Rece Davis: Saturday a 'desperation game' for Utah against Cincinnati

SALT LAKE CITY — With two conference losses this season, Utah football's back is against the figurative wall.

And with a tough ranked-on-ranked matchup on deck at Rice-Eccles Stadium, there's little room for error for the Utes if their goals of a Big 12 title are to be realized.

It's what ESPN "College GameDay" host Rece Davis called a "desperation game for Utah" in an interview with local media on Friday ahead of the main show Saturday.

"The deck is already stacked a little bit against them, because of potential head-to-head tiebreakers, in terms of getting to the Big 12 championship game," Davis said. "But it's certainly not over.

"Cincinnati has built a little bit of a margin for error in the conference race. Utah no longer has any," he added. "So I think that gives us a great environment, and it's an opportunity for Cincinnati to validate its status as a College Football Playoff contender and certainly a Big 12 championship contender; and it's an opportunity for Utah to stay in it and hope that they get a little help here and there, and maybe get another shot at one of the two teams that beat them."

It's an opportunity for two teams from the Big 12 to prove their respective value in the league, as well as one of the top teams in college football.

No. 17 Cincinnati enters the game as one of the hottest teams in the country, with an unscathed record in conference play, but a night tilt against No. 24 Utah in Rice-Eccles Stadium has the Bearcats as a double-digit underdog to the Utes.

Despite having one of the most prolific offenses in the country, Cincinnati has a lot of work to do to overcome the betting odds against them. It's odds that Davis said is "a lot, because I think Cincinnati is good."

For Davis, it all starts with Cincinnati's ability to get the run game going, of which the team ranks 31st in the country. And against a Utah run defense that hasn't been as stout as in years past and is "leaky," Davis said, it could provide some opportunity for the Bearcats to gain some momentum on the road.

"Those who play games of chance — which I'm not endorsing, by the way, because everything is a risk. Things are risky in life. Why would you risk your hard-earned money like that? — but for those people who like to play games of chance, if they shut down Cincinnati from running, you're going to be going, 'Well, that was easy. I should have taken that.'"

Conversely, Steve Coughlin, who is also known as "Stanford Steve," said the game can also come down to Cincinnati trying to stop Utah's run game, especially with a mobile Devon Dampier under center, which he added "they've had trouble against quarterback run."

"I believe Cincinnati has what it takes to keep this game close, for sure," he said. "But it seems a lot higher than I thought it was going to be, which makes me start thinking the other like, 'All right, maybe I'm not seeing something here with Utah.' But I think it's gonna be a real high-level game.

"I think Cincinnati's got to get going fast and start — a fast start is monstrous for them to be successful."

And with Dampier not on this week's availability report and expected to play Saturday night, that could provide the Utes the arsenal it needs to have an effective run game to make it tough on Cincinnati.

"Got to get the quarterback run going to hit some explosive plays," Davis said. "I mean, that's when this offense is at its best. I'm assuming, even though that might be dangerous, that Devon is going to be able to play. ... I think they've got to get the quarterback run game going. And if they do that, I think they can have chance to be successful and open up some opportunities for explosive plays."

Coughlin said Saturday is the time to see if Dampier can have a "breakout game" after not being able to have that moment this season — something he said Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby has had this season.

"With Devon on the other side, I feel like we haven't seen the breakout game," Coughlin said. "We get to the Tech game, and it's like, 'Oh, he really didn't practice this week'; and then he's got to make throws, and he can't make throws because you're trailing fourth quarter and BYU has the ball. You really haven't seen that moment. So I feel like there's still more. There's still more to the ceiling up for Devon.

"I mean, great players play great in big-time windows, and he's got one tomorrow night," he added. "So I would give the edge to Sorbsy, but, I mean, Devon at home, a week off, rested, you've got to think this is as healthy as he's been all year since he's been nicked up."

Several factors, Coughlin added, will be going against Cincinnati, including Saturday being their first "tough road game" since a neutral-site game at Arrowhead Stadium to open the season. Travel from the East coast, it being a night game and elevation will certainly add to the elements the Bearcats must overcome.

Davis added that Cincinnati will have to go against a Morgan Scalley defense that doesn't give much up to opposing teams.

"You can't get to the red zone; they don't allow you to get there very often, and they don't really let you gash them," Davis said. "But people have moved it a little bit on them running."

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