Overview

• Kickoff is Saturday at 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) at Nippert Stadium with television coverage on ESPN2.
• Iowa State has allowed 14.2 points per game and has held four straight opponents to 16 points or fewer.
• The Cyclones enter short-handed in the defensive backfield after season-ending injuries to Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams, pushing less experienced players into key roles.
• Cincinnati is coming off a 37-point performance at Kansas as Brendan Sorsby threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns and Cyrus Allen posted 11 catches for 128 yards and two scores, with the run game averaging nearly six yards per carry.
• Previews frame a competitive, potentially high-scoring matchup hinging on Iowa State’s bid to control tempo and contain Sorsby, with Cincinnati’s 3-3-5 defense under Tyson Veidt not expected to have nose tackle Dontay Corleone.