Cincinnati Bearcats Survive Pitt and The Perfect Storm

Oh so fortunate are these Cincinnati Bearcats.

Twelve and oh-so-fortunate.

Champions of the Big East, winners of a BCS bowl berth, and survivors of a 45-44 nail-biter at Heinz Field that was one heck of a college football shootout.

It was a game full of heroes and their heroics, but when all was said and done it was backup quarterback Andrew Janocko’s bobbled hold of an extra point that put Cincinnati in position to weather the perfect storm in Pittsburgh.

The perfect storm was the snow and cold conditions that grounded the Bearcats' high-power passing game, The perfect storm was the super-human effort of freshman sensation Dion Lewis, the future of the Heisman Trophy, and the perfect storm was a less than perfect first half by Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike.

But it was that imperfect extra point snap that perhaps kept this contest from overtime.

After a furious comeback by the Bearcats in the fourth quarter, Lewis scored his third touchdown of the day on his 47th carry and his 191st rushing yard. It was 44-38 when Janocko took a good snap, prepared to place the ball down then suddenly lost control.

It was a costly mistake for Pitt.

Mardy Gilyard, who was such a huge factor for the Bearcats all afternoon, put his team in business with a 26-yard kick return that set up the final drive.

From his own 39, it was vintage Pike. Seven yards to Gilyard, 10 to D.J. Woods, another 15 to Gilyard, and then a perfect strike for 29 and a touchdown to the rangy Armon Binns.

Cincy managed its point after and the 45-44 lead with 1:36 to play.

The Bearcats defense, punished all day by Lewis and his prolific running ability, finally put together a stand at the end to win this game.

Before then, it was a defense that had little or no answer for Lewis.

"We are what we are," winning coach Brian Kelly said at halftime. It was an incredible 99-yard kickoff return by Gilyard that kept it from looking like a blowout at the half. Instead of 31-10, that return gem made it 31-17 with Pitt still looking so very much in control.

"At the half, I told them 'Look, just stay together and keep fighting," Kelly recalled after the final seconds ticked away. "I'm proud of the way our team persevered."

Pike, who got off to a slow start, found his form down the stretch and finished 22 for 44 for 302 yards and three touchdowns. But it was the 381 yards of offense that Gilyard provided that brought Cincinnati into the land of the regular-season unbeatens.

He had 118 receiving yards to go with 263 return yards. Binns, who caught the final touchdown pass, had five catches and 104 yards.

But it was Lewis who was the most incredible man on the field all day. He toted the ball 47 times, more than any Pitt player, ever. And he's only a freshman.

It was all Lewis early and often for Pitt and he passed 100 yards by the half.

But it was Pike and Binns and Gilyard late, when the game was on the line.

"I like Mack Brown at Texas," Kelly said afterwards. "But go Nebraska, go Cornhuskers!"

The Bearcats are firmly in the BCS picture but as Kelly indicated, they've done all they can do. They will watch and see what happens to teams ahead of them in the BCS.

And Cincinnati nation will wait and see what will happen with Kelly and the fact that Notre Dame may come calling.

Kelly has said, that if Notre Dame wants to talk, he will listen.

But for now, until the Irish knock, for Cincinnati and its fans, everything is oh so perfect.