Cincy rallies past Pittsburgh
Mardy Gilyard listened to every plea, then relied on his speed to give the Cincinnati Bearcats numerous momentum-swinging plays in a game they led only once – at the end.
Tony Pike’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Armon Binns with 33 seconds left finished the comeback, from a three-touchdown deficit, and the Bearcats stunned No. 14 Pittsburgh 45-44 on Saturday to secure their second straight Big East title.
Freshman Dion Lewis’ three touchdowns and 194 yards rushing on 47 carries carried Pitt (9-3, 5-2) to leads of 31-10, 38-24 and 44-38, only to have the Gilyard-led Bearcats (12-0, 7-0) rally each time.
Gilyard gave the Bearcats a much-needed jolt with a 99-yard kickoff return just before halftime – immediately after coach Brian Kelly and a half-dozen teammates pleaded for a game-changing play – and he made it 31-24 in the third quarter with a 68-yard scoring catch. He also had a 49-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter that led to another touchdown.
Cincinnati heads off to the BCS for the second season in a row with its first 12-0 record, while Pitt’s second consecutive loss dooms the Panthers to a minor bowl only two weeks after the Panthers were 9-1 and ranked in the top 10.
Lewis put Pitt ahead 44-38 with 1:36 remaining on a 5-yard run. But holder Andrew Janocko mishandled a perfect snap from center and Pitt never got off the extra point, a costly mistake.
(12) Georgia Tech 39, (25) Clemson 34: At Tampa, Fla., Jonathan Dwyer’s 15-yard touchdown run with 1:20 remaining gave the Yellow Jackets (11-2) a victory over the Tigers (8-5) in the ACC championship game.
Josh Nesbitt threw a 70-yard TD pass to DeMaryius Thomas and Scott Blair kicked a title game-record four field goals to help the Yellow Jackets win their first ACC crown since sharing it with Florida State in 1998.
C.J. Spiller rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns for Clemson.
East Carolina 38, (18) Houston 32: At Greenville, N.C., Dominique Lindsay and Giavanni Ruffin each ran for two touchdowns to lead the Pirates (9-4) past the Cougars (10-3) in the Conference USA championship game for their second straight league title.
Case Keenum completed 56 of 75 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns for Houston.
(24) West Virginia 24, Rutgers 21: At Piscataway, N.J., Noel Devine and Ryan Clarke each ran for a touchdown and J.T. Thomas’ interception with 1:59 left helped the Mountaineers (9-3, 5-2 Big East) to a victory over the Scarlet Knights (8-4, 3-4).