Cincinnati storms back to defeat Hawaii

HONOLULU – Marty Gilyard caught a 69-yard touchdown pass with 4 minutes, 42 seconds to play and Cincinnati’s defense stepped up as the 13th-ranked Bearcats rallied for 19 straight points in the final quarter to beat Hawaii 29-24 on Saturday night.

Gilyard finished with seven catches for 136 yards for the BCS-bound Bearcats (11-2), who won their sixth straight game and a school-record 11th game of the season.

Down by two touchdowns with less than 13 minutes left, Cincinnati scored nearly at will against the deflated Warriors (7-6) and took a 29-24 lead on Dustin Grutza’s scoring pass to Gilyard.

Hawaii will play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl for the fifth time since 2002. Hawaii accepted the bid after defeating Washington State.

Last Tuesday, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly tried to end speculation that he’s leaving the Bearcats, saying that he’s happy with the program’s development and he plans to stay.

Kelly acknowledged that other schools had expressed an interest in him, but said he’s not leaving.

“All I can say is that with all the speculation and all the jobs that have been out there, sooner or later ‘no’ means ‘no,’ ” Kelly said. “Again, no one can ever speak in terms of forever and ever, but what I can tell you is there’s been a lot of interest in my services, and I want to be here at the University of Cincinnati because of the right reasons.”

The Bearcats won the Big East title this season, sending them to the first BCS bowl in school history.