Cincinnati’s best win this month still runs through the ground game. In the 38-30 takedown of then-No. 14 Iowa State, the Bearcats pounded out early explosives and Evan Pryor punched in two scores, a reminder of how central the backfield is to Scott Satterfield’s offense. That context makes this week’s depth hit tougher as No. 17 Cincinnati heads to No. 24 Utah.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, senior running back Evan Pryor (ankle) will be officially listed as out on the Big 12 availability report for Saturday’s game at Utah, with the hope he can return for the Nov. 15 home date against Arizona.
The immediate puzzle is replacing Pryor’s burst and red-zone finishing on the road against a physical defense. Cincinnati carved Iowa State with balance, ripping off chunk gains on the ground to set up clean shots for Brendan Sorsby, and that formula travels, but it usually requires multiple backs sharing the load.
With Pryor sidelined, the staff’s emphasis shifts to sustaining early-down efficiency and protecting Sorsby with quick answers on obvious passing downs. Field position and special-teams hidden yards matter even more in Salt Lake City.
The trip also arrives at an inflection point for a program trying to stack ranked wins and steady the October surge. Utah’s front typically squeezes lanes and punishes negative plays; avoiding get-behind-the-sticks sequences will be the difference between four-quarter leverage and a slog of third-and-longs. Cincinnati’s defense set the tone in that Iowa State win by forcing early stops; a similar script would lighten the offensive lift without Pryor’s change-of-pace.
Big-picture pressure isn’t going away, either. Mid-season hot-seat chatter has kept Scott Satterfield on national lists, largely tied to Big 12 results since his arrival. Those same rundowns note the remaining gantlet, Baylor, Utah, Arizona, BYU, and TCU, and how a late slide would reignite questions.
A resilient showing at Utah, even while short-handed in the backfield, would cool the noise and keep November goals intact.
Circle Nov. 15 at Nippert: if recovery stays on schedule, that’s the target for Pryor’s return against Arizona. Until then, Cincinnati’s margin is in the details, early downs, ball security, and complementary football that shortens games and travels.
