No. 6 Utah heads into Saturday’s Big 12 Halloween matchup at Cincinnati with an unbeaten record and plenty on the line, while the Bearcats are chasing another shocker after knocking off a top-10 opponent last weekend.
The Utes arrive at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, trying to keep their grip near the top of the league and stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. Cincinnati sits at 5-2 and 2-2, and the Bearcats will try to follow up their biggest win of the Scott Satterfield coaching era with another statement against an AP Top 10 team.
Utah leaned on its identity to get past then-No. 14 Houston 21-13 at home last Saturday.
The backbone is a defense giving up just 14.6 points per game, with linebacker Trey Reynolds helping power a unit that ranks eighth nationally against the run. On offense, Devon Dampier has kept things moving efficiently under pressure, guiding a group that averages 478.4 total yards per game.
That toughness was a point of emphasis for Utah coach Morgan Scalley after the Houston win.
"So grateful for our guys, their fight. That's what you need," Utah coach Morgan Scalley said Monday.
"I don't really care about the stats. I'm so proud of these guys, just their fight.
Devon Dampier, he's our guy. So proud of his fight, and the defense came up with stop after stop (vs.
Houston)."
Cincinnati is riding momentum from a 37-24 win over then-No. 8 Texas Tech, a result that came a week after a wild 45-42 loss at West Virginia in which the Bearcats led by a touchdown six times. Satterfield pointed to the small margin that kept the West Virginia game from turning the other way.
"We just needed a little something in the pass defense. Just a little something," Satterfield said.
"We just could never get the stop to go up two scores. In the past, the conference games, that's what's happened."
The Texas Tech victory was Cincinnati’s highest-ranked home win since a 30-11 result over No. 7 Rutgers on Nov.
18, 2006. It also pushed the Bearcats to 5-0 at home and put them on the edge of the AP Top 25, as they received votes for the second time this season.
Offensively, Cincinnati brings a unit averaging 455.3 yards per game, with the run game doing a lot of the heavy lifting. That strength will be tested by a Utah defense that ranks No. 8 nationally against both the run and the run game overall, allowing just 88.3 rushing yards per game while producing 234.6 on the ground itself.
Texas Tech found that out the hard way. The Red Raiders came in with the No. 5 rushing defense, and Cincinnati still ran for 255 yards in the win.
Cole Tabb led the way with a career-high 173 rushing yards, highlighted by a 58-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Tabb earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors afterward, while MJ Cannon was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week.
Saturday sets up as a matchup between two offenses inside the top 20 nationally, with Utah at 478.4 yards per game and Cincinnati at 455.3.
In Other News...
Utahs Offense Has One Road-Test Problem To Fix Fast
Utahs offense showed enough fight in the second half against Houston to leave its coaches encouraged, but there was still plenty to clean up before the Utes head into another tough road test at Cincinnati. Tight ends coach Luke Wells and offensive lineman Zereoue Williams both pointed to the same general theme after the game: the unit needs sharper communication and cleaner execution if it wants to turn promising stretches into sustained drives.
Noah Bennee was one of the steadier pieces in the mix, giving Utah a reliable target and again showing why he has become such an important part of the passing game. The tight end room has given the Utes a useful outlet, but the bigger question now is whether that consistency can travel with them, especially if the offense wants to avoid the kind of early-game inefficiency that can put a team behind in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Cincinnati Gets A Huge Home Test With Momentum Suddenly Building
Utah heads into its matchup with Cincinnati carrying real momentum, but this is the kind of road test that can quickly expose whether the Utes are built to keep climbing. Ranked No. 6 and coming off a pair of wins, including a tight escape against Colorado, Utah will see a Bearcats team that has started to find its footing with an upset of Texas Tech and a spotless record at home this season.
Cincinnatis comfort in its own building is part of what makes this one interesting, especially with Utah fresh off another physical stretch and looking to keep its rhythm intact. The Bearcats have a chance to measure themselves against one of the sports top-ranked teams, while Utah knows a win here would reinforce that its recent run is about more than just surviving close games. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Still Has One Big Problem To Clean Up Before Opening Night
Utah got three exhibition games to sort through the early wrinkles, and coach Alex Jensen came away with a clear picture of where the work still has to happen before opening night. The Utes showed some promise in those tuneups, but the film also pointed straight at the usual preseason trouble spots: rebounding, passing and finding the right lineup combinations as new faces settle in.
The biggest concern remains on the defensive glass, where Jensen wants to see more consistency and cohesion from a group still learning one another. The roster update added a little clarity, too, with Babacar Faye cleared to play after a long stretch away from game action, while Fynn Schott is still working back from surgery and his return remains up in the air. [Read more 🡒]