“Colorado Buffaloes Football Hands Cincinnati Football Away Loss”

CINCINNATI – The Bearcats lost a tough road game to Colorado 34-24 on Saturday night, moving to 5-3 on the season and likely ending their hopes of a Big 12 title run.

CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders (25-30 passing for 323 yards and 2 TDs) lit up the Bearcats' secondary and put too much pressure on the Cincinnati offense to keep up. Deion Sanders' team lost 446 yards to UC.

The Bearcats are now 0-2 against the Buffaloes and enter the bye week in the middle of the Big 12, with a win needed for bowl eligibility. Cincinnati's offense didn't get enough chances to keep up with the Big 12's top unit and lost time of possession for the second time this season (Towson won TOP in Week 1).

Tyson Veidt's defense was shattered from the start in this game, and Sanders opened the game with a perfect series of passes from the field for most of the first half. UC only allowed 10 points in the second half, but the damage was too great.

Tackling was a big problem on the night, starting with Travis Hunter (9 catches, 153 yards, 2 TDs, 2 tackles). He showed why he will join Sanders as a top-five NFL draft pick next spring. Colorado had 180 yards after the catch Saturday. Combined with just SACKS against Sanders, it was a long night for the second and third levels of this defense.

Formal tackles didn't happen often as Hunter & Co. showed great tackle-break speed and a hunger to feed off a rabid Boulder, CO crowd.

It's no secret that Colorado relies on scoring through the air, but the rushing attack got enough pressure to keep Cincinnati on track and post its worst defensive performance of the season. Something about the bright lights brings out the worst in this unit, allowing opponents to score 34+ points in both primetime games.

The Bearcats' corners struggled to handle them all night, and there were also glaring coverage errors in the most efficient passing game they have allowed in 2024.

Cincinnati saw the game turn around in a huge sequence of few drives late in the first half. Colorado was stopped inside the UC 15 and knocked down a field goal, making the score 17-14, leaving the door open for a score with about two minutes left.

There was a brief push to midfield and a running clock for UC on 4th and 1, but UC gave up with three timeouts and was then thwarted about 20 seconds later. It was a game-changing mistake.

Sanders led a TD drive to end the half on Travis Hunter's 34-yard TD grab, and Cincinnati entered the locker room with all its timeouts out. Margins are very slim in atmospheres like this and letting the Buffs win in the middle eight minutes made a big difference.

Cincinnati also refused to show its urgency early in the fourth quarter and throughout the final frame. They never had a realistic chance of coming back while hanging on (32 runs on 30 passes).

The Bearcats have made great strides this season, but mistakes/sequences like this can't happen in the Big 12 title hunt.

Cincinnati needs to regain its offensive mojo after a few weeks of subpar performances in the Big 12. It starts with Brendan Sorsby (13-25 passes for 165 yards, 2 TDs) and the entire air attack.

He didn't get the ball out quickly enough or with enough anticipation to take advantage of the Colorado pass defense, which was steadfast behind Hunter and remained so on Saturday (22nd nationally in EPA/pass allowed this season). The tight coverage and lack of accuracy led to Sorsby's worst passing performance in Cincinnati.

He didn't get the timing right until late in the game when the result was decided, but this could be a way to ignite the wing attack after nearly a month in hibernation. Sorsby wasn't great, but Hunter and the coverage unit were pretty stellar in bringing the overall results full circle.

Sorsby should run every now and then, but on Saturday he chose the wheels too often as Cincinnati goes back to the drawing board with two weeks to prepare for West Virginia at home.

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