Utah's 13-game streak arrives in Cincinnati

Utah wins by more and holds the ball longer

Against Power 4 opponents, Utah is +75 in point margin, ninth nationally and first in the conference. Cincinnati is +7 in the same games, 28th nationally and eighth in the conference. Utah is 5-0 against Power 4 teams, so that margin comes with no losses attached.

Utah holds the ball 32:27 a game, 10th nationally, while Cincinnati holds it 28:11, 62nd. The Bearcats are the cleaner team, penalized 58 yards a game to Utah's 64, ranking 46th and 59th nationally.

Cincinnati's coverage units stand out against Power 4 opponents: 1.8 yards allowed per punt return on 5 returns, fourth nationally, and 17.8 per kick return on 12 returns, 14th. Utah averages 19.4 yards on 5 kick returns, 27th, and 5.6 on 10 punt returns, 36th, and allows 20.2 on 5 kick returns, 31st.

Utah's offense against a leaky defense, Cincinnati's run game against a wall

When Utah has the ball, it brings a total offense that gains 447 yards a game against Power 4 opponents, eighth nationally, into a Cincinnati defense allowing 471, 74th. The Utes run for 198 yards a game, sixth nationally, and throw for 249, 27th. Cincinnati gives up 173 rushing yards a game, 58th, and 298 passing, 80th and 15th in the Big 12. Utah converts 48.3% of its third downs, ninth nationally, and the Bearcats allow 44.4%, 63rd.

Utah scores 32.6 points a game, 16th nationally, and Cincinnati allows 28.8, 48th. The Bearcats are 88-1 since 2008 when they allow 17 points or fewer, the one loss coming against Rutgers in 2012.

Quarterback Devon Dampier leads Utah in passing yards with 1,616, with 15 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and a 68.7 completion percentage. He is also second on the team in rushing yards with 349. Braden Pegan leads Utah in receiving yards with 459 and in catches with 34, with 6 touchdowns, and Creed Whittemore is second in receiving yards with 306 on 19 catches.

Cincinnati edge Patrick Bauer leads the Bearcats in sacks with 3.5 and has 7.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Jonathan Thompson leads them in tackles with 57.

When Cincinnati has the ball, strength meets strength. The Bearcats run for 217 yards a game against Power 4 opponents, third nationally, and Utah allows 91, seventh nationally and first in the conference. Cincinnati throws for 193 yards a game, 67th nationally, while Utah allows 264 through the air, 62nd nationally and 11th in the conference.

Utah allows 17.6 points a game, ninth nationally, and 70.4% of the drives it faces end without a score, 12th. Cincinnati scores 30.2 points a game, 20th, and ends 45.3% of its drives with points, 22nd.

Quarterback JC French IV leads Cincinnati in passing yards with 1,510, with 13 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 69.4 completion percentage, and he has run for 291 yards. JV Gibson leads the Bearcats in receiving yards with 385 and in catches with 29, and Malachi Henry is second in receiving yards with 271 on 9 catches. Utah linebacker Trey Reynolds leads the Utes in tackles with 44, and linebacker Elijah Elliss shares the team lead in sacks with 2.

Cincinnati's first such home win since 2006

The win over No. 8 Texas Tech was Cincinnati's first home win over a top-10 team since it beat No. 7 Rutgers in 2006. Next up at Nippert Stadium is No. 6 Utah. The Bearcats are 2-1 in one-score games this season.

Parker and Tabb, 12 touchdowns each

Utah running back Wayshawn Parker leads the Utes in rushing yards with 644 on 102 carries, and his 12 touchdowns from scrimmage are tied for second in the Big 12. His 8 rushing touchdowns rank third in the conference, and he has 23 catches for 247 yards.

Cincinnati running back Cole Tabb has the same 12 touchdowns from scrimmage, and his 9 rushing touchdowns rank second in the Big 12. He leads the Bearcats in rushing yards with 621 on 65 carries, and last week he ran for a career-high 173 against Texas Tech, topping the 124 he had against Kansas State earlier this season.

Cincinnati rebuilt its offense through the portal

Cincinnati returns 2% of its 2025 passing yards, 72 of 2,992, after Brendan Sorsby's 2,786 left. Transfers brought in 5,308 passing yards, 2,924 of them from JC French. The Bearcats return 9% of their rushing yards, and Cole Tabb arrived as a transfer with 445. They return 11% of their receiving yards, and Malachi Henry brought 889 of the 2,681 that transfers added.

Utah scores on its first drive

Utah has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in 6 of 7 games this season. Against Power 4 opponents, the Utes have outscored teams 42-3 in the first quarter.

Utah kept its backfield, Cincinnati lost its NFL talent

Utah returns 100% of its 2025 passing yards and 85% of its rushing yards. It returns 30% of its receiving yards, and Braden Pegan brought 925 of the 2,037 that transfers added. Pegan came from Utah State as a 4-star transfer.

Utah's defense returns 46% of its 2025 tackles for loss, after John Henry Daley transferred out with 17.5 of them. Defensive lineman Ethan Day transferred in from North Texas with 7 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Utah sent 2 offensive tackles and a tight end to the NFL, 2 of them in the first two rounds. Spencer Fano went ninth overall to Cleveland, Caleb Lomu went 28th to New England and tight end Dallen Bentley went in the seventh round to Denver.

Cincinnati had 4 players drafted: a linebacker, a tight end, a wide receiver and a center. Linebacker Jake Golday was the only one taken in the first two rounds, 51st overall to Minnesota.

Obot's status unsettled

Update, Sat, Oct 31, 1:15 PM CT: Cincinnati lists Josh Hough, Montay Weedon, DaMari Witherspoon and 1 other as out or doubtful. Utah lists Tayson Reid and Kelvin Obot as out or doubtful.

Utah coach Morgan Scalley said Oct. 26, according to the Deseret News, that offensive lineman Kelvin Obot has no timetable, is not out for the season, is awaiting a second opinion and may still play. Obot was listed Out on the Big 12 availability report for the Houston game.

Utah cornerback JC Hart was listed Out on the Big 12 report for the last 2 games, and defensive tackle Jamal Wallace, a transfer from Tennessee, was listed Out against Houston.

Utah won the only meeting by 31

Utah leads the series 1-0 since 2025. It won that meeting 45-14 at home, and Utah's Ryan Davis had 132 receiving yards.

That 2025 Utah team, the last to face Cincinnati, went 11-2 and scored 41.3 points a game, and offensive tackle Spencer Fano won the Outland Trophy as a unanimous All-American. Cincinnati finished that season 7-6.

Three things to watch

The streak on the road: Utah brings 13 straight wins, the longest active run in FBS, into Nippert Stadium.

Cincinnati's path: the Bearcats are +4 in turnover margin against Power 4 opponents, tied for the best in the Big 12, while Utah sits at 0.

The red zone: against Power 4 opponents, Utah scores on 87.5% of its trips against a Cincinnati defense allowing 83.3%, and the Bearcats score on 83.3% against a Utah defense allowing 78.6%.