Three Things Cincinnati Coach Scott Satterfield Said ahead of the Bearcats’ Game against OSU

After four games against Big 12 mainstays, the Cowboys will get their first taste of some new blood this weekend for homecoming.

Oklahoma State hosts Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadiums. Cincy coach Scott Satterfield met with the media this week to preview the Pokes. He gushed about tailback Ollie Gordon (which you can read about here), but here are three more things Satterfield discussed.

Costly Turnovers

The Bearcats rank third in the Big 12 in rushing offense and second in the Big 12 in rushing defense. Somehow that’s translated to a 2-5 record and an 0-4 Big 12 start.

Cincinnati outgained BYU 498-295 and outrushed the Cougars 242-70 and still lost. Just this past weekend, Cincy outgained Baylor 450-396 and outrushed the Bears 288-80 and lost.

So, how is Cincinnati losing games? Turnovers.

The Bearcats rank 105th nationally in turnover margin at -4. That’s tied with UCF and only Texas Tech ranks behind those two in the Big 12. Cincy has lost four fumbles and thrown eight interceptions this season.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, have been forcing a ton of turnovers as of late. On OSU’s three-game winning streak, the Cowboys have intercepted six passes and recovered a pair of fumbles.

If that trend continues how it’s going for both teams, that doesn’t look good for the Bearcats on Saturday.

“When you think about making this jump from the American to the Big 12, you knew there were going to be some transition parts of it that we probably wouldn’t like,” Satterfield said. “But the bad part about it, the ones that frustrated and hurt me so much is the fact that there’s at least three of these games we should’ve won and we didn’t — where we shoot ourselves in the foot, where we make too many mistakes. I think when you do lose that way, it’s a lot worse.”

Cowboys’ Defensive Speed Stands Out

The Cowboys’ defense still needs to work out some busted coverages in the back end, but when OSU has needed stops as of late, Bryan Nardo’s group has found a way to get off the field.

Satterfield was complementary to the group’s speed this week, and he was also complementary of middle linebacker Nick Martin.

Martin leads the Big 12 in total tackles with 71. He is tied for 12th nationally in the stat and of the players with more tackles than him, five have played in eight games to Martin’s seven. Martin has a pair of 17-tackle games — both of which have come in the past three weeks.

“Defensively, they’re very aggressive,” Satterfield said. “They base out of a three-down front. Similar to an Iowa State-type defense where you got five DBs on the field. And they can run. This defense is an explosive defense.

“[Martin] is their middle linebacker. He leads the Big 12 in tackles per game. He’s not very big — 215 pounds is what they list him as — but he can really, really run. I think the one thing that stands out about their defense is their speed. He’s got 71 total tackles and four sacks — one of the top linebackers in this league.”

Boone Pickens Stadium’s Reputation Precedes Itself

Scott Satterfield has been at Appalachian State, he’s been at Toledo and FIU and Louisville and now Cincinnati, but since starting in the college coaching game in 1998, this will be his first trip to Stillwater.

And his first visit will be for homecoming, no less.

“Going to Oklahoma State, I’ve never been there,” Satterfield said. “I’ve heard it’s a loud environment. I think it’s homecoming this weekend, so they’ll be added in that regard. It’s a night game. So all those things we’ll have to prepare this week for a hostile environment and get our guys ready to go.”

OSU coach Mike Gundy has raved about his crowds this season, saying they are as good as he has seen them since he was a player back in 1986. How does Satterfield replicate such an atmosphere in practice this week?

“You’re not totally going to be able to replicate it,” Satterfield said. “There’s no way. And also, in the heat of the moment when the lights are on, TV cameras are on and everybody’s screaming, you’re not gonna be able to replicate that. The thing that we can do is we’ll get crowd noise going. We’ll try to create that where you can’t hear, the communication piece. That’s the thing that you’re gonna try to replicate, but you really are not gonna be able to.”