5 things to watch as Cincinnati Bearcats football travels to UCF in Big 12 play

FBC Mortgage Stadium aka, "The Bounce House", is nothing new to the University of Cincinnati Bearcats football team.

For most Bearcats, a hurricane is new. By the time the Bearcats and UCF Knights take the Bermuda grass field Saturday, Hurricane Milton will have made its way across the Florida peninsula, hopefully leaving damage at a minimum and available power.

UCF has had experience with weather issues when their home game with Sam Houston State was delayed by a storm and they twice had to reschedule against SMU in 2022 due to Hurricane Ian. In 2017, Hurricane Irma cost them a home game vs. Georgia Tech and in 2018, Hurricane Florence stopped a trip to North Carolina.

Ironically, UC's last weather stoppage was when then-No. 6 UCF came to Nippert and blasted the Bearcats in Luke Fickell's first season, 51-23 in a game shortened to three quarters by weather. Then-UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton had five touchdown passes.

Both teams come into the game 3-2 (1-1 Big 12). Someone has to give and someone has to take.

5 things to watch in Cincinnati Bearcats Big 12 road rivalry with UCF

1. Who needs the game more? UCF or Cincinnati?

Both teams are in similar predicaments in the Big 12 where results and competitors can be unpredictable. UC must come home to play Arizona State Oct. 19. The Sun Devils were picked last in the Big 12 but come into their game at Utah Friday 4-1. The Arizona State game is followed by a trip to Boulder for Coach Prime's Buffaloes who spanked UCF 48-21 and are also currently 4-1.

After another bye, the Bearcats come back to host West Virginia who has been Jekyll and Hyde the travel to current No. 11 Iowa State which is 5-0, followed by a trip to current No. 18 Kansas State, another 4-1 team.

"They're kind of like that dog backed into a corner," UC coach Scott Satterfield said of UCF. "We know we're going to get their best shot. Plus, there's been a great rivalry between the two programs, so you know you're going to get that."

In UCF's immediate plans are a night game in Ames against the undefeated No. 11 Cyclones , then Homecoming against undefeated No. 14 BYU. The following week is 3-2 Arizona which gave Utah its first loss, then the surprising Sun Devils from Arizona State. Looking ahead on the menu is current No. 10 Utah coming to Orlando.

"It's a must-win game," UCF tackle Amari Kight said. "All games are must-win games but I really feel we should win this game."

2. Who wins this Big 12 quarterback battle? UCF's K.J. Jefferson or UC's Brendan Sorsby?

K.J. Jefferson threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in defeating UC when he was at Arkansas 31-24 in 2022. At nearly 250 pounds, he's a load similar to Houston's Donovan Smith. He carried the ball 20 times for 76 yards in the loss to Colorado, but Florida held him to -18 on 12 carries (counting sacks).

"Big, physical guy for sure who likes to run it and he's not going to avoid contact" UC linebacker Jake Golday said of Jefferson. "He likes to lower his shoulder and get those extra yards that way. Taking him on as he's a running back is what we're going at, being physical and getting to him."

Sorsby's high rushing game was 52 in his last outing vs. Texas Tech when most of UC's running backs were injured.

In the throwing department, Sorsby's national stats are better in pass efficiency (No. 17 to No. 43), touchdown passes (No. 18 to No. 60), and passing yards per game (No. 10 to No. 75). In his last game, Sorsby's numbers surpassed Texas Tech's Behren Morton everywhere but the score.

3. Can UC stop UCF running back R.J. Harvey?

In UC's last trip to the "Bounce House" in 2022, it was Harvey's touchdown run in the final minute that delivered a 25-21 Knights win. Harvey ran for 1,416 yards last season and sits at 600 now. In the last two games, he has been held below 100, as Colorado held him to 77, and Florida held him to 75.

Countering that ball-control offense of Harvey and Jefferson, if UC has a healthy Corey Kiner and Evan Pryor, a few yards on the ground could open up Sorsby and the receivers. Both Harvey and Kiner average over six yards per carry.

"We've got another one this week (Harvey) who's going to be playing on Sundays," Satterfield said. "You've got to ride your big dog. If Corey Kiner's ready to go, we're going to ride him."

4. Will Cincinnati's Florida Bearcats deliver?

Some key Bearcats are from the Sunshine State including top receiver Xzavier Henderson, slot Tony Johnson and corner Jordan Young. Both Young and Henderson played vs. UCF in the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa won by UCF 29-17.

"We've never lost confidence," Young said of UC's season. "Our confidence is unmatched. Even after things didn't go our way at Texas Tech, we never lost confidence. After Pitt (28-27 loss) we bounced back and I'm looking for the same thing this week."

Johnson is from nearby Ocala and wasn't recruited by UCF, instead playing at Florida Atlantic.

"I look forward to showing everybody what I've been working on in Cincinnati," Johnson said. "They (UCF) didn't look at me. They passed on me. It's fuel to the fire, being in my hometown, they passed on me. I look forward to attacking it like every other week, going out there and making plays to the best of my ability."

Other notable Florida 'Cats are linebacker Jared Bartlett, running back Manny Covey, cornerback Kye Stokes, safety D.J. Taylor and walk-on long snapper George Leibold.

5. Which team will be less distracted? UCF or UC?

The Knights have lost two straight and have been reminded by the media of last year's five-game skid. Unfortunately for UC, that was broken at Nippert Stadium when an Emory Jones two-point conversion pass failed late and UCF prevailed 28-26.

They also have not been in class this week with Hurricane Milton and obviously will have friends and family on their minds as they try to bounce back.

"I'm real confident we'll be able to rebound," UCF coach Gus Malzahn said. "We're still learning some things about our team, about our players. They're (UCF) playing their guts out and they're going to continue to do that. Our group is a close group. (It) doesn't matter about Twitter or this opinion or that opinion. We need to play better football on the field."

A glaring distraction would seem to be the loss of six players after four games to the transfer portal. That list includes defensive back Bryon Threats who departed UC for UCF. Running back Myles Montgomery who also went south is believed to be possibly out for the season with a knee injury. That leaves Deshawn Pace on UCF as the only Cincinnatian facing his old teammates, including three of his former Colerain High teammates Dontay Corleone, Eric Phillips and Ken Willis.

Nose guard Lee Hunter didn't care for the UCF defections and called out Threats on social media.

"When you build a relationship with one of your brothers and stuff go left, you feel some type of way about it," Hunter said. "We're going to get pass that. He made his decision, I said what I said. I felt that and talked to him and told him that to his face."

Saturday's game at 3:30 is on ESPN2. The Knights have been in the spotlight the past two weeks playing Colorado and "Coach Prime" Deion Sanders on Fox with the Big Noon Kickoff show preceding, then again at Florida last Saturday on the SEC Network. This is UC's third ESPN2 game joining the home game at Pitt and the late night in Lubbock Sept. 28.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 5 things to watch as Cincinnati Bearcats football travels to UCF in Big 12 play