CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats have reached a difficult stretch of their schedule, and Saturday's Homecoming matchup against No. 8 Texas Tech will be their toughest challenge of the season. The Red Raiders arrive at Nippert Stadium undefeated, while Cincinnati is trying to recover from two consecutive losses that have exposed some major problems on defense.

Cincinnati (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) is coming off a heartbreaking 45-42 loss at West Virginia, a game the Bearcats led until the Mountaineers kicked a field goal as time expired. Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 Big 12), meanwhile, continued its impressive start with a 53-25 victory over Arizona State.

The Bearcats have shown they can score points, but their defense has become a huge concern. Cincinnati has allowed 79 points and 1,120 yards over its last two games. Furthermore, they are surrendering 434.3 yards and 26.8 points per game this season. Those numbers don't inspire much confidence against a Texas Tech offense averaging nearly 38 points.

The offense, however, has continued to produce outside of the Arizona game. Cincinnati rolled up 622 total yards against West Virginia, with quarterback JC French IV throwing for a career-high 389 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Cole Tabb added 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with another score through the air. Yet, we can all agree that West Virginia doesn't think playing defense is all that cool.

It will be interesting to see if Cincinnati can move the ball on the ground. The Bearcats are averaging 231.2 rushing yards per game, ranking 11th nationally, while Texas Tech is allowing just 82 yards per game on the ground, the fifth-best mark in the country. As they say, something's gotta give.

There may be opportunities through the air as well, however. Texas Tech has been much stronger against the run than the pass, and French has shown he can produce big numbers when given protection. The Red Raiders have also forced 12 turnovers, making ball security especially important.

Texas Tech is equally dangerous offensively. Quarterback Will Hammond has thrown for 1,334 yards, while running back J'Koby Williams has rushed for 538 yards and five touchdowns. Williams is coming off a 165-yard, two-touchdown performance against Arizona State, including scoring runs of 62 and 38 yards.

Saturday marks Cincinnati's 100th Homecoming celebration, but the schedule won't get any easier afterward. The Bearcats host No. 10 Utah next weekend before traveling to face No. 14 Houston on November 7.

For Cincinnati to pull off the upset, it will need to protect the football, find enough success on the ground to keep Texas Tech honest, and get defensive stops on third down. The Bearcats have enough offensive talent to compete, but their defense must play considerably better than it has over the past two games.

Game Information

Prediction

Cincinnati has enough offensive talent to score, but its defensive problems present a terrible matchup against an unbeaten Texas Tech team. The Red Raiders have the stronger defense, an explosive running game, and the ability to create turnovers. Unless the Bearcats show dramatic improvement defensively, this could get out of hand.

Texas Tech 42, Cincinnati 17