Cincinnati @ UConn preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 25, 2017 ) Connecticut 21, Cincinnati 22

Cincinnati will try to match its best start since 2012 when the Bearcats travel to Connecticut for their American Athletic Conference opener on Saturday. Cincinnati already matched its win total from last season with a 34-30 win against visiting Ohio on Saturday, rallying from an early 21-0 deficit to post its eighth fourth-quarter comeback victory in the past 10 years.

The Bearcats will need to play with more discipline than they did last week, when they accumulated 14 penalties for 150 yards, the most flags since 2002. One trend they'd like to continue is their success on the ground, where they've rushed for at least 150 yards in all four wins this season. Connecticut hasn't done much to keep its opponents out of the end zone, surrendering at least 49 points in all four games. The Huskies are giving up an average of 664 total yards per game, last among all 129 FBS schools.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Cincinnati -17

ABOUT CINCINNATI (4-0, 0-0 AAC): Connecticut is also allowing an average of 309 rushing yards per game, second-most in the FBS. That weakness should open the door for another big game by Cincinnati running back Michael Warren II, who has eight rushing touchdowns this season, tied for second-most in the FBS. Desmond Ridder, the freshman quarterback for the Bearcats, can also do damage with his legs, but he's been even more effective with his arm, passing for six touchdowns in the past three games with just one interception.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (1-3, 0-1): The Huskies likely remember the season-ending one-point loss to Cincinnati last November, which came after Connecticut missed a PAT with no time left. David Pindell passed for 272 yards and a touchdown in the loss and ran for another 95 yards and a score, both season highs, but the senior is trying to hold off a push from redshirt freshman Marvin Washington for more playing time this season. Washington entered the game in the fourth quarter against Syracuse on Saturday and threw a touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 20 points before the Orange pulled away for the 51-21 victory.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Cincinnati has scored a touchdown on 14 of 15 trips to the red zone this season and kicked a field on the other.

2. The Bearcats received 22 votes in the coaches' poll this week, the first time they've received votes since the 2014 season.

3. Connecticut DT Darrian Beavers, a Cincinnati native, is expected to move into a starting role this week after recording the Huskies' lone sack last week against Syracuse.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 56, Connecticut 30