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Injury-riddled Houston will chase revenge on the road when it visits Cincinnati in the Big 12 conference opener for both teams Saturday.

Cincinnati notched its only conference victory in its inaugural Big 12 season in 2023 with a 24-14 road win against Houston last November. The Bearcats were 1-8 in Big 12 play last season, while the Cougars were only slightly better at 2-7.

It already has been a rough time on the health front for Houston (1-2), which has lost a number of players to ACL injuries since the start of summer training camp.

“We’re banged up a little bit,” Houston coach Willie Fritz said. “We’ve had some injuries. I think we’ve had seven ACLs since the beginning of camp. … We’ve got some guys hurt and it’s unfortunate. It’s the only part I don’t like about football.”

The latest injuries for Houston include the losses of linebacker Torren Coppage-El and offensive lineman Cayden Bowie to knee injuries and receiver Koby Young to a toe injury in a 33-7 win over Rice last Saturday. All three have been ruled out for the season.

After blowing a 27-6 lead and losing on a last-second field goal to Pitt on Sept. 7, Cincinnati (2-1) is coming off a bounce-back 27-16 win over Miami (Ohio) last Saturday to earn back the “Victory Bell” in the rivalry game.

Bearcats running back Corey Kiner finished with 126 yards on 21 carries for his ninth-career 100-yard game, while sixth-year year defensive end Eric Phillips posted a career-high two sacks. The Bearcats held the Redhawks to 24 rushing yards.

Nathan Hawks replaced Carter Brown as Cincinnati’s kicker and made history in the process, becoming the first kicker in program history to kick a pair of field goals from at least 50 yards in one game. Hawks hit a 55-yarder in the first quarter for his first career field goal while his 50-yarder with 59 seconds remaining provided the winning margin.

The 55-yarder was tied for the second-longest in Cincinnati history and was the longest made since 2007.

“That’s incredible story of what Nathan Hawks was able to accomplish,” Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield said. “… He got called upon in a big-time way and was able to make these two field goals. So, I’m really proud of him. It sets us up for conference season.”

–Field Level Media