No. 6 Utah returned a fumble and an interception for first-half touchdowns en route to a 36-point halftime lead and its eighth straight victory, a 49-25 decision at Cincinnati on Saturday.
Hunter Andrews had two touchdown catches and 112 yards on five receptions, while Daniel Bray caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score for Utah (8-0, 5-0 Big 12), which set the stage for next week’s showdown with No. 8 BYU in Salt Lake City.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier completed 22 of 29 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Wayshawn Parker rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Cole Tabb finished with 131 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for Cincinnati (5-3, 2-3), which could not replicate last Saturday’s upset of then-No. 8 Texas Tech. Tabb has six touchdowns in his last three games.
The Utes held the high-powered Bearcats to a three-and-out on the game’s first possession, then drove 78 yards in 12 plays, converting a pair of third downs along the way. Utah capped the opening drive with a 4-yard Dampier scoring strike to Andrews.
Down 14-3, Cincinnati was poised to answer when Gi’Bran Payne was stripped by Ethan Day at the Utah 43. Rabbit Evans scooped up the fumble and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-3 early in the second quarter.
On their next drive, the Bearcats threatened when JC French IV connected with Malachi Henry on a 63-yard catch-and-run to the Utah 7. But a false start, a holding penalty and a sack left Cincinnati facing third-and-27, leading to Rusnak’s missed 35-yard field goal.
Utah drove without much resistance and made it 28-3 on a 30-yard Daniel Bray touchdown run. After a Cincinnati field goal, Utah went 90 yards, highlighted by Parker’s 64-yard rush and a 3-yard Dampier touchdown pass to Bray, to make it 35-6.
On the ensuing possession, Utah’s Elijah Davis stepped in front of a French pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown and a 42-6 halftime lead. The 36-point cushion was Utah’s largest halftime lead since a 43-0 advantage over Colorado on Oct. 25, 2025, in an eventual 53-7 victory.
The halftime deficit was Cincinnati’s largest since it trailed South Florida 51-7 on Nov. 20, 2015, en route to a 65-27 loss.
Cincinnati’s Jacob Finley intercepted a Dampier pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, and Tabb added a 48-yard scoring run to make it 42-19 Utah before Andrews’ second score of the day, a 59-yard reception.
French reached the end zone on a late 2-yard run to complete the scoring. He completed 16 of 30 passes for 263 yards and an interception.
–Field Level Media
