No. 24 Utes Cruise Past No. 17 Cincinnati

Saturday, November 1

Salt Lake City, Utah

8:15 p.m.

University of Utah

7-2 , 4-2

Cincinnati

7-2 , 5-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Cincinnati

Utah

11/2/2025 1:01 AM | Football

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Utah earns second win of the season over team ranked in AP Top 25

SALT LAKE CITY – The 24th-ranked Utah football team ended a day that began by hosting ESPN's College GameDay with a blowout victory over the No.17 Cincinnati Bearcats, 45-14, in front of 51,672 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night.

The Utes improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 Conference play, while Cincinnati dropped to 7-2 and 5-1 in conference games.

Utah took a 24-7 lead into the locker room at halftime before continuing the dominant performance in the second half. The Utes held a 40:02 to 19:58 advantage in time of possession, while outgaining the Bearcats 480-427. Utah rushed for 267 yards and three touchdowns on the night while converting on 7-of-15 third downs and both fourth down tries.

The Utes held Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby to just 11-of-33 passing for 221 yards with an interception. This marks the lowest completion percentage (33.3%) by a ranked opponent against Utah since the Utes held Arizona State to 22.2% in 2019 and the sixth time this season holding opposing QBs to 50.0% or worse. Despite giving up over 400 yards of offense, Utah's defense allowed just two touchdowns against the third-ranked scoring offense in the Big 12 and did not allow the Bearcats to drive inside the red zone.

Lander Barton led the Utah defense with five tackles on the night while six Utes finished just behind him with four stops each. Utah forced three turnovers thanks to forced fumbles from Johnathan Hall and Kash Dillon, with Smith Snowden picking off Sorsby. The Bearcats entered the night with just four turnovers all season, tied for the third fewest nationally, and had just one prior game this season with multiple turnovers.

Devon Dampier returned to the field to lead the Utah offense, completing 16-of-31 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 14 times for 78 yards. Eight of his completions went to Ryan Davis, who logged a season-high 132 yards and his team-leading fourth receiving touchdown.

Wayshawn Parker led the Utes' rushing attack, tallying 17 carries for 104 yards and a score. Parker has now rushed for 100-plus yards in back-to-back outings, while he and Davis are the first pair of Utes to post 100-plus rushing yards and 100-plus receiving yards in the same game since 2023.

NaQuari Rogers added his team-leading eighth rushing score of the season. Byrd Ficklin capped the night with his fourth rushing touchdown on the year, the most by a Utah freshman quarterback since at least 1995.

Utah has now totaled more than 400 yards of offense in eight of nine games this season, including each of the last five outings.

Mana Carvalho showed his explosiveness on special teams, logging three punt returns for 94 yards, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown scamper late in the third quarter. It marked the first punt return for a touchdown since the 2021 campaign and the first by a freshman since 2015.

Utah has now beaten two teams ranked in the AP Top 25 by 30-plus points this season. Six of Utah's seven wins this year have been by 30-plus points, including each of the last three victories.

UP NEXT
Utah enters its second bye week and will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Utes travel to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears (5-3, 3-3 Big 12).

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