The Bearcats (3-1) kick off conference play this weekend when they travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on Tulsa (2-2) as they look to make a run as they are searching to make it a three peat within the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats and Golden Hurricane are tied 17-17-2 in the all-time series where the Bearcats have won the last three as the Golden Hurricane look to change that come Saturday. This is the first time the Bearcats will have made the trip to Tulsa dating back to 2016 where the Golden Hurricane would hold on to defeat the Bearcats 40-37 in overtime back on November 25th, 2016.
This has been one of the most viewed matchups over the last couple seasons as the Bearcats have had their hands full to say the least as they went neck and neck in the 2020 AAC Championship where the Bearcats would defeat the Golden Hurricane 27-24 on a last second field goal from Cole Smith to send the Bearcats to their first New Year’s Six bowl in almost 12 years. However, the Bearcats matchup last season versus Tulsa was very slow to say the least, but the Bearcats held on to win 28-20 despite the Golden Hurricane rushing for 297 yards.
The Golden Hurricane come into this contest with a lot at stake as they haven’t had the opportunity to play the Bearcats at their home stadium since 2016 and were looking to get back at them for the last two seasons. The Golden Hurricane come into this one as one of the FBS top offenses where they are led by Davis Brin, and Keylon Stokes, as the currently rank 4th for passing offense with 358.5 yards per game, 11th for yards per completion with 14.7, and 13th in total offense as they average 507 yards per game.
However, Brin and Stokes play a huge part for the Golden Hurricane on offense as Brin has been shown to sling the rock a little more this season compared to the run heavy offense they have ran in the past. Brin is averaging 15.8 yards per competition which leads all of college football as he has thrown for 1,318 yards on the season as he is 4th in the nation within that respected category, as he averages 329.5 yards per game and has a touchdown to interception ratio of 12:1. Brin has developed a great relationship with senior wide receiver Keylon Stokes who is currently 4th in the nation with 507 receiving yards, as he averages 126.8 yards per game and averages nearly eight receptions per game as well which is good for 7th in all of college football.
Brin is battling a minor ankle injury that he suffered in the teams 35-27 loss to Ole Miss last week, but should be able to go Saturday after exiting after just four possessions last week. Keylon Stokes took a scary hit last week to the head and was able to return late in the game. Stokes has been a lethal weapon for Phillip Montgomery and the Golden Hurricane and has shown to be a key player for the high-powered Golden Hurricane offense, but the Bearcats defense comes into this one ranked third in total defense as they have allowed just 307 yards per game, which is a huge testament for the Bearcats defense as they are led by Ivan Pace who is coming off a 15 tackle performance versus Indiana that earned him AAC Defensive Player of the Week honors and currently leads the American Athletic Conference in tackles. Pace also leads the country with 11 tackles for loss and continues to show why he was one of the most highly touted transfers heading into the 2022 season as he continues to see his name climb draft boards as of late after being named the Bednarik National Defensive Player of the Week.
