Iowa State Cyclones 2025 Opponent Preview: Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati's offensive attack will be led by junior quarterback Brendan Sorbsy after a solid 2024 season. The former Indiana Hoosier threw for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns last year, while also finishing with 447 rushing yards and an additional nine touchdowns on the ground. Sorsby's dual-threat ability allows for the Bearcats' offense to be dynamic in multiple aspects, which could cause trouble for the Cyclones.

Along with Sorsby returning, the offense managed to keep three of the five starting offensive lineman from the pervious season in center Gavin Gearheart, left guard Evan Tengesdahl and right tackle Deondre Buford. Satterfield also landed two starting linemen in the portal this offseason with right guard Taran Tyo and left tackle Joe Cotton to round out the rest of the bodies up front. And with the program grabbing former Wisconsin running back Tawee Walker in the portal, Cincinnati's offense will look to make dramatic improvements from 2024.

On defense, Satterfield returned eight of eleven starters from last year, including an intriguing duo of defensive tackle Dontany Corleone and EDGE Jalen Hunt. Corleone was First Team All-Big 12 in 2024 after finishing with 26 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for losses. Hunt, on the other hand, did not last season, but the senior pass rusher is projected to fill in on the defensive line with sophomore Marquaze Parker.

Cincinnati's Weaknesses

Scatterfield did an excellent job of utlizing the transfer portal this offseason to address multiple holes on both offense and defense. However, the Bearcats' offense must heavily rely on their newest additions in the passing game this year. Cincinnati returned only one of the program's top five leaders in receiving yards from 2024 in tight end Joe Royer. This means Sorsby will turn to wide receivers Cyrus Allen, Jeff Caldwell and Caleb Goodie. Both Allen and Goodie combined for 705 yards at their respective programs, while Caldwell finished First Team All-Big South/OVC last season.

Looking at the defensive side of the ball, Satterfield's squad was roughly middle of the conference in most statistical categories, except for rushing yards allowed per game. Cincinnati allowed the four-most rushing yards per game last season with an average of 162.1 yards. This year, however, senior strong-side linebacker Jake Golday will be an important piece in the team's efforts to limit the run game. Golday finished with 58 tackles and 5.5 tackles for losses last season, making him one of the key playmakers in the front seven for the Bearcats.