Tony Pike threw three touchdown passes, each to a different receiver, and the Bearcats took control of the conference by beating 20th-ranked Pittsburgh 28-21 Saturday night, their first win after going 0-7 against the Panthers.
It was the pinnacle of a season in which the Bearcats (9-2, 5-1) went through four quarterbacks because of injury. For Pike, a junior playing with a broken left (non-passing) forearm, it was the best yet. For the Pitt football team, it was among its more lackluster performances for nearly three quarters.
"We came out and our kids were, no question that they were excited and ready to play this game,'' Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said. "Offensively, we demonstrated that on the field. Defensively, we were flying around, and we could not make a play on that quarterback. Pike, I'll tell you what, the kid was incredible tonight. I think the whole first half the plays that they made, he made half of them when he was under pressure.
"We were chasing him, and we could not get him on the ground. I thought the other positive was our special teams. We caused a fumble on the first kickoff. We block a punt. We block a field goal, (and) you'd like to think that would be enough to win a game for you. We committed too many mistakes. We gave up a couple easy scores on defense. We fall down one time.
"We bust a coverage one time,'' Wannstedt added. "And then we make some yards on offense or make some plays, and we have penalties that bring it back. A variety of penalties which we have not had. The only other positive is that our kids did not quit. They fought back at the end, but it was too late. Playing up here against a good football team, I'm disappointed on how we played.''
Pike matched his career high for touchdown passes and ran Cincinnati's no-huddle, spread offense almost flawlessly against the Conference's best road team. Pike completed a career-high 26 passes in 32 attempts for 309 yards and ran several draw plays that exposed his arm to hits.
Pike's steadiness put Cincinnati in position to clinch the Big East title with a victory at home Saturday against 3-8 Syracuse, which is coming off a 24-23 victory at Notre Dame.
"I thought we were sacked for some big sacks tonight, and that takes rushing yards off,'' Wannstedt said. "The reverse we got hit on that for a loss. We were in second- and third-and-long more tonight than we've been probably in the last five games combined. Seven penalties, that's the most we've had all year. You look at the third down, we're 2-for-10 and they're 6-for-12.
"They're 50 percent, and we're 20 percent. That was the difference. We went about three quarters where we could not make a first down and keep the drive going on offense. And defensively, we couldn’t get them off the field. That kid, I have to give him credit.
"(Pike) played about as good as any quarterback that's played against us that I can remember in the last two or three years,'' Wannstedt added. "Not only did he get away from our rush, and we've got guys who can rush, he made throws. He found receivers down the field. and he made some excellent throws under pressure. I have to give him credit.''
Down by 21 points, Pitt (7-3, 3-2) made a late comeback that came up just short cost it a chance to scramble the conference race. The Panthers had won their four previous road games with the league's highest-scoring offense and a stubborn defense. This time, the combination didn't work.
Quarterback Bill Stull's 41-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dorin Dickerson cut it to 28-21 with 1:22 to go, but Cincinnati recovered an onside kick and ran the clock down to 18 seconds before turning it over on downs at the 32-yard line. Fans then stormed the field prematurely, and a defensive penalty extended the game by 4 seconds following a sack.
They started onto the field prematurely again while Pitt ran a multiple-lateral play, retreated to the sideline and then charged on again when Cincinnati recovered a loose ball to end it.
The Bearcats had a lot of things working for them in a game second-year coach Brian Kelly called the biggest in school history. They had their first capacity crowd in five games, their special red jerseys for the first time in five years and a defense that has been impeccable in four straight wins over ranked teams.
Cincinnati didn't have premier cornerback Mike Mickens, who sprained his left knee in practice two days earlier. Mickens holds the school record with 14 career interceptions and had four this season.
That didn't matter. The senior-laden defense remained staunch, and Pike had the best game yet in his amazing comeback.
The junior quarterback took over when senior Dustin Grutza broke his leg in the second game of the season. Two games later, Pike broke his forearm, which is held together by a plate and six screws. With the arm covered, he has started the last five games and gotten a little better in each one.
Pike led Cincinnati on a 16-play, 99-yard drive the first time it got the ball. He was 8-of-9 for 84 yards on the tone-setting drive, his only incompletion on a throwaway. He found Marcus Barnett running uncovered down the middle of the field for a 20-yard score. Pitt safety Elijah Fields fell down trying to get back from playing tight at the line.
"The one was a bust,'' Wannstedt said. "One time, we fell down on the one long screen that they had we were in man coverage, and they ran the bubble screen and Fields came up and the guy, rather than block him he pretended like he was going to block him and then went right down the middle of the field.
"It was a nice play on their part, and he lunged at him and fell down, and that was the one touchdown. And the other one we just didn't get the safety (Dom DeCicco) over the top.''
The Bearcats neutralized Pitt's hard-charging defensive front by running quick slants, shovel passes and quarterback draws. Also, Pike rolled away from the pressure and made accurate throws, including a four-yard touchdown pass to Dominick Goodman at the back of the end zone that made it 14-7 just before halftime. It was Goodman's 22nd career touchdown catch, topping former NFL kicker and receiver Jim O'Brien's school record.
Pike's 39-yard touchdown pass to Mardy Gilyard, who got behind the secondary, pushed the lead to 21-7 early in the third quarter and left the Panthers' defensive players hanging their heads. It was 28-7 early in the fourth quarter after Jacob Ramsey's two-yard run.
Pitt faces West Virginia in the annual Backyard Brawl Friday at noon at Heinz Field and can still secure its highest win total since a 9-2 mark in 2002 with two wins to close out the season.
"Our kids were working too hard, and I know they wanted to do it,'' Wannstedt said. "Then, we went flat for about two and a half quarters. Even when we came out in the third quarter, we didn’t have anything going. Then, all of the sudden in the fourth quarter, we come alive and it's too late.
"In my estimation, we probably played the first eight minutes of the game and the last eight minutes of the game. Everything in between we didn’t make anything happen. ... (So), it'll be tough tonight and tough tomorrow, but we’re going to get them in there tomorrow and we’ve got to turn the page in a hurry.
"And (we have to) get ready for West Virginia,'' Wannstedt added, "because we know what we’re going to deal with come Friday. There’s no question what’s on the line this year. Back yard brawl, what happened last year, we’ve got to turn this page as difficult as it is we’ve got to move on fast.''
Pitt closes out the season Dec. 6 at Connecticut.
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