Injury-plagued Houston set for revenge against Cincinnati

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.

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