Much like a year ago, Cincinnati Bearcats football can kickstart their season with a convincing victory over an opponent they should beat. Last year, Coach Scott Satterfield's first UC team began by thumping Eastern Kentucky 66-13 then had follow-up games with Pitt and Miami University.
This year insert the Towson Tigers into the opening slot, a Division I FCS school that went 5-6 last season. They traveled in-state to Maryland for last year's opening payday, this year it's the Big 12 Bearcats.
The game has been declared a "White Out" if you need to plan your wardrobe.
How to watch Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Towson
When : Saturday, Aug. 31 at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Nippert Stadium (40,000 though 38,193 was considered a sellout last year)
TV/Radio: ESPN+/700WLW
Series: First meeting
Coaches
Towson: Pete Shinnick (second season, 5-6)
Cincinnati: Scott Satterfield (3-9 UC, 79-57 overall)
3 keys to Cincinnati Bearcats victory
- Hit the accelerator and go – This is a buy game that should be like last year's EKU tune-up. Depending on your favorite oddsmakers, the Bearcats are favored by 30 or more. Satterfield would like to play all three quarterbacks. The most efficient and safest thing is to pounce early and get a comfortable lead (42-7 last year) at half. The win is important, but not as important as getting out injury-free. Even if nose tackle Dontay Corleone is cleared to play, it might be wise to sit him for another week.
- Reign in Runyon – UC has six players on the Reese's Senior Bowl watch list, while Towson has one in tight end Carter Runyon. The 6-foot-6 Runyon caught 43 passes for 549 yards and four touchdowns last season. Towson's quarterback Nathan Kent also returns.
- Spread the wealth – The starting UC offense has a variety of weapons in new quarterback Brendan Sorsby, returning 1,000-plus yard rusher Corey Kiner, tight end Joe Royer and several receivers led by Xzavier Henderson who has topped Florida and Cincinnati in catches in consecutive years. UC returns tremendous offensive line starters plus backups that could start in a pinch. Towson is replacing eight defensive starters. With Pitt ahead and Miami in Oxford to follow, there's no reason to "show your hand" too much. That said, no team should be overlooked. You can go back to UC's historic 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal season and see in week two, they were tied with Murray State 7-7 at halftime. Reality prevailed and the Bearcats won 42-7 but that was against a 6-5 team from the Ohio Valley Conference. Every contest counts.
Cincinnati Bearcats, Towson Tigers players to watch
Towson tight end Runyon is not only on the Reese's Senior Bowl watch list but is also on the Shrine Bowl 1000 and was an FCS Preseason First Team All-American. He led all Coastal Athletic Association tight ends in receiving yards last season. At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, he actually started his college career as an offensive lineman at Shenandoah University.
Tigers kicker/punter Keegan Vaughn is on the 2024 Fred Mitchell Award list for the top placekicker in FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA as he kicked 15 field goals in 2023.
For the Bearcats, the Cincinnati debut of former Elder High standout Joe Royer should be of note. In an earlier scrimmage this month, he caught four touchdown passes. At Ohio State due to several medical and personal circumstances, plus roster depth, he was limited to four catches in his career (though one came in a national semifinal against Georgia). In his senior year at Elder, Royer led the Greater Catholic League-South with 70 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns playing on the same team with current guard Luke Kandra. If Royer turns Nippert into "The Pit", he could turn some NFL heads.
Cincinnati tight end Joe Royer in the red zone
"He's a big target for our quarterbacks," Satterfield said. "He's got soft hands, he can block, he can do it all. When you think about it, he's got so much ball ahead of him. He's not played very much ball (at Ohio State). It's exciting to watch him have some fun."
Donned in white Saturday, No. 11 on offense hopes to improve UC's red zone offense which was ranked 106th of 130 teams in 2023. The ball was moved between the 20s but occasionally stalled. It could be Royer to the rescue.
"We've been doing something red zone-oriented every day at practice," Royer said. "When I came in here I heard that was a big issue. I was looking at some stats. A lot of times they were outgaining opponents but had issues when they got down to the goal line. It's been a big focus for the whole team. I think we'll be good this season."
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Towson Tigers score prediction
UC should take care of business here and start taking advantage of an early schedule that seems palatable. For what it's worth, the backups would appreciate it if you hung around also.
Cincinnati 41, Towson 10
(In my season prediction piece I went 48-14 UC. It should be in that neighborhood based on talent and depth.)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Scouting report: Cincinnati Bearcats football kicks off 2024 campaign vs. Towson Saturday
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