Takeaways from the Cincinnati Bearcats' big Saturday night game in Colorado

BOULDER, Colo. – A crucial turn of events before halftime of the Cincinnati Bearcats' game in Colorado led to a major turnaround for the Buffaloes as they became bowl eligible with a 34-23 win on Saturday night.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was 25 of 30 passing for 323 yards and two touchdowns to two-way player Travis Hunter. UC's comeback came with a 34-yard touchdown throw with three seconds left in the first half. Both Sanders and Hunter will be top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

UC tied with Colorado twice but was never able to maintain the lead.

The Bearcats are losing momentum against Colorado

The Bearcats and Buffaloes were tied at 14 early in the second quarter, but Alejandro Mata gave Colorado the lead with a 28-yard field goal with 3:28 left. The Bearcats had the ball and a chance to equalize or take the lead at halftime if they delivered. With 33 seconds left and UC at Colorado's 46-yard line, it was fourth-and-1. Quarterback keeper Brendan Sorsby was stopped.

“Obviously in your head you think you’re going to make it,” Sorsby said. “I think they did a great job up front and didn't allow us to put much pressure. I still have to find a way to get a yard.”

That left 31 seconds for quarterback Shedueur Sanders to play, which was too much that night. Sanders connected with Travis Hunter for a 34-yard touchdown before halftime. Instead of a tie or a lead, the Bearcats found themselves trailing by 10 points.

“We didn’t want to give them the ball back for obvious reasons,” UC head coach Scott Satterfield said. “For me that was the motto of the game. We gave them the ball back and they were able to go. We didn’t put our defense in a good position.”

The Buffaloes added a rushing touchdown from Isaiah Augustave late in the third quarter, giving them 17 unanswered points. Trailing 31-14, UC cut the lead on a Nathan Hawks field goal, then Sorsby hit Joe Royer on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 3:51 left. A 2-point conversion failed, and Mata managed a 47-yard field goal just over the crossbar, making the final score 34-23.

“I'm a little disappointed with how we ended up,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said of the game's end. “Mata was phenomenal at what he did. Great team. They (Cincinnati) didn’t want to give up. This is a testament to their coaches and their staff. They did their best.”

Colorado improved to 6-2 (4-1 Big 12) while the Bearcats fell to 5-3 (3-2 Big 12).

Why choose 2 late in the game?

With an extra point, UC could have trailed 31-24 after the Royer touchdown. However, in coaching circles, the metrics point to a 2-point conversion in similar situations.

“It’s the math,” Satterfield said. “If you can’t do that, then you have to get the next one. If you do that and shoot the next one, and theoretically if you stop them without a field goal, you win the game. Especially away from home.” . If we had been at home we probably would have got the extra point.

Shedeur Sanders vs. Brendan Sorsby quarterback comparison

Maybe Sheduer Sanders looked better doing it, but both quarterbacks had their effective moments. Sanders completed his first 15 passes and scored a rushing touchdown before halftime. He completed all but five of his passes.

“We take for granted how good this young man is,” coach Sanders said. “I would say that even if he wasn’t my son.”

Sorsby struggled to pass against the Colorado defense, while Sanders had an incompletion rare.

“They’re a much better team this year because of their defensive performance,” Satterfield said.

Sorsby got a few completions late and his 6-yard pass to Joe Royer cut the deficit to 31-23. A late field goal by Alejandro Mata made the final score 34:23. Sorsby finished the game 16-for-30 for 180 yards. Tony Johnson and Joe Royer each had four catches and a touchdown in the game.

Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Colorado Buffaloes rush on offense

UC held an 85-49 halftime lead, but the yards were hard-fought, with Kiner gaining 32 and Sorsby 29. Colorado seemed determined to outscore the Bearcats. Augustave, a transfer from Arkansas, had his best game in Boulder and helped Colorado run out the clock at the end. He finished the game with 91 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.

“At the beginning of the week we made a conscious effort to ensure that we controlled the football,” said coach Sanders.

Corey Kiner ran hard all night and finished with 94 yards plus four catches for eight yards.

What did Travis Hunter from Colorado do?

There's not much he can't do. He opened the scoring on the first play of the game, a pass intended for Xzavier Henderson. Then, at 9:32 of the first quarter, Shedeur Sanders spotted Hunter in the back of the end zone. Hunter had 113 receiving yards with two touchdowns in the first half alone. He finished the game with nine catches for 153 yards along with two tackles and three pass breakups on defense.

Most noticeable was the speed of Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and LaJohntay Wester. Once they turned on the jets, they were hard to catch.

“Obviously they have great players, great talent and receiver corps all over the place,” UC defensive lineman Derrick Canteen said. “More than anything, they just did a good job. Every week you play against talented players, receivers and running backs, and every week in this conference the emphasis is on talent and speed.”

Was the time zone or altitude a factor?

The altitude played less of a role than the time impulse in the mountains. Even though UC has gotten faster, Colorado still has the edge in this regard.

The Bearcats wouldn't be home until Sunday for an early breakfast (probably 6:45 a.m. before their departure). Luckily, they have a bye week ahead of them. While the Big 12 tries to support schools spread across multiple time zones, internal clock issues can still arise.

“It's tough when you have to play so late and travel so far and all the things that come with it, but I still love the way our kids finished and fought,” Satterfield said.

Luke Kandra update

The guard was on the ground early in the game and returned, but then later left the field and did not return.

“This late in the season you have a lot of scrapes and bruises,” Satterfield said. “Dontay (Corleone) went down, Kandra went down. We'll have to see how he's doing. He couldn’t finish the game.”

Next up in the Big 12 for Cincinnati

The Bearcats have a bye and will face West Virginia on Saturday, November 9th at Nippert Stadium. This game will celebrate Nippert's 100th anniversary as UC takes on its former Big East rivals. The game time could be announced on Monday. The Mountaineers played Arizona on Saturday night in Tucson and won 31-26 and are now 4-4. Again, UC is just one win away from bowl eligibility and their next opportunity comes at home.

“There’s still a lot of ball left,” Satterfield said. “Four more games. We had two losses in the Big 12. A lot can happen at this conference. I think everyone knows how anyone can beat anyone in this conference, depending on travel and injuries. That’s still wide open.”

Colorado is also free next week. The Buffaloes will be at Texas Tech on November 9th.

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