Behind The Box Score

Out for the last month with an injury to his non throwing arm, Cincinnati QB Tony Pike came in for two short appearances in a game where the undefeated Bearcats at 10-0, committed uncharacteristic mistakes in part of a 24-21 win. In front of the largest crowd in Nippert Stadium history, Brian Kelly’s team looked as if their Cinderella season may be nearing midnight.

 Enter Tony Pike. Dubbed as an early Heisman candidate until injuring his left arm during the South Florida game, Pike, a fifth year senior, came in briefly to save the day for the Bearcats. On his first pass in his return back, Pike fired a strike to Armon Binns for a touchdown with just under ten minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Tied at 14, Pike came in again, this time delivering a perfect pass between mulitple defenders to DJ Woods that put the Bearcats ahead by a touchdown.

 Coming into tonight’s game, the Bearcats were the only team in FBS football to not surrender a fumble. The streak ended tonight, when Adrien Robinson coughed up the pigskin after catching a pass in the first quarter. Things got worse for Kelly’s club when Robinson later dropped a touchdown pass that would have put Cincinnati ahead. Columbus Eastmoor Academy product Isaiah Pead ran for a career high 175 yards and a touchdown, in a game where Cincinnati’s prolific passing offense was reduced to 221 yards, a season low.

 Pead’s breakout performance isn’t just another case of Friday the 13th oddities, Pead was a standout back at Eastmoor, a prestigious football program on Columbus’ east side which has produced such players as Archie Griffin among others. During his senior season, Pead rushed for over 1,700 yards and was a big part in the Warriors’ resurgence among the best in the state, a trend that continued into 2008, when Eastmoor made it to the State Championship Game on the legs of Ron Tanner and Touche Hopkins.

 Back to the Bearcats, riding a nine game winning streak where the best team in Ohio hadn’t trailed since the Oregon State game on September 19th, Cincinnati found themselves in trouble in the second half. Under the direction of Pike, who was 2-4 for 16 yards and 2 TD’s, Kelly’s team fended off Bill Stewart’s squad who had a chance late in the fourth quarter but any hope for a victory was squashed after turning over the ball on downs at the Cincinnati 24 with roughly five minutes remaining. Aside from Pike, fill in QB Zach Collaros continued to perform at a high level, compiling 205 yards through the air and 40 on the ground.

With two reliable options at football’s most important position, winning looks to continue along the Ohio River, as the Bearcats roll and the Bengals rule. With Illinois coming to town next week hot off victories over Michigan and Minnesota, this could serve as a trap game for the Bearcats as the presumable Big East “Championship” Game looms on December 5th, in Pittsburgh against a Panthers team led by Dion Lewis and off to one of their best starts in recent memory. With all the tools to make a run to a perfect season, odds are that Kelly’s team can do it. With players like Pead, Pike and Collaros stepping in when it matters most, we could see this team lobbying for a spot in the BCS Championship Game and in a position that this town isn’t used to, PERFECTION.