Recap: Utah 45 Cincinnati 14

by Ryan Roberts November 2, 2025

Cincinnati ran into an absolute buzzsaw Saturday night as the Bearcats fell 45–14 to Utah, undone by turnovers, missed opportunities, and an inability to sustain drives against a physical Utes defense.

Despite piling up 427 yards of total offense, the Bearcats failed to reach the red zone and were limited to just 19:58 of possession time. Utah’s ball-control offense and opportunistic defense kept Cincinnati off balance throughout, resulting in the Bearcats' first Big 12 loss of the season.

(Photo: NCN Editorial)

Offense: Big Plays but Little Consistency

The Bearcats showed flashes of explosiveness — highlighted by QB Brendan Sorsby’s 88-yard touchdown pass to WR Cyrus Allen early in the third quarter — but long stretches of inconsistency stalled momentum.

Sorsby finished 11 of 33 for 221 yards, adding a 22-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. He also threw one interception and lost a fumble as Utah converted three Bearcat turnovers into 10 points.

“We lost the turnover battle, missed a field goal, gave up a punt return… you don’t give yourself much chance to win when that happens," Scott Satterfield told media following the loss.

Cincinnati’s ground game was productive when given the chance. The team averaged 6.9 yards per carry, led by Tawee Walker (67 yards on 7 carries) and Manny Covey (47 yards on 5 carries). However, Utah’s time-of-possession dominance limited opportunities to build rhythm on the ground.

"Hats off to Utah and their team," Satterfield said. "They did an outstanding job coming out and playing their brand of football and put a lot of pressure on our team in all aspects.”

Satterfield continued.

“If you think about their defense going against our offense — everybody’s up on the line of scrimmage, playing a lot of zero and man coverage, and making it very difficult for us to move the football.”

Defense: Overwhelmed by Balance

Cincinnati’s defense faced an uphill battle all night. Utah ran 84 plays to Cincinnati’s 63 and methodically wore down the front seven with 267 rushing yards on 53 carries.

The Utes’ tandem of Wayshawn Parker (104 yards, 1 TD) and Devon Dampier (78 yards rushing, 213 passing, 2 TDs) kept Cincinnati guessing with zone reads and play-action.

“We didn’t tackle great tonight for sure. They’ve got good backs and quarterbacks who run with speed and power," Satterfield explained. "When they stretch you out, you end up in more one-on-one tackles, and if you miss, they get more yards.”

“Their offense spreads you out, and you have to defend the field vertically and horizontally. They do a really good job of keeping the pressure on you.”

Wide receiver Ryan Davis keyed the Utes' passing attack, hauling in eight catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.

The defense produced five tackles for loss but no sacks or takeaways. Utah went 4-for-5 in the red zone and converted both of its fourth-down attempts.

Jake Golday led the Bearcats' defense with 12 tackles, while Chrisitan Harrison had one of his best games of the season, tallying 10 tackles and an interception near the goal line with Utah threatening to score.

Still, the Bearcat defense struggled to tackle all night, allowing Utah to rack up 95 yards after the catch, including several big plays in key third down situations.

Special teams

The special teams unit had been a weapon for the Bearcats all season long. Kicker Stephen Rusnak entered Saturday having made 22 straight field goal attempts. Trying to extend that streak to 23, Runak missed a 42-yard attempt with UC trailing 14-7 early in the second quarte.

The special teams' unit also surrendered a crushing 75-yard punt return touchdown late in the third quarter to Utah’s Mana Carvalho, effectively sealing the game. Rusnak converted both PATs — but the return coverage breakdown was the night’s biggest special teams miscue.

Scoring Recap

First Quarter

Utah struck first midway through the opening quarter when junior QB Devon Dampier found WR Ryan Davis for a 34-yard touchdown, capping a 16-play, 94-yard drive that chewed over seven minutes off the clock.

Cincinnati quickly responded as QB Brendan Sorsby broke loose on a 22-yard touchdown run, finishing an eight play, 75-yard drive to even the score.

Utah answered immediately. On their next possession, RB Wayshawn Parker burst through the left side for a 39-yard scoring run, restoring the lead late in the first quarter.

Second Quarter

Utah began to seize control. A 13-play, 66-yard drive ended in a 33-yard field goal from Darren Curtis, stretching the lead to ten.

After a Brendan Sorsby fumble at the Utah 19, the home team capitalized once again — capping a six play, 70 yard drive with a NaQuari Rogers 1-yard touchdown with just over a minute left before halftime.

Third Quarter

The Bearcats opened the half with a defensive stop and then a spark: on their second offensive play, Sorsby hit WR Cyrus Allen deep for an 88-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to ten.

But that was Cincinnati’s last highlight.

Utah answered methodically, as Dampier connected with Creed Whittemore for an 11-yard touchdown, finishing a 52-yard drive.

Moments later came the backbreaker — Utah’s Mana Carvalho turned a Bearcats punt into a 75-yard touchdown return, blowing the game wide open and extending the Utes' lead to 38-14 with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter.

“I thought our guys did a good job coming out of the locker room ready to play in the second half… but we just could never quite get over the hump with momentum," said Satterfield.

Fourth Quarter

Utah closed out the scoring midway through the final period when backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin capped a short 26-yard drive — set up by another Bearcat turnover — with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Cincinnati’s 45–14 loss isn't going to define their season. It is tough to watch a team consistently make plays when needed over the last seven weeks then wilt under pressure in the biggest game of the season, to date,

The Bearcats still showed their big play potential but couldn’t sustain drives, protect the football, or control tempo against a disciplined Utah team. Defensively, Cincinnati battled early but wore down under the Utes’ balanced attack and 40-minute time of possession. It was a night that exposed both depth and composure issues, serving as a reminder that the Bearcats must play clean, complementary football for four quarters to compete with and beat the top teams in this league.

The bye week couldn't come at a better time, as Cincinnati played without running back Evan Pryor and also had several others come out at times for minor issues.

“I told our team in the locker room, we still have everything to play for. This bye week comes at a good time — we can get healed up and reset mentally and physically," Satterfield said.

How the Bearcats respond in two weeks at home against Arizona will go a long way in determining how the rest of this season plays out.

“We’ve got a resilient bunch. This is one blip in our Big 12 season so far. We’ll regroup next week and get ready to go play a great game when we get back.”