What Arizona Must Do to Halt Cincinnati’s Run Game
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The Arizona Wildcats have won two games in a row, stampeding over the Colorado Buffaloes 52-17 and narrowly escaping the Kansas Jayhawks in a close 24-20 contest, pushing them to a 3-3 record in the Big 12 and 6-3 overall.
Arizona will now look to make it three straight by marching into Nippert Stadium and upsetting the No. 25-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats to boost its chances at ending the regular season with a higher place in its conference and making it to a more prestigious bowl game.
The Wildcats will face a Bearcats offense that is not to be taken lightly, but they are more than capable of taking on any squad, given their success over the last couple of games.
Brendan Sorsby has been an efficient quarterback with a big arm, throwing for 2064 yards and 21 touchdowns while recording just two interceptions through 9 games. His favorite target, Cyrus Allen, has caught 50 receptions for 514 yards and 10 touchdowns, making the pass game a solid one for the Bearcats.
The passing game isn't the only thing to fear; the Bearcats have a physical running game ranked third in the Big 12. Arizona will need to stop that area of offense and force Cincinnati to pass the ball.
Cincinnati's running back room
Tawee Walker and Evan Pryor are listed as the co-starters for this Saturday's game with Arizona. Through nine games, the duo has been a nuisance for opposing defenses to face.
Walker is the team's leader in rushing yards with 97 carries for 533 yards and four touchdowns and is the 15th best rusher in the Big 12. He averages 5.5 yards per carry.
Pryor is second on the team with 66 carries, 478 yards and three touchdowns. He averages 7.2 yards per carry and is the 14th-best running back in the Big 12.
Sorsby is the team's third-leading rusher, adding 478 yards on 73 carries with eight touchdowns to his already impressive stats as a passer.
Pryor was listed as questionable on Thursday's latest availability report, so if he does not suit up against the Wildcats, they will rely on Manny Covey to take his place. Although he has not run the ball very much this season, he still averages 7.4 yards per carry, making him a legitimate backup.
An elite offensive line
The main reason the Bearcats have been so effective running the ball and why Sorsby has had such an electric season is the play of the offensive line.
1 of the 10 best in the nation 💪
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) November 13, 2025
The Bearcats Offensive Line has been named Joe Moore Award Semifinalists
Details » https://t.co/Ae2VvechuE pic.twitter.com/mMJy6LM1vd
The Cincinnati offensive line has been so dominant in the Big 12 that it has made the Joe Moore Award semifinalists list, a list of 10 NCAA units. It is an award recognizing the NCAA's top-performing offensive line.
The group is anchored by center Gavin Gerhardt, who has been one of the team's captains for three seasons out of a four-year career. Left guard Evan Tengesdahl, who is rated as the fourth-best guard in the country according to Pro Football Focus.
The offensive line has been named as the Big 12's offensive line of the week three times this season and is responsible for Cincinnati ranking third in the country in yards per rush (5.99) and fifth in yards per play (7.29). The Bearcats' unit has also allowed just 33 negative plays, which is the second fewest in the FBS.
How Arizona can stop the rushing attack
The Wildcats are not tanking as the fourth-best total defense in the Big 12 for no reason; they have improved significantly since Danny Gonzales took over as coordinator in the offseason.
The defense has given up the fourth-fewest rushing yards (1277) in the Big 12 and is tied for the fourth-fewest yards per play (3.8).
Arizona will need to rely on a big defensive front and a linebacking crew that has flown to the ball all season. It will be without its starting nose tackle, Tiaoalii Savea, who was injured late in the Kansas game —a massive blow to the Wildcats. Arizona will most likely look to Julian Savaiinaea
The Wildcats have two players in the top 25 of the Big 12 in tackles for loss. Tackle Deshawn McKnight is ninth with nine TFL's while linebacker Riley Wilson is 19th with 5.5
Should the Cincinnati running backs get past the front, they will be met by a gang of players in the second level that fly around the ball. Three players on the Arizona defense are in the top 25 in total tackles. Linebackers Max Harris (19) and Taye Brown (14) have combined for 123 tackles. Safety Dalton Johnson has 68 this year.
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.