Cincinnati (2-4, 0-2 American) at No. 18 South Florida (5-0, 2-0), Saturday 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Line: South Florida by 24 ½.
Series Record: Cincinnati leads 8-6.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
South Florida seeks to extend the second-longest winning streak in the nation to 11 games, while also matching the best start in program history and retaining at least a share of first place in the American Athletic Conference East Division. Cincinnati has lost three straight by a combined 55 points.
KEY MATCHUP
USF dual-threat quarterback Quinton Flowers against a porous Cincinnati defense that hasn’t done a good job stopping the run or pass, yielding 420.2 yards per game. The Bearcats have allowed 41.8 points per game in their four losses. Flowers spearheads a balanced attack that averages over 300 yards on the ground, 510 yards overall.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cincinnati: QB Hayden Moore has thrown for 1,375 yards, 10 TDs and five interceptions. RB Gerrid Doaks leads the Bearcats in rushing with 223 yards and two TDs.
South Florida: In addition to Flowers, who has accounted for a school-record 91 TDs during his career, RBs Darius Tice and D’Ernest Johnson provide a nice one-two punch when the senior QB hands off. Tice has rushed for 438 yards and seven TDs. Johnson has 432 yards and four TDs.
FACTS & FIGURES
USF has scored at least 30 points in a nation-leading 22 straight games, one shy of the longest in college football since 1936. Oregon did it 23 consecutive times over the 2011 and 2012 seasons. … Only reigning national champion Clemson (11) has a longer winning streak than USF’s. … Cincinnati has lost six straight AAC games dating to last season. The Bearcats are one of three teams still winless in conference play, along with UConn and Tulsa. … USF has rushed for 300-plus yards in three consecutive games. … Cincinnati’s defense allowed UCF to score TDs on seven of the Knights’ eight possessions last week. The game was stopped and later called off because of bad weather with 4 seconds left in the third quarter. Still, the Bearcats yielded 51 points and 515 yards on defense.
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