Missed Extra Point Helps Cincinnati Win Big East Title
PITTSBURGH — It was not expected that the Big East title and a Bowl Championship Series bowl appearance would be determined by a bobbled snap on an extra point attempt.
But that was what helped decide the game for No. 5 Cincinnati (12-0, 6-0) on a wintry Saturday in a 45-44 victory against No. 14 Pittsburgh (9-3, 5-2).
Panthers holder Andrew Janocko, a sophomore backup quarterback, bobbled the snap on the extra point attempt after a touchdown with 1 minute 38 seconds to go, to keep Pitt’s lead at 44-38.
That set the stage for Cincinnati’s calm senior quarterback, Tony Pike, to march his team down the field — completing all four of his pass attempts, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to the junior wide receiver Armon Binns with 33 seconds left. The Bearcats then made the extra point to win the conference title and cap an undefeated regular season.
For awhile, it did not look like the shootout the sellout crowd of 63,387 at Heinz Field had come to watch.
Pitt dominated Cincinnati for most of the first half. They scored 31 points and held the vaunted Bearcats’ spread offense, which had averaged 39.4 per game this year, to 10 points.
But then the Bearcats’ senior wide receiver Mardy Gilyard took control of the game.
He returned a kickoff late in the first half 99 yards for a touchdown to make the score 31-10. Then, on Cincinnati’s second possession of the second half, he caught a pass from Pike and sprinted 68 yards into the end zone to make the score 31-24.
From there, Pitt struggled offensively and Cincinnati found its rhythm and it became the game it was expected to be, with the winner being the team which had the ball last.
The narrow loss obscured a stellar day by both Pitt’s defense — which intercepted Pike three times after he was intercepted three times all season before Saturday — and Panthers running back Dion Lewis, who darted, dipped and generally frustrated the Cincinnati defense in scoring two touchdowns, rushing for 203 yards and setting a team record with 47 carries.
With the score tied at 38-38, after a Bearcats score and 2-point conversion with 5:40 to go, Pitt marched down the field on a mix of passes, runs, and the help of a 15-yard hands-to-the-face penalty by the Bearcats before Lewis ran 5 yards for his second touchdown, only to see the extra point missed.
Cincinnati got the ball with 1:30 to go. Pike made the drive look effortless, ending it with his touchdown pass into the right corner of the end zone to Binns.
Then Cincinnati placekicker Jake Rogers, who had missed an extra point earlier in the game, made the one he really needed to.
That became the winning margin when Pitt could gain nothing on its last four plays, dashing the Panthers’ hopes of their first 10-win season in 28 years and their second Big East championship.
PITTSBURGH — It was not expected that the Big East title and a Bowl Championship Series bowl appearance would be determined by a bobbled snap on an extra point attempt.
But that was what helped decide the game for No. 5 Cincinnati (12-0, 6-0) on a wintry Saturday in a 45-44 victory against No. 14 Pittsburgh (9-3, 5-2).
Panthers holder Andrew Janocko, a sophomore backup quarterback, bobbled the snap on the extra point attempt after a touchdown with 1 minute 38 seconds to go, to keep Pitt’s lead at 44-38.
That set the stage for Cincinnati’s calm senior quarterback, Tony Pike, to march his team down the field — completing all four of his pass attempts, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to the junior wide receiver Armon Binns with 33 seconds left. The Bearcats then made the extra point to win the conference title and cap an undefeated regular season.
For awhile, it did not look like the shootout the sellout crowd of 63,387 at Heinz Field had come to watch.
Pitt dominated Cincinnati for most of the first half. They scored 31 points and held the vaunted Bearcats’ spread offense, which had averaged 39.4 per game this year, to 10 points.
But then the Bearcats’ senior wide receiver Mardy Gilyard took control of the game.
He returned a kickoff late in the first half 99 yards for a touchdown to make the score 31-10. Then, on Cincinnati’s second possession of the second half, he caught a pass from Pike and sprinted 68 yards into the end zone to make the score 31-24.
From there, Pitt struggled offensively and Cincinnati found its rhythm and it became the game it was expected to be, with the winner being the team which had the ball last.
The narrow loss obscured a stellar day by both Pitt’s defense — which intercepted Pike three times after he was intercepted three times all season before Saturday — and Panthers running back Dion Lewis, who darted, dipped and generally frustrated the Cincinnati defense in scoring two touchdowns, rushing for 203 yards and setting a team record with 47 carries.
With the score tied at 38-38, after a Bearcats score and 2-point conversion with 5:40 to go, Pitt marched down the field on a mix of passes, runs, and the help of a 15-yard hands-to-the-face penalty by the Bearcats before Lewis ran 5 yards for his second touchdown, only to see the extra point missed.
Cincinnati got the ball with 1:30 to go. Pike made the drive look effortless, ending it with his touchdown pass into the right corner of the end zone to Binns.
Then Cincinnati placekicker Jake Rogers, who had missed an extra point earlier in the game, made the one he really needed to.
That became the winning margin when Pitt could gain nothing on its last four plays, dashing the Panthers’ hopes of their first 10-win season in 28 years and their second Big East championship.
Source: New York Times
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