Connecticut @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 22, 2014 ) Cincinnati 41, Connecticut 0

Things should get a bit easier for Cincinnati which aims for its first AAC win when it hosts Connecticut on Saturday. The Bearcats, who walloped the Huskies 41-0 on the road last season, are 0-2 in conference play, but their losses have come against Top-25 foes Temple and Memphis.

Statistically, UConn dominated last week's game against USF, but it couldn't cash in on some long drives and fell to the Bulls 28-20. That's been a problem much of the season for the Huskies, who continue to play solid defense but are averaging just 19.9 points per game. Cincinnati hopes to get back quarterback Gunner Kiel from a scary neck injury suffered against Miami two weeks ago. Kiel, a transfer from Notre Dame, torched UConn for three touchdowns before leaving in the third quarter in last season's blowout.

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN. LINE: Cincinnati - 12

ABOUT UCONN (3-4, 1-2 AAC): Redshirt sophomore quarterback Bryant Shirreffs has thrown for over 200 yards in five of his first seven collegiate starts while running back Arkeel Newsome continues to climb the national charts as he is 26th in all-purpose yards. But the Huskies continue to have problems finishing drives and are hindered by an offense that is ranked 126th out of 128 teams in sacks allowed. UConn was 7-for-17 on third-down conversions last week but still is ranked 105th in the country in third-down efficiency, and those numbers have been especially costly in the fourth quarter.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (3-3, 0-2): The Bearcats are ranked 10th nationally in passing, averaging 358.2 yards per game. Kiel (868 yards, five touchdowns) was cleared to play last week, but Cincinnati went with redshirt freshman Hayden Moore, who threw for a school-record 557 yards in a loss to Memphis but struggled in last week's 38-24 setback at BYU - completing just 15-of-30 passes with no touchdowns. Cincinnati's three losses have come by a total of 29 points to opponents that have a combined record of 15-2.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Cincinnati blew a 17-3 lead to BYU last week, giving up 21 straight points.

2. Kiel has been knocked out of two games this season and also missed time last year with a neck injury.

3. Cincinnati leads the all-time series 9-2 and has won four straight.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 37, UConn 17