Bearcat Bruising Brushoff

Sophomore holder, Andrew Janocko, mishandled the snap on a Pittsburg point-after attempt with 1:36 remaining after the Panthers scored the go-ahead touchdown. Dan Hutchins never even attempted the kick and the Cincinnati Bearcats got the ball back with a chance to win the game. The Bearcats capped off a 21 point comeback by rallying to beat Pitt 45-44 at Heinz Field in the Big East title game Saturday.
Cincinnati’s perfect season and BCS bowl bid were in danger throughout the game in Pittsburgh. The 9-3 Panthers lead the entire game until the final minute. Tony Pike, the Heisman Trophy candidate Cincinnati quarterback, was intercepted three times. The Panthers defense held the Bearcats to more than 100 yards below their season average while holding the ball nearly twice as long. Pitt dominated for essentially 50 minutes as their freshman running back, Dion Lewis, evoked memories of former Panther, Tony Dorsett. Lewis ran for three scores and 194 yard on a team record 47 carries. The battering, blazing and blistering back was brilliant. Quarterback for Pitt, Bill Stull was stellar in stalling the quick-working Bearcats. The Panthers kept the high-charged Cincinnati offense off the field. Ironically, it was one fast-scoring drive that ultimately did the Panthers in at the end. The Panthers lead 31-24 after a fourth quarter touchdown run on four plays by Lewis. Cincinnati answered with their own four play drive. DJ Woods caught an eight yard pass from Pike to pull the Bearcats within eight points. They tied the game six minutes later on an Isaiah Pead rushing touchdown and successfully completed the two point conversion. Pitt took possession with 5:40 remaining. Instead of running out the clock and kicking a field goal with less than a minute left, the Panthers ended the drive in the end zone. Lewis rushed, with very little attempt at stopping him, from five yards out to lift the Panthers again. Then, the ill-fated hold on the point after flopped, giving the Bearcats a chance to win the game with a touchdown. Pike needed three completions after starting from the Cincinnati 39 yard line before connecting with 6’4” receiver, Armon Binns for the game-winning touchdown. The Panthers’ secondary did a credible job Saturday, but it was nearly impossible for any of them to cover the towering Binns. Pike only had to throw the ball up high for Binns to come down with the Big East title in his hands.
Stull went 13 for 21 with 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also tossed a pair of picks in this mistake-prone title takedown. Both teams got on board with rushing touchdowns in the first quarter. Lewis scored his first seven on a four yard rush to end a 12 play Pittsburgh drive with just under 8:00 in the first. Lewis sliced through Cincinnati’s defense with speed and power. The Bearcats tied the game 7-7 on Jacob Ramsey’s two yard scurry. Jonathan Baldwin, the talented sophomore wideout, caught a 22 yard pass from Stull in the first minute of the second quarter to put Pitt back on top. Jake Rodgers’ 20 yard field goal made it a four point game. The Panthers charged right back and forged ahead 21-10 on a two-play 40 yard touchdown pass from Stull to Baldwin. The duo hooked up for 113 Panther yards during Saturday’s contest. Hutchins booted a 33 yard field goal and Stull found the end zone with his own legs from three yards out with 1:26 before the half. Pitt looked as if they might walk away with a laugher, but kick return terror, Marty Gilyard’s 99 yard touchdown run made it a 31-17 game. That wasn’t all from the Bearcat burner on this snowy December gray Pittsburgh afternoon.
Gilyard scored the only points in the third quarter on 68 yard scoring catch from Pike. Brian Kelly’s Bearcats intercepted the momentum following Gilyard’s magnificent return with 70 seconds before halftime. Kelly is the only Cincinnati coach to have three double-digit win seasons. In fact, there was only one other Bearcats team before Kelly to post a double digit season. After the game-changing play by Gilyard, the visiting team jolted command and seized every opportunity to land a seat in the national BCS spotlight. Pike shook off a rough opening half to complete his final 11 passes and score twice. He threw for 84 yards in the first half but revved up 218 yards and three touchdowns in the second. Binns made five catches, including the game winning receptions, for 104 yards. Gilyard was credited with a whopping 256 yards on seven kickoff returns. He provided numerous momentum-swings for the rallying Bearcats. Big-play Gilyard ran back a 49 yard kickoff early in the fourth quarter to set up Woods’ touchdown. On the final drive, the perky Panthers were silly enough to let Gilyard burn them again. A kick to Gilyard proved costly after the receiver returned the ball to the Bearcats 39 yard line. It took 63 seconds for Pike to find the end zone and break the hearts of Heinz Field fans.

Parting Points: Larry McMurty’s second biography comes out Tuesday and looks interesting.
Florida was downed by Alabama and Texas won in the final seconds over Nebraska. I guess we now know the national title game contenders.
Happy Birthday to R.E.M.’s Peter Buck!