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Nickname: Bearcats
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
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Enrollment: 50,921
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Home field: Nippert Stadium (Capacity: 38,088)
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Conference: Big 12
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2023 record: 3-9, 1-8 Big 12
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All-time series record vs. UCF: 4-5
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Last meeting: Nov. 4, 2023 (UCF won 28-26)
Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment in a 12-part series highlighting UCF’s 2024 football opponents.
The transfer portal has the potential to kick UCF’s longstanding rivalry with Cincinnati up a few extra notches this fall.
UCF plucked three players off the Bearcats’ 2023 roster — running back Myles Montgomery, safety Bryon Threats and linebacker Deshawn Pace, who stated there were no hard feelings toward his former team and that the decision was not up to him.
“It really wasn’t a decision,” Pace told the Cincinnati Enquirer last November. “I was more likely to be told. It’s all good. It’s just football. They said it’s a business.”
UCF opponent previews: Billy Napier under pressure at Florida as Knights invade the Swamp
UCF took care of business against Cincinnati last fall to avoid falling into the Big 12’s basement; both teams were 0-5 within their new conference before the Knights walked out of Nippert Stadium as 28-26 winners. The season prior, UCF ended the Bearcats’ 19-game American Athletic Conference winning streak with a 25-21 triumph at the Bounce House.
Will that trend continue, or will the Bearcats get a measure of revenge on Oct. 12?
Here is an in-depth look at Cincinnati entering the fall.
Scott Satterfield aiming for Year 2 turnaround after 3-9 Cincinnati debut
Hired eight days after Luke Fickell accepted the coaching position at Wisconsin, Scott Satterfield endured a rough debut campaign on the Cincinnati sidelines.
The Bearcats — two seasons and more than a handful of NFL draft picks removed from a groundbreaking appearance in the College Football Playoff — cratered with a 3-9 overall record, including a lowly 1-8 mark in Big 12 play and a first defeat in 16 games to Victory Bell rival Miami (Ohio) University. Under Fickell, Cincinnati won 53 games across the previous five seasons.
Cincinnati ranked 100th in the country in scoring defense (30 ppg allowed) and 93rd in total defense (402.8 yards per game allowed). Former Iowa State associate head coach/linebackers coach Tyson Veidt takes over as the defensive coordinator, needing to overhaul a unit that conceded at least 30 points in six of its nine conference contests.
On a positive note, Satterfield’s offense ranked No. 5 in the nation running the football, gaining 217.1 yards per game. Yet, it scored just 14 touchdowns on the ground, the fewest for any team inside the FBS’ top-60 rushing attacks.
All-Big 12 defender Dontay Corleone (blood clots) returns to practice
Top Offensive Returners: OL Deondre Buford, OL Gavin Gerhardt, WR Xzavier Henderson, OL Luke Kandra, RB Corey Kiner, WR Evan Prater, OL Dartanyan Tinsley, OL John Williams
Top Defensive Returners: DL Dontay Corleone, LB Jack Dingle, DL Jalen Hunt, EDGE Eric Phillips, DB Jordan Young
Cincinnati received a big boost Thursday when Preseason All-Big 12 defensive lineman Dontay Corleone returned to practice. The 6-foot-1, 320-pound redshirt junior, nicknamed “The Godfather,” was hospitalized in mid-June to treat blood clots in his lungs.
Corleone participated in individual drills and some on-field formations but not in offense-versus-defense situations, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Scott Springer reported.
“There’s some things he jumped in and was able to do,” Satterfield said. “Leaning on what the trainers will allow him to do, he’s going to able to do that. He’ll work through that as we go through camp. I’m excited to have him out here. The reps he’s not getting, he’s doing a lot of coaching, so he’s certainly staying involved mentally.”
Corleone’s status remains unclear, and he was expected to be one of the few impact defenders returning to the fold for Cincinnati. Linebacker Jack Dingle is the top returning tackler, with 53 including five for loss.
Corey Kiner surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark as a junior, gashing UCF for 114 and a touchdown on 19 carries. He will run behind a stout interior trio in Luke Kandra, Gavin Gerhardt and Dartanyan Tinsley. The Bearcats bring back five linemen who played at least 700 snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus.
Brendan Sorsby, influx of DBs join Cincinnati through transfer portal
Transfer Portal Additions: DL Harris Adams (Southeast Missouri State), DB Ormanie Arnold (Idaho), LB Jared Bartlett (West Virginia), DB Derrick Canteen (Virginia Tech), LB Mikah Coleman (Eastern Michigan), P Max Fletcher (Arkansas), DB Tre Gola-Callard (Southern Utah), LB Jake Golday (Central Arkansas), WR Tony Johnson (Florida Atlantic), LB Connor Keyes (Minnesota), OL Xavier Lozowicki (Maine), WR Jamoi Mayes (Chattanooga), DB Mehki Miller (New Mexico State), DB Josh Minkins Jr. (Louisville), LS Jayden Perry (Indiana State), RB Evan Pryor (Ohio State), DB Jordan Robinson (Kentucky), DL Cameron Roetherford (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), TE Joe Royer (Ohio State), TE Francis Sherman (Arkansas), WR Tyrin Smith (UTEP), QB Brendan Sorsby…
Daytona Beach News-Journal
