Saturday, the Texas Tech football team will look to move to 7-0 on the season. To accomplish that goal, the Red Raiders must beat the Cincinnati Bearcats on the road.
Cincy got off to a nice 4-0 start in 2026. That included an impressive 31-26 home victory over Kansas State to open Big 12 play.
Since then, though, the Bearcats have dropped their last two games. Two weeks ago, they fell at Arizona 34-7, and this past weekend, they lost at West Virginia 45-42 on a last-second field goal.
This will be just the second all-time meeting between the Red Raiders and Bearcats. The first took place in 2024 when Cincy missed a potential game-tying field goal as time expired in a 44-41 Red Raider victory in Lubbock.
Because Tech and Cincinnati cross paths so infrequently, Red Raider fans might not know too much about this week's opponent. So let's take a look at some key stats to gauge what to expect from the Bearcats on Saturday.
Cincinnati will test the Texas Tech defense on the ground
One interesting aspect of this game is the ground attack of Cincinnati against Texas Tech's run defense. In fact, that could be what determines who wins this Big 12 matchup.
Overall, the Bearcats average 460 yards of offense per game. That's good for 19th in the nation. Most of that production comes from the rushing attack, which churns out 231.2 yards per game, 11th-best overall.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders allow only 91.4 yards per game. That's 17th in the NCAA. In other words, when Cincy tries to run the ball, it will be a battle of strength against strength.
What is interesting, though, is that Cincy's run game has already been shut down by a decent defense this season. Arizona, which ranks 38th nationally in rushing defense, held the Bearcats to just 74 yards on the ground. If Tech can do something similar, it will be a good day for the visitors.
Texas Tech could have a big day on offense
On the other side of the ball, Texas Tech will have an opportunity to put up some yards on a suspect Cincy defense. That's great for a team that had its best offensive day of the season this past Saturday against Arizona State.
Overall, Cincinnati sits at No. 128 out of 138 teams in total defense. They give up an average of 434.4 yards each week.
What's more, in Big 12 play, Cincy is surrendering 35 points per game. That's one reason why they rank 97th in America and 14th in the Big 12 in scoring defense.
Tech's offense seemed to figure something out prior to facing Arizona State. They racked up 502 yards of offense and 53 points in their blowout of the Sun Devils.
Tech QB Will Hammond could have a huge day because the Bearcats are giving up 294 yards per game through the air. Only two teams in America allow more. Hopefully, what Hammond showed against ASU is going to continue to be what we see from him moving forward, and if that's the case, he'll light up the Bearcat pass defense.
Cincinnati takes great care of the football
In the last three games, Texas Tech has thrived by taking the ball away from opponents. In fact, in those games, Tech has scored four defensive touchdowns.
That might be tough to keep up against Cincy, though. That's because the Bearcats are one of the best teams in America when it comes to taking care of the football.
This season, Cincinnati has given the ball away just twice. One was a lost fumble against Miami (OH), and one was a lost fumble against Kansas State.
That means that the Bearcats have yet to throw an interception this year. QB JC French IV has attempted 153 passes without being picked off.
Therefore, it will be interesting when he faces Tech's linebacking trio which has collected six picks this season. That cat-and-mouse game between the Cincinnati QB and the Tech linebackers could be fascinating to watch and go a long way towards deciding who comes out on top.
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