Cincinnati looks to rebound from a highly disappointing 2023 season when it opens the campaign Saturday against visiting Towson.
It is the first-ever meeting between the Bearcats of the Big 12 and the Tigers of the Coastal Athletic Association.
Ever since Desmond Ridder led them to the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2021, the Bearcats have been looking for the next great quarterback to lead them.
In 2022, Ben Bryant guided the Bearcats to a 9-4 mark before leaving for Northwestern after the season.
Last season, the Bearcats won their first two games under Emory Jones before losing a shocker at home, 31-24, to Miami (Ohio). That defeat sent the Bearcats into tailspin, losing eight of their next nine games and finishing with a 3-9 mark, which included a last-place 1-8 finish in their first season in the Big 12.
Now, the Bearcats and second-year head coach Scott Satterfield pin their hopes on redshirt sophomore Brendan Sorsby, a transfer from Indiana. Sorsby beat out Brady Lichtenberg and Samaj Jones.
“He has worked hard to learn the offense, and he’s made a lot of plays. I think he has earned the respect of his teammates, which is huge,” Satterfield said of Sorsby. “There are so many little things that go into being the starter, and I think Brendan has handled himself well. He has a quiet confidence about himself, but he shows humility too, which I like in a quarterback.”
Sorsby played two seasons with the Hoosiers and threw for 1,587 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. He rushed for 286 yards and four TDs last season, including 151 yards over the final three games of the year.
Towson is coming off a 5-6 campaign and is led by senior quarterback Nathan Kent. In 2023, Kent completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,107 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.
On the ground, the Tigers are paced by seniors Christopher Watkins, who averaged 8.1 yards per carry in 2023 and Devin Matthews, who ran for 4.4 yards per carry with nine touchdowns.
“I’m looking for us to take huge strides in a lot of areas,” Towson coach Pete Shinnick said. “We proved that we could beat people (in 2023), we just need to prove we can beat people consistently.”
