CINCINNATI — The Bearcats have spent the first month of the season finding ways to win. Now they have to do it somewhere other than Cincinnati.

UC heads to Tucson Saturday night for its first true road game of the season, carrying a 4-0 record into a matchup with 3-1 Arizona. The Bearcats are coming off a 31-26 win over Kansas State in their Big 12 opener, while the Wildcats return home after beating Washington State, 34-24.

The setting alone makes this one different. Cincinnati did not leave the city during September, with three games at Nippert Stadium and the Miami game played downtown at TQL Stadium. Saturday will be UC’s first trip to Casino Del Sol Stadium and comes with an 11 p.m. ET kickoff, the Bearcats’ latest start since playing at Hawai?i in 2008.

If Cincinnati wants to take the crowd out of the game, the most obvious path is the one it has followed all season: run the football.

The Bearcats enter Saturday averaging 270 rushing yards per game, seventh-best nationally, and have topped 250 yards on the ground three times in four games. Gi’Bran Payne rushed for 126 yards against Kansas State, while Cole Tabb added 124 and three touchdowns as UC finished with 271 rushing yards.

Arizona will make them earn it.

The Wildcats are allowing only 80.2 rushing yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry through four games. If Cincinnati can establish the run, it would shorten the game, limit Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita’s opportunities and, perhaps most importantly, keep a late-night road crowd from becoming a major factor.

That becomes even more important because Fifita and the Arizona passing game are capable of scoring quickly. Fifita has completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns, and the Wildcats are averaging 303.8 passing yards per game. Arizona is also converting 56 percent of its third downs, meaning Cincinnati’s defense cannot afford missed tackles or extended drives caused by its own mistakes.

The Bearcats have already shown they can survive difficult situations. They erased a 21-point halftime deficit against Miami and came back from 10 down against Kansas State, becoming the first UC team since 2011 to overcome double-digit deficits in consecutive games.

Doing that again on the road would be asking for trouble.

Players to Watch

• Cole Tabb — Tabb has quickly become one of the most explosive backs in the country, leading the FBS at 11.1 yards per carry through four games. He rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns against Kansas State and has seven total touchdowns this season. Cincinnati needs him, Payne, and the rest of the rushing attack to keep moving the chains, control possession, and quiet the crowd before Arizona can build momentum.

• The UC Defense — Arizona’s offense is too efficient to give away extra opportunities. Cincinnati needs to tackle cleanly, keep receivers in front of them, and force Fifita to string together long drives rather than surrendering explosive plays. Getting off the field on third down will be particularly important against an Arizona offense converting 56 percent of those opportunities.

• JC French IV — French does not need to turn Saturday into a quarterback showcase. He needs to manage the game, protect the football, distribute it to his receivers, and take the yards available when Arizona gives him a running lane. He went 8-of-13 for 165 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State without throwing an interception, and another efficient performance would go a long way toward giving Cincinnati a chance to control the game.

Game Information

• Cincinnati is 4-0 for the first time since 2021 and 1-0 in Big 12 play.
• Saturday is Cincinnati’s first true road game of the season and its first-ever game at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
• Tabb leads the nation at 11.1 yards per carry and has seven total touchdowns through four games.
• Cincinnati leads the Big 12 with 16 rushing touchdowns and is averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
• The 11 p.m. ET kickoff is UC’s latest since an 11:30 p.m. start at Hawai?i on Dec. 6, 2008.

Prediction

Cincinnati has spent the last two weeks proving it can come from behind. Saturday would be a good time to prove it does not have to.

Arizona has the passing game to punish defensive mistakes and a run defense good enough to make UC work harder than usual for its yards. But the Bearcats’ rushing attack has been the most dependable part of this team, and if Tabb and Payne can establish themselves early, Cincinnati can control the pace and keep Fifita standing on the sideline.

French does not need to force anything. Take care of the football, hit the throws Arizona gives him, and use his legs when the field opens up.  I would also not be surprised to see a lot of quarterback draw. If the defense tackles well and avoids the kind of breakdowns that have forced Cincinnati into comeback mode the last two weeks, the Bearcats have enough offense to go west and come home undefeated.

Cincinnati 27, Arizona 24