UCF vs. Cincinnati Football Preview with Russ Heltman of Bearcat Blitz
As UCF heads north to face a resurgent Cincinnati team on Saturday afternoon, the Knights will meet a Bearcats squad experiencing its first true momentum surge in the Scott Satterfield era.
To preview the matchup, I caught up with Russ Heltman, who covers Cincinnati for SI and hosts the Bearcat Blitz podcast.
We discussed everything from Cincinnati’s midseason turnaround and quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s breakout, to roster construction, the UCF rivalry, and even local dining tips for Knights fans making the trip to the Queen City.
Scott Satterfield’s Year 3 turnaround
The Scott Satterfield era mirrors Cincinnati’s time in the Big 12. The former Appalachian State and Louisville coach took over in late 2022, and he inherited what Heltman described as “bare bones.” The program had just lost Luke Fickell, the most successful coach in school history, to Wisconsin, and the roster was gutted by transfer departures.
Satterfield began Big 12 play with two losing seasons: 3-9 overall and 1-8 in the league in 2023, and last season, 5-7 overall and 3-6 in conference, though they did lose four one-score games.
Entering 2025, belief in Satterfield wasn’t exactly sky high in Clifton.
“Vibes were not necessarily great kind of outside the building,” Heltman said. “You get eight wins total from Scott Satterfield in his first two years… He was kind of a lame duck at Louisville before Cincinnati pulled him out of that situation.”
The program’s early struggles weren’t solely about coaching. Heltman noted that in addition to the depleted roster, Satterfield spent his first two years without a proper facility. That changed this summer with the unveiling of the $134M Sheakley Athletic Performance Center, a game-changer for both operations and recruiting.
“You’re losing your best head coach ever, you lose almost your entire roster, and you’re moving into a new conference,” Heltman said. “There was no facility, no infrastructure for success early in Satterfield’s tenure.
“Now it’s all about football. And when it’s all about football, I think Scott Satterfield’s proven in his career that… he can put together a solid offense, which we’re seeing wholeheartedly.”
Now, the Bearcats are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, riding a four-game winning streak that includes victories over Kansas (37-34) and No. 14 Iowa State (38-30). Cincinnati is averaging 39.2 points per game, 478.4 yards of offense, and leads the nation with just one sack allowed all season.
A breakthrough win and a fanbase reenergized
Last week’s upset of No. 14 Iowa State, the highest-ranked opponent to fall at Nippert since Rutgers in 2006, was a cathartic moment for the Cincinnati faithful.
“It was a sigh of relief,” Heltman said. “Sure, that wasn’t the 14th-best team in the country given their injuries, but the number is the number. It was their first top-15 home win in nearly 20 years. For a fanbase that’s been through the wringer since Fickell left, it meant a lot.”
Heltman even admitted he’s “usually not a field-storming guy,” but said the celebration was warranted.
“Sometimes you just need to celebrate the little victories,” he added, noting the joy players like veteran defensive tackle Jalen Hunt felt finally experiencing a defining moment inside Nippert.
The Fickell Fallout: No love lost
UCF fans went through a similar situation when Scott Frost left for Nebraska, so how are Cincinnati fans viewing Luck Fickell’s difficulties at Wisconsin?
And maybe Satterfield has things figured out, but could he envision a day Fickell could return to the Bearcats, like Frost with UCF or Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia?
“They are drinking in the tears of the Wisconsin flailing up there in Madison, and they do not want Luke Fickell back,” he said. “He left them by the wayside, especially going into a new conference… I haven’t talked to a single fan who really has soft feelings for Luke Fickell anymore.”
Even when Cincinnati was mired in a five-game losing streak to end last season, fans weren’t calling for a reunion.
QB Brendan Sorsby’s rise
Cincinnati’s turnaround has been powered by quarterback Brendan Sorsby, the former Indiana transfer and teammate of UCF’s Tayven Jackson. Through five games, Sorsby has thrown for 1,257 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just one interception, while rushing for 291 yards and five scores.
The 6-foot-3 Texan currently ranks No. 1 nationally in Pro Football Focus quarterback rating (91.1) and No. 5 in ESPN’s Total QBR (87.6). He’s also orchestrated one of the most efficient red zone offenses in college football: Cincinnati has scored on all 21 red zone trips, including 17 touchdowns.
“He’s taken another step in his mental development,” Heltman explained. “He’s seeing the field better, moving through his reads better… Things have slowed down for him.”
Sorsby’s success is due in part to the Bearcats’ offensive line, which has allowed just one sack all season, tied for the fewest in the country.
“He has over 1,200 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, one interception, and the fifth-best ESPN QBR nationally. He’s got one of the best turnover-worthy play rates in the country,” Heltman said. “All the deep-ball issues from last year have flipped.”
One of those deep shots came in Saturday’s win when Sorsby hit Caleb Goodie for an 82-yard touchdown, Cincinnati’s longest pass play since 2015.
“He dialed it up when he had to,” Heltman said.
The Portal Pipeline: Building a winner overnight
When asked how the Bearcats transformed their roster so quickly, Heltman’s answer was simple: the transfer portal.
“It’s almost all portal,” he said. “Top rushers? Portal. Top receivers? Portal. Top tacklers? Portal.”
Cincinnati brought in 21 transfers this season, many of whom are key contributors.
Transfers lead the way on offense
Running back Tawee Walker, a bruising Wisconsin transfer, leads the backfield with 322 yards (62.6 ypg, 5.6 ypc) and three touchdowns, while Evan Pryor (Ohio State) provides the lightning — averaging 60.2 yards per game and 9.1 yards per carry, and scoring twice against Iowa State.
“Walker’s the thunder, Pryor’s the lightning,” Heltman said. “Walker runs people over. Pryor gives them those explosive 30-yard plays.”
At receiver, Colorado State transfer Caleb Goodie (334 yards, 22.3 ypc) has emerged as the home-run threat, while Texas A&M transfer Cyrus Allen (26 catches, 295 yards, 5 TDs) works the intermediate zones. Tight end Joe Royer, another ex-Ohio State player, rounds out the passing attack.
“You’ve got to credit GM Zach Grant and Director of Player Personnel Jack Griffith, the kind of brain trust in the UC Talent Acquisition Room. They found what best fits talent-wise to what best fits what this coaching staff wants to operate in terms of their system.”
Defensive Identity: Red Zone Resilience
Despite ranking 82nd nationally in total defense (377.8 yards per game), Heltman said the unit’s red-zone success has kept Cincinnati afloat.
“They’ll give up yards, but they bow up when it matters,” he said. “They’ve allowed points, but the situational defense has been strong.”
Defensive tackle Dontay “The Godfather” Corleone, a preseason All-American who battled off-season blood clots, is now healthy after an early-season ankle injury and expected to play a full workload against UCF.
“He’s looked good this week,” Heltman said. “No ankle brace, fully participating. That’s huge for this matchup.”
On defense, transfer linebacker Jake Golday (Central Arkansas) leads the Big 12 with 9.8 tackles per game, while safety Antwan Peek Jr. — son of Bearcats legend Antwan Peek — has forced two fumbles and earned a 90.4 PFF grade, third-highest among all FBS safeties.
UCF-Cincinnati rivalry
Cincinnati is the closest thing UCF has to a rival in the Big 12, and Heltman agrees. The Knights and Bearcats have played each season for the past 10 years, and the series is evenly split at 5-5.
The Big 12 didn’t designate this game as a protected rivalry, so no there’s no UCF-UC game in 2026.
“UCF is absolutely Cincinnati’s biggest rival in this conference,” Heltman said. “West Virginia might be next, but the Bearcats-UCF matchups have been too competitive, too memorable. The fans circle this one.”
Cincinnati won last year’s meeting in Orlando, 19-13. However in 2023, UCF beat the Bearcats in Nippert, 28-26. They’ve had a great home field advantage though, and have a 48-19 home record since 2015.
Visiting Cincinnati
Before wrapping up, Heltman offered one local recommendation. He wasn’t going to mention Skyline Chili, or go with every media member’s favorite suggestion of Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse.
“Go to Pepp & Dolores in Over-the-Rhine. It is the best pasta I’ve ever eaten in my life, and some of the best appetizers I’ve ever had. The bread and ricotta cheese, it’ll change your life. It’s so good.”
Score Prediction and Final Thoughts
Heltman expects another high-scoring game but believes Cincinnati’s offensive rhythm and home-field confidence will prevail.
“I think Cincinnati will win. I’m not sure they’re going to cover this one though,” Heltman predicted. “I’ll go 38-28.”
He expects UCF to have success moving the football, particularly if the quarterback situation stabilizes, but sees the Bearcats’ offensive balance as the difference.
“UC’s defense has just been a little leaky. They’re giving up a 44% success rate on dropbacks, 119th nationally,” he said. “But the offense will do enough.”
Check out Russ Heltman’s work at Cincinnati Bearcats on SI and his podcast, Bearcat Blitz.
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