Cincinnati football coach reveals significant injury news ahead of showdown vs. Utah

Bearcats' leading rusher could miss Saturday's contest

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield speaks to the referees during a game at Nippert Stadium. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There's a likely chance that Cincinnati won't be at full strength for Saturday's pivotal Big 12 clash against Utah.

During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield said he expects the team's leading rusher, Evan Pryor, will be listed as "out" in Wednesday's availability report.

"I think he'll be listed probably as out as we head to tomorrow," Scatterfield said of Pryor's status. "We'll see how he is and how he continues to progress throughout the week."

Scatterfield noted after Cincinnati's 41-20 win over Baylor last Saturday that the 5-foot-9 redshirt senior was dealing with a lower leg injury. Pryor had to leave the Bears game early after logging 13 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Why it matters

Pryor is part of a three-headed monster in the Bearcats' backfield, along with dual-threat quarterback Brendan Sorsby and fellow back Tawee Walker. The trio spearheads an offense that averages 193.6 yards on the ground, the fifth-most in the conference, with Pryor leading the way in total yards (478) and yards per carry (7.2, also No. 1 in the Big 12).

If Pryor is unavailable for Saturday's contest, Cincinnati would likely lean on Walker even more so to carry the load against the Utes' defense. The 5-foot-8 redshirt senior already leads the team in total attempts (90) and is second to Pryor with 466 rushing yards on the season.

Cincinnati Bearcats running back Evan Pryor (6). | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Against Baylor, Walker carried the rock 19 times for 84 yards, nearly matching his season high of 89 yards he set three weeks prior in Cincinnati's win over Iowa State, and had a touchdown. He also hauled in 3 catches for 18 yards.

For Utah, which has had its share of struggles slowing down the run, Cincinnati's run-pass option scheme will likely present plenty of challenges. Sorsby has played like one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season, posting an efficient 22 to 1 touchdown-to-interception ratio while completing 65.2% of his passes for 1,843 yards through the air. The 6-foot-3 junior also leads his squad with 7 rushing touchdowns and is third with 425 yards on the ground (6.2 per carry).

The Utes, yielding 164.6 rush yards per game in Big 12 play, are coming off a lights-out performance defensively, holding Colorado to a season-low 38 rushing yards on as many attempts in their 53-7 win over the Buffaloes last Saturday.

There's no doubt, though, the Bearcats offense is on a whole different level in comparison.

"They can hurt you in different ways," said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham during his weekly press conference. "They really lean heavily on the RPOs, and so coach [Morgan] Scalley and the defense has their work cut out for him."