The Nebraska Cornhuskers are about to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Kansas City and Husker fans have been looking forward to this game since Matt Rhule first uttered the words, ‘Year three.’ Once it was announced the game would be moved from Indianapolis to Arrowhead on a Thursday night and televised by ESPN, the hubbub really took off.
While everyone is saying Nebraska should win this one easily, the game will be closer than some might anticipate. Cincinnati HC Scott Satterfield had this to say about opening the season with Nebraska.
“We look forward to opening up our season on a Thursday night in a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN. It’ll be a great gauge for our football team, kind of see where we’re at. It’s one of those games, you know it’s the first game of the season, you’re not playing an FCS team to start the year. We feel like we got to be hitting on all cylinders when you’re starting the season against a team like Nebraska, So, there’s been a little bit more sense of urgency I think throughout our building during the summer getting ready for this first game. And we know it will be a great challenge and a great test. Obviously looking forward to that.”
Last season Cincinnati went 5-7 overall and 3-6 in Big XII play. The Bearcats started strong, going 5-2 before going on a five-game losing streak. In their last win they defeated CFP Quarter Finalist Arizona State 24-14. The late season slide occurred for multiple reasons, injuries, coaching mistakes, poor defense and a QB who seemed to become gun-shy to throw the ball deep in the last portion of the season.
Whatever the issues were, you can be sure Satterfield has resolved them. His QB is dynamic, and he has added wide receivers with elite speed and the ability to burn teams deep. These are the names of the Cincinnati players Husker fans need to know.
QB – Brenden Sorsby, 6’3” 225, A redshirt Junior who is a dual-threat. Sorsby threw for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns (27 total) last season while rushing for 447 yards. He was Big XII Newcomer of the Week twice and an honorable mention for Big XII Newcomer of the Year.
WR – Jeff Caldwell, 6’5” 215, Caldwell comes to Cincinnati from Lindenwood after playing in 28 games there. In his career he has 93 catches for 1,722 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was named a finalist for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, given annually to the top offensive player in the FCS. He runs a 4.4 forty-yard dash and has been clocked at a top speed of 22 miles per hour.
WR – Caleb Goode, 6’1” 178, Goode played two seasons at Colorado State before transferring to Cincinnati. Last season he caught 21 passes for 436 yards and 4 touchdowns. He is ranked as one of the nation’s top five fastest receivers by an analytics company used by more than 50 NFL and college football programs.
WR – Cyrus Allen, 5’11” 180, Allen transferred from Texas A&M where he spent the 2024 season. As an Aggie he had 18 receptions for 269 yards and one touchdown. Before A&M he spent two seasons at Louisiana Tech where he totaled 68 catches for 1,278 yards and eight touchdowns.
TE – Joe Royer, 6’5” 250, A Big XII First Team selection, Royer had a record-breaking season in 2024 surpassing Travis Kelce’s school record for single season receptions with 50. Statistically Royer had 521 yards and 3 touchdowns.
While Cincinnati’s aerial attack is dangerous Satterfield’s offenses have averaged over 200 yards rushing 11 times in his 12-year coaching career and his teams have finished in the top 30 among rushing teams 11 times. His teams have gained at least 200 yards passing and rushing in five of the last six seasons. The Bearcats will feature two former Big Ten running backs, who along with Sorsby, will be a challenge for the Blackshirts in space.
RB – Tawee Walker, 5’8” 218lbs, transferred from Wisconsin. In 11 games (9 starts) he totaled 864 yards rushing on 190 carries with 10 Touchdowns.
RB – Evan Pryor, 5’9” 195, he played in 12 games last season after transferring from Ohio State. As a Bearcat in 2024 he scored 7 touchdowns and had 622 all-purpose yards. He rushed 56 times for 418 yards and 6 touchdowns. He had 4 touchdowns of at least 55 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. The fact he was initially recruited by Ohio State tells you everything you need to know.
One of the keys to the game will be Nebraska’s defensive front against Cincinnati’s offensive line. Even with four new starters the Cincinnati staff likes this offensive line. If Butler’s aggressive scheme forces the Bearcats O-Line to communicate it will be very difficult for them in the first game of the season with the crowd at Arrowhead, one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. They’ll rely on Center Gavin Gerhardt, 6’4” 310 to make the calls. A three-time Captain, Gerhardt has started 36 games for the Bearcats and has been an integral part of the team’s success in running the ball.
From the defensive side of things Cincinnati was 11th in takeaways and 97th in sacks last season. The strength of their defense is the front seven, starting in the middle at nose tackle.
NT – Dontay Corleone 6’1” 335, Going by the nickname ‘The Godfather’ Corleone is one of the most decorated defensive linemen in the Big XII. He starts his fifth season having racked up 109 career tackles, 17 TFL’s, and 9.5 sacks in 34 games (23 starts). He had a dominate showing against Big XII Champion and CFP qualifier Arizona State last season.
According to Nebraska OC Dana Holgorsen, he’s familiar with Corleone. As he tells it, the guy single handily produced a three and out against Houston’s offense when Holgorsen was the coach. But Nebraska’s offensive line has faced players with his kind of talent before. Rocco Spindler saw similar guys in the CFP last season. Holgorsen is just preparing his interior offensive linemen for the challenge Corleone presents.
Numbers to review
The Bearcats averaged 25.2 points and 420.6 yards per game in 2024 compared to Nebraska’s 23.5 points and 358.2 yards. Cincinnati ran the ball well averaging 184.1 yards rushing per game to Nebraska’s 130.
Defensively Nebraska allowed 19.5 points per game and 317.2 total yards. Cincinnati gave up 24.6 points and 385.4 yards per game struggling against the run.
The numbers can be used as a guideline, but don’t put too much stock in them as both teams have evolved since last season.
Finally, if there was another team in the country that could rival Nebraska’s poor special teams play last season it may have been Cincinnati. Last season the Bearcat’s net field position ranked 80th nationally and they ended up with a PFF special teams grade of 69.9 (86th nationally). The kicking game was especially dismal. Satterfield has addressed the problem by committee, with all coaches now being involved in coaching special teams.
Husker fans can relate to that, however with the addition of Mike Ekeler many Husker fans are expecting to see immediate improvement. Early reports on punter Archie Wilson and kicker Kyle Cunanan have been positive, and fans are excited to see them both in action. With Ekeler saying he wanted to lead the nation in the number of punt returns, and Jacory Barney saying he planned on being the top return man in the nation and attending the Jet awards, it’s obvious the Husker’s plan on being aggressive.
The kicking game will be something to watch for, with both teams revamping their special teams it could be the difference in this game.
The Huskers win this one by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Holgorsen will have the offense humming and Butler will show off the Blackshirts, who will need time to develop but are clearly far more aggressive. Ekeler’s special teams won’t be perfect but will make a positive impact and convince fans this Husker team is in fact different. Nebraska wins 31-20.
Go Big Red!