotta make sure we do our job, to make sure we stop him.” Sorsby has a couple of key targets in receiver Xzavier Henderson and tight end Joe Royer. The Cincy run game can be dangerous with the duo of Corey Kiner and Evan Pryor. Kiner, who topped 1,000 yards last year, has 598 yards and two touchdowns this year, while Pryor has 307 yards and four touchdowns and averages 9.9 yards per carry. The whole operation on offense is guided by a veteran offensive line that has been together since the start of the 2023 season. “Offensively, they have a lot more balance with running and passing the football,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “I like what they’re doing. They’re not flashy, and it’s not a sexy thing, but they get the job done.” CU looks to continue attacking on defense. The Buffs lead the Big 12 in sacks (21) and tackles for loss (49). “I do think that their defense is getting overlooked a little bit,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “They play hard, which is a sign of a well-coached team, and they have some really good athletes, and they’ve got it rolling there.”

Special teams

Colorado’s Alejandro Mata was named the Big 12 special teams player of the week on Monday after hitting both field goals and all four extra points last week at Arizona. He has been rolling lately, hitting five consecutive field goals to improve to 7-for-9 on the year (as well as 28-for-28 on extra points). Punter Mark Vassett is averaging 44.6 yards per punt and he’s landed 11 of 26 inside the 20-yard line. Cincinnati punter Mason Fletcher is a friend of Vassett’s and is also enjoying a good season, averaging 45.0 yards per punt with 8 of 21 landing inside the 20. Bearcats kicker Nathan Hawks is 9-for-13 on field goals (long of 55) and 16-for-17 on extra points. Neither team has had a lot of return opportunities, but that could change this week. CU has had touchbacks on only 26.3% of its kickoffs, and Cincinnati on just 45.5% of its kickoffs.

Notables

• CU won the only previous meeting with the Bearcats, 56-14, in Boulder on Sept. 16, 1972. The Buffs rushed for 473 yards, which ranks ninth in program history and has been topped just three times since then.

• Colorado is looking to snap an ugly losing streak. Dating back to 2017, the Buffs are 0-11 when trying to get their sixth win (which secures bowl eligibility). The last time CU won six games in a season was in 2016.

• CU is also looking for its fourth conference win. In the previous 16 seasons (2008-23), the Buffs reached at least four conference wins just once, going 8-1 in the Pac-12 in 2016.

• Saturday’s game was sold out long ago, as it is Family Weekend. It will be the ninth sellout in 10 games at Folsom Field since head coach Deion Sanders was hired. It will also mark the 18th time in 20 games that CU has played in front of a sold-out stadium under Coach Prime.

• Shedeur Sanders needs four touchdown passes to become just the fourth player in CU history to throw at least 50. Cody Hawkins (63), Steven Montez (63) and Sefo Liufau (60) are the leaders. Sanders is currently tied with Joel Klatt for fourth in CU history with 46.

• Cincinnati was projected to finish 14th in the Big 12 in a preseason poll of media that cover the conference. The Bearcats went 3-9 last year in their first season in the Big 12.

• The Bearcats are four points away from being undefeated. They lost 28-27 to Pittsburgh on Week 2 and 44-41 at Texas Tech in Week 5.

• Cincinnati has the same starting five offensive linemen that it had in 2023. The group is led by preseason All-Big 12 right guard Luke Kandra.

• One of the most active teams in the transfer portal in the offseason, the Bearcats lost 25 players and brought in 25 players. Overall, Cincinnati brought in 47 new scholarship players this year.

• Running back Corey Kiner last week became the 15th player in Cincinnati history with at least 2,000 rushing yards (2,007). He needs just 66 yards to jump up to 12th on the list. In his career, he has 2,331 yards, including 321 yards gained while playing for LSU.