Cincinnati Bearcats, Colorado Buffaloes football teams to meet in Fenway Bowl

Cincinnati riding into New Year's Six appearance on 9-3 mark

The Cincinnati Bearcats will play in the Fenway Bowl for the first time in program history. They'll face the Colorado Buffaloes in the 16th annual game in Boston at historic Fenway Park on Dec. 17. The Fenway Bowl will be broadcast nationally on ESPN at 11 a.m. ET.

The Bearcats (9-3) are making their fourth consecutive bowl appearance under fifth-year head coach Luke Fickell. Fickell's program has compiled a 47-18 mark since his arrival, including a 32-12 record in the American Athletic Conference – the most wins by any Cincinnati head coach in their first five seasons with the program.

Cincinnati owns highest-scoring offense in Group of Five

Cincinnati leads the Group of Five and ranks 24th nationally with 38.6 points per game. The Bearcats have scored at least 30 points in nine of their 12 games this season, including a season-high 56 points against South Florida on Nov. 12.

The Bearcats' offense is led by quarterback Evan Prater, who has thrown for 2,888 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Prater, a redshirt junior, has accounted for at least one touchdown in 11 of his 12 starts this season.

Cincinnati also has a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Tyler Scott and Tre Tucker. Scott, a redshirt senior, leads the Bearcats with 929 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 68 catches.

Colorado riding three-game win streak into Fenway Bowl

The Colorado Buffaloes (4-8) will be making their third bowl appearance in the past four seasons under head coach Karl Dorrell. The Buffaloes won the Alamo Bowl in 2020 and lost the Valero Alamo Bowl last season.

Colorado has won three consecutive games heading into the Fenway Bowl, including a 20-10 victory over No. 15 Utah on Nov. 19. The Buffaloes also defeated California (20-14) and Arizona (34-0) during their current win streak.

The Buffaloes' offense is led by quarterback J.T. Shrout, who has thrown for 1,293 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions in eight games this season. Shrout has completed 64.6% of his passes and has also rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns.

Colorado's leading rusher is Alex Fontenot, who has rushed for 666 yards and five touchdowns on 133 carries. Fontenot, a redshirt sophomore, has rushed for at least 50 yards in seven of his 11 games this season.