What Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said after losing to Utah
· Yahoo Sports
For Cincinnati fans, Halloween got off to a rough start after the Bearcats were dominated dominant 49-25 by the Utah Utes at Nippert Stadium.
After being scored on by Utah on the first drive of the game, the Bearcats responded with a field goal, but that was as close as the margin got as Utah’s next 35 points were only interrupted by one more Cincinnati field goal.
Visit zeppelin.cool for more information.
“Obviously, we knew Utah was a good football team coming in, and they certainly played like it there in the first half,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said.
“We didn’t help ourselves at all. We were able to move the football a little bit, and you get down, and then we shot ourselves in the foot with a couple penalties that knocked us out. We knew going into it, if you get an opportunity, when you get down close to the goal line, you gotta punch it in and get touchdowns.”
Utah safety Rabbit Evans (1) recovers the fumble and scores a touchdown against Cincinnati during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah running back Wayshawn Parker (1) runs for a first down against Cincinnati during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah running back Daniel Bray (5) scores a touchdown against Cincinnati during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah running back Wayshawn Parker (1) runs for a first down against Cincinnati during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game agains Utah, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) is stopped at the goal line by Arizona State Sun Devils linebacker Owen Long (22) while jumping over a pile of lineman during a game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, October 31, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News Utah head coach Morgan Scalley reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah running back Wayshawn Parker (1) celebrates during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah running back Wayshawn Parker (1) runs the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah defensive tackle Karson Kaufusi (51) sacks Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV (4) drops back to pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah quarterback Devon Dampier (4) drops back to pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV (4) throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tony Wagner) | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah quarterback Devon Dampier (4) calls a play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated Press Utah quarterback Devon Dampier (4) passes the ball during game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. | Tony Wagner, Associated PressTouchdowns were not something Cincinnati was good at getting in the first half, as the Bearcats only scored the two field goals. The Utes were simply too much on both sides of the ball.
“We did a poor job tackling on the perimeter, allowing them to get some chunk plays and chunk yards, and when you do that, you open up the middle a little bit, and all of a sudden they’re powerful enough and fast enough to get yards up the middle,” Satterfield said.
“We didn’t get off the field on third down in the first half, and it just got away.”
But notwithstanding a 36-point deficit, he was proud of the way his team came out in the second half.
“I challenged our guys at halftime to come back out, not to look at the scoreboard, but to play to our standard, and I thought they did a great job in the second half,” Satterfield said.
“It’s real easy to hang your head and feel sorry for yourself in the second half and come out there and just let them have it, but I thought our guys came out and showed some great fight with the way they came back.”
In particular, Satterfield noted how his defense got two turnovers and two stops on fourth down.
“I mean, that’s four possessions I thought our defense did an excellent job,” he said.
Referencing the end of the game when his team held Utah out of the end zone for a turnover on downs, Satterfield said it “means something to our guys and our kids to to be able to hold them out of the end zone there on fourth down.
“I mean, I know the game was pretty much over at that point in time, but that means a lot.”
The coach still has confidence in his team, which moved to 5-3 on the season with the loss.
“Hey, this is a good football team,” Satterfield said. “We didn’t play well, and when you don’t play well against a top 10 team like Utah is, I mean, this is what happens.”
Satterfield had particular praise for Ute quarterback Devon Dampier, who finished with 264 yards passing with three touchdowns and another 45 yards rushing.
“They’re talented. They have a talented quarterback,” he said. “I thought several times we played great coverage. He didn’t have anywhere to throw it, and the sucker, you know, he still goes to scramble and gets a first down and we had guys there and we just kind of missed those tackles.
“At that point, it’s our guy versus their guy in open field, which is a hard thing to do, and he won. He won several of those to get first downs, and it just kept their drives alive. And I think they were 6-for-6 on third downs in the first half, and when they’re staying on the field and keeping the drives alive, it’s difficult for us to get off the field. I think Dampier’s one of the better ones. I think he’s a winner.”
Looking toward his team’s next opponent, Houston, Satterfield said, “I feel like each game is a new season for every team. For us next week, you turn the page.
“Everything is all about Houston next week, you know? And so you learn from the things that you’ve done in the past, but, man, you’ve got to focus everything you can on Houston to try to put together a plan for our guys to execute.”