College Football
Preview
Cincinnati at Houston
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 11, 2023
Where: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

Houston will look to record consecutive victories for the first time this season when it hosts Cincinnati in Big 12 action on Saturday night.

The Cougars (4-5, 2-4) answered a pair of losses with a 25-24 overtime win over Baylor last Saturday.

Donovan Smith threw for two touchdowns, rushed for one TD and ran for the game-winning two-point conversion to lift Houston.

Samuel Brown reeled in a 26-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Bears. Brown, who leads the Big 12 in catches (54) and receiving yards (764), could be flanked by fellow wideouts Joseph Manjack IV and Matthew Golden this Saturday.

While Manjack is expected to return from a two-game absence while in concussion protocol, Golden's availability is expected to be revealed later this week due to a foot injury he sustained in the second quarter vs. the Bears.

"Good news is it's not broke," Houston coach Dana Holgorsen said Monday. "It's not surgical. It's not long-term, so we're going to hope for the best."

Golden has a team-high six touchdown receptions to go along with two kickoff returns for scores.

While Houston is on the ascent, Cincinnati (2-7, 0-6) continued to plummet as it dropped its seventh straight decision last Saturday with a 28-26 setback to UCF.

The Bearcats lost despite seeing Corey Kiner rush for 114 yards. Ryan Montgomery added 113 on the ground, and the team held the advantage in total offense (515 yards to 393).

Braden Smith reeled in six passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Knights. His four touchdown grabs lead Cincinnati this season.

"You only get so many opportunities to show your stuff, and we got to do better with it, and that includes these next three weeks," Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said Tuesday. "We've got Houston this week, and we're looking forward to playing this game."

Cincinnati will play at West Virginia next week and vs. Kansas the following week.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Cincinnati 2-7 L7 25.3 28.3 1-5 1-2 1-1 0-0 0-6
Houston 4-5 W1 25.2 31.6 3-2 1-3 1-0 3-2 2-4
Last Meeting
Cincinnati Houston
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
12/4/21 HOU 20 CIN 35 400 210 190 336 86 250
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Cincinnati D. Ridder 64.7 190 3 0
Houston C. Tune 65.4 250 2 1
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Cincinnati J. Ford 18 187 10.4 2
Houston A. McCaskill IV 13 39 3.0 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Cincinnati A. Pierce 2 65 32.5 1
Houston T. Dell 9 152 16.9 1
Touchdowns Player TD
Cincinnati J. Ford 2
Houston T. Dell 1
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Cincinnati E. Jones 60.8 1818 14 10
Houston D. Smith 66.0 2302 18 7
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Cincinnati C. Kiner 138 756 5.5 3
Houston P. Jenkins 74 350 4.7 3
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Cincinnati X. Henderson 46 631 13.7 3
Houston S. Brown 53 764 14.4 3
Touchdowns Player TD
Cincinnati B. Smith 4
Houston M. Golden 8
Quickchart Matchup
Cincinnati Cincinnati Off vs  Houston Houston Def
Cincinnati 452.3 yards
Houston 415.8 yards
Cincinnati 5.1 yards/rush
Houston 4.2 yards/rush
Cincinnati 7.3 yards/attempt
Houston 7.9 yards/attempt
Houston Houston Off vs  Cincinnati Cincinnati Def
Houston 381 yards
Cincinnati 377.3 yards
Houston 3.8 yards/rush
Cincinnati 4.2 yards/rush
Houston 7.3 yards/attempt
Cincinnati 8.1 yards/attempt