Upcoming Event: Football at Baylor on November 15, 2025 at 5 p.m.
Football
at Baylor
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
The University of Utah Athletics
Photo by: Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics
Postgame Notes: No. 24 Utah vs. No. 17 Cincinnati
11/2/2025 1:25 AM | Football
Postgame Notes
(at) No. 24 Utah 45, No. 17 Cincinnati 14
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025
Kick: 8:25 p.m. MT | End: 11:53 p.m.
Attendance: 51,672 (sellout)
Â
General
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
First Quarter Breakdown
Cincinnati took possession first, but Utah forced a punt after just three plays thanks to the first PBU of the season by Aliki Vimahi. The Utes were pinned down at their own 6-yard line, but Devon Dampier led a 16-play, 94-yard touchdown drive. Utah converted on two fourth-down tries before Dampier connected with Ryan Davis from 34 yards out to cap the 7:07 drive and give the Utes a 7-0 lead.
Â
The Bearcats responded with a touchdown of their own to tie the game at 7-7. Cincinnati put together an eight-play, 75-yard drive to give Utah the ball back with 3:53 remaining in the quarter. Utah responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive of its own to retake the lead, capped by a 39-yard touchdown rush by Wayshawn Parker to give the Utes a 14-7 edge with 1:01 left in the opening period.
Â
Cincinnati was able to move the ball to the Utah 23-yard line before time expired.
Â
Second Quarter Breakdown
Utah's defense stood tall after the break as Jonah Lea'ea recorded a TFL and the secondary forced a pair of incompletions, making the Bearcats try a 42-yard field goal that flew wide left. Utah was forced to punt, pinning Cincinnati at the 24-yard line.
Â
Cincinnati was able to get into the red zone after a pair of chunk plays, but after a false, Johnathan Hall forced a fumble that was recovered by Lea'ea. Utah turned the turnover into points after a 13-play, 66-yard drive was capped with a 33-yard field goal by Dillon Curtis. With 4:23 remaining in the half, Utah took a 17-7 lead.
Â
Utah's defense forced its second three-and-out of the night thanks to back-to-back PBUs by Blake Cotton and Elijah Davis, and the Utes regained possession at their own 30-yard line with 3:45 on the clock. The Utes went 70 yards in six plays, the majority of which came on a 46-yard reception by Ryan Davis after a trick play, and NaQuari Rogers' rushing score from a yard out gave the Utes a 24-7 edge with 1:19 left in the half.
Â
Smith Snowden logged his first interception of the season on the first play of the ensuing drive, but he fumbled on the return and the Bearcats got the ball back at their own 3-yard line. Cincinnati moved the ball to midfield but were unable to get points on the board before the clock hit zeroes.
Â
Third Quarter Breakdown
Utah was able to get past midfield on the opening drive but stalled once crossing the 50-yard line. Orion Phillips' punt pinned Cincinnati at the 12-yard line, but an 88-yard touchdown pass made it a 24-14 game with 10:35 left in the quarter.
Â
The Utes moved the ball into the red zone on the ensuing possession, but Dampier threw an interception at the goal line that Cincinnati returned out to the 17-yard line. Utah's defense forced another three-and-out, and Mana Carvalho logged a 23-yard return on the punt to set Utah up at its own 48-yard line.
Â
The Utes put together an eight-play, 52-yard drive to take a 31-14 lead with 2:26 to play. Dampier rushed for 14 yards on the drive before finding Creed Whittemore for the 11-yard touchdown.
Â
Utah forced another three-and-out, and Carvalho fielded the punt and returned it 75 yards for his first career touchdown, Utah's first punt return for a score since the 2021 season. With 1:36 left in the period, Utah took a 38-14 lead.
Â
Fourth Quarter Breakdown
Utah forced an incompletion on 3rd-and-9 on the first play of the fourth quarter and the offense took over at its own 15-yard line, but the Utes were forced to punt after just three plays. After forcing another Cincinnati punt, Utah took possession but had to punt once again after burning 2:28 off the clock. Phillips pinned Cincinnati at its own 19-yard line with 6:40 left to play.
Â
Cincinnati picked up one first down before Kash Dillon forced the first fumble of his collegiate career, which was recovered by Levani Damuni and returned to the 26-yard line. Byrd Ficklin led the offense on the ensuing drive, rushing for 12 yards to set the Utes up at the 2-yard line before keeping it himself for the score. With 3:25 to play, Utah led 45-14.
Â
Cincinnati rushed eight times on its final possession, running out the clock and sealing the Utah victory.
Â
Â
(at) No. 24 Utah 45, No. 17 Cincinnati 14
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025
Kick: 8:25 p.m. MT | End: 11:53 p.m.
Attendance: 51,672 (sellout)
Â
General
- Tonight's game was the first football meeting between Utah and Cincinnati.
- Utah's win tonight snapped a seven-game winning streak for Cincinnati; it entered this week as the second-longest active streak in the Big 12.
- Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, the winningest leader in program history, is 174-88 in his 21 seasons at the helm. Including his 11 prior seasons as an assistant coach (1994-2004), Whittingham has contributed to 259 victories—more than any other coach in program history.
- Whittingham has coached in 388 games at Utah including 262 as the head coach.
- Under Whittingham, Utah has reached at least the seven-win mark in 17 seasons.
- Tonight's game was the 94th consecutive sellout of Rice-Eccles Stadium for games with fans in the stands. It includes each game dating back to the 2010 season opener with the exception of the pandemic-altered season in 2020.
- Utah won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Utes defended the South goal to begin the game.
Offense
- Utah's 45 points scored tonight are the most for the team against a ranked opponent since putting up 47 against USC during the 2022 Pac-12 Championship.
- The Utes rushed for 267 yards on the night and have eclipsed 200 rushing yards in eight games this season; the last time that happened was in 2019.
- Utah possessed the ball for 40:02 of game time, setting a season-high for TOP. The last time that Utah eclipsed 40 minutes of possession was in the Oklahoma State game (42:26) during the 2024 season. Utah (20:45) more than doubled up Cincinnati (9:15) on time of possession in the first half.
- Quarterback Devon Dampier returned to game action and passed 16-of-31 for 213 yards and two touchdowns with no sacks. It was the fourth time this season that the Utah offensive line did not allow a sack.
- Dampier has now passed for multiple touchdowns in six of his eight starts at Utah. He added 78 yards on the ground via 14 rushing attempts.
- Running back Wayshawn Parker rushed for a team-leading and season-high 104 yards on 17 carries (1 TD), while wide receiver Ryan Davis reeled in eight catches for a season-high 132 yards. It was the first time that Utah had both a 100-yard rusher and receiver in the same game since the road win over USC on Oct. 21, 2023.
- For Parker, it was his second straight 100-yard game and third of his collegiate career (he had one with Washington State during the 2024 season). The last Utah player to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games was Micah Bernard, doing so in 2024 against both Utah State and Oklahoma State.
- Parker's five touchdowns are a new single-season career-high.
- It marked the second time this season that Davis eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark (107 at West Virginia).
- In addition to rushing for 43 yards, running back Daniel Bray caught three passes for 41 yards; he entered the game with three total catches for 16 yards.
- On Utah's opening drive of the game, Dampier anchored a 16-play, 94-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a 34-yard strike to Davis.
- It was Davis' fourth touchdown reception of the season, setting a new career-best.
- The opening drive was Utah's longest game-opening drive of the season and tied for the second-longest overall.
- Bray made his second straight start.
- Running back NaQuari Rogers pushed through for a one-yard touchdown just before halftime; Rogers has scored for the second straight game and eighth time this season.
- Wide receiver Creed Whittemore caught an 11-yard pass for his first touchdown as a Utah Ute.
Defense
- Utah held Cincinnati to a 11-of-33 passing line (33.3%). For opponents attempting at least 30 passes, it matched the lowest since the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. West Virginia.
- Prior to tonight, Cincinnati had not thrown an interception since Aug. 28 against Nebraska and had not lost a fumble since Oct. 4 vs. Iowa State. Both happened tonight, including two fumbles recovered by the Utes.
- After the visitors were 4-for-7 on third down during the first half, Utah held Cincinnati to just two successful tries on its final seven attempts.
- Cornerback Smith Snowden made an interception late in the second quarter and added a pass breakup to tie his season-high passes defended with two. It was Snowden's first interception of the season.
- Defensive tackle Aliki Vimahi set a new career-high with two pass breakups.
- Linebacker Johnathan Hall forced a fumble for the first time in his career. Jonah Lea'ea came up with the recovery, his second this season.
- Fellow linebacker Levani Damuni also came up with a recovery after a force from defensive end Kash Dillon. It was Dillon's first career force and third career recovery for Damuni.
Special Teams
- Kicker Dillon Curtis connected on a 33-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Curtis is now 9-for-13 on the season and has connected on seven of his last eight field goal attempts.
- In addition to his field goal, Curtis was perfect on six PAT attempts and kicked off eight times.
- Mana Carvahlo ran a punt back 75 yards for a touchdown; it was the first Utah punt return touchdown since Britain Covey did it against Oregon on Nov. 20, 2021 (coincidentally, also a hand-painted helmet game).
- Carvalho totaled three punt returns for 94 yards. It was the most punt return yards in a game for a Utah player since Covey had 132 at San Diego State in 2021, and the most by a Utah freshman since at least 2000.
First Quarter Breakdown
Cincinnati took possession first, but Utah forced a punt after just three plays thanks to the first PBU of the season by Aliki Vimahi. The Utes were pinned down at their own 6-yard line, but Devon Dampier led a 16-play, 94-yard touchdown drive. Utah converted on two fourth-down tries before Dampier connected with Ryan Davis from 34 yards out to cap the 7:07 drive and give the Utes a 7-0 lead.
Â
The Bearcats responded with a touchdown of their own to tie the game at 7-7. Cincinnati put together an eight-play, 75-yard drive to give Utah the ball back with 3:53 remaining in the quarter. Utah responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive of its own to retake the lead, capped by a 39-yard touchdown rush by Wayshawn Parker to give the Utes a 14-7 edge with 1:01 left in the opening period.
Â
Cincinnati was able to move the ball to the Utah 23-yard line before time expired.
Â
Second Quarter Breakdown
Utah's defense stood tall after the break as Jonah Lea'ea recorded a TFL and the secondary forced a pair of incompletions, making the Bearcats try a 42-yard field goal that flew wide left. Utah was forced to punt, pinning Cincinnati at the 24-yard line.
Â
Cincinnati was able to get into the red zone after a pair of chunk plays, but after a false, Johnathan Hall forced a fumble that was recovered by Lea'ea. Utah turned the turnover into points after a 13-play, 66-yard drive was capped with a 33-yard field goal by Dillon Curtis. With 4:23 remaining in the half, Utah took a 17-7 lead.
Â
Utah's defense forced its second three-and-out of the night thanks to back-to-back PBUs by Blake Cotton and Elijah Davis, and the Utes regained possession at their own 30-yard line with 3:45 on the clock. The Utes went 70 yards in six plays, the majority of which came on a 46-yard reception by Ryan Davis after a trick play, and NaQuari Rogers' rushing score from a yard out gave the Utes a 24-7 edge with 1:19 left in the half.
Â
Smith Snowden logged his first interception of the season on the first play of the ensuing drive, but he fumbled on the return and the Bearcats got the ball back at their own 3-yard line. Cincinnati moved the ball to midfield but were unable to get points on the board before the clock hit zeroes.
Â
Third Quarter Breakdown
Utah was able to get past midfield on the opening drive but stalled once crossing the 50-yard line. Orion Phillips' punt pinned Cincinnati at the 12-yard line, but an 88-yard touchdown pass made it a 24-14 game with 10:35 left in the quarter.
Â
The Utes moved the ball into the red zone on the ensuing possession, but Dampier threw an interception at the goal line that Cincinnati returned out to the 17-yard line. Utah's defense forced another three-and-out, and Mana Carvalho logged a 23-yard return on the punt to set Utah up at its own 48-yard line.
Â
The Utes put together an eight-play, 52-yard drive to take a 31-14 lead with 2:26 to play. Dampier rushed for 14 yards on the drive before finding Creed Whittemore for the 11-yard touchdown.
Â
Utah forced another three-and-out, and Carvalho fielded the punt and returned it 75 yards for his first career touchdown, Utah's first punt return for a score since the 2021 season. With 1:36 left in the period, Utah took a 38-14 lead.
Â
Fourth Quarter Breakdown
Utah forced an incompletion on 3rd-and-9 on the first play of the fourth quarter and the offense took over at its own 15-yard line, but the Utes were forced to punt after just three plays. After forcing another Cincinnati punt, Utah took possession but had to punt once again after burning 2:28 off the clock. Phillips pinned Cincinnati at its own 19-yard line with 6:40 left to play.
Â
Cincinnati picked up one first down before Kash Dillon forced the first fumble of his collegiate career, which was recovered by Levani Damuni and returned to the 26-yard line. Byrd Ficklin led the offense on the ensuing drive, rushing for 12 yards to set the Utes up at the 2-yard line before keeping it himself for the score. With 3:25 to play, Utah led 45-14.
Â
Cincinnati rushed eight times on its final possession, running out the clock and sealing the Utah victory.
Â
Â
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
/ Football
K
/ Football
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DE
/ Football
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
RB
/ Football
P
/ Football
RB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
WR
/ FootballHead Coach Kyle Whittingham weekly press conference - 11.10.25
Monday, November 10
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Football's Mana Carvalho & Blake Cotton
Wednesday, November 05
Utah: 45, Cincinnati: 14 | POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Saturday, November 01
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham weekly press conference - 10.27.25
Monday, October 27