2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

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Cincinnati successfully defended its Big East title with a thrilling come from behind in win in Pittsburgh. While the game was the regular season finale for both teams it was seen as a de facto conference title game as the winner would have either the best outright conference record (Cincinnati) or the head to head tiebreaker (Pittsburgh) and be award the BCS bowl game slot in the Sugar Bowl. The 15th ranked Panthers started strong taking the opening kickoff and driving right down field to score with Dion Lewis scoring from 4 yards out. The Bearcats responded with a quick touchdown drive to tie the game, Jacob Ramsey bulling in from 2 yards out. The teams ended the first quarter tied at 7. The Panthers pounded the Bearcats with 24 second quarter points as they utilized the pinpoint passing of Bill Stull to score seemingly at will. Stull found Jon Baldwin twice for scores, Dan Hutchins added a 33-yard field goal and Stull run a QB sneak in from 3 yards out and the Panthers were up 31-10 and looking to put the game out of reach but on the ensuing kickoff after the Stull TD run. Mardy Gilyard took the kickoff at the one found a crease and raced 99 yards for a touchdown. That score seemed to stunt the Panthers title hopes. Though the Bearcats would only score once in the 3rd quarter on another long Gilyard score, this time on a 68-yard pass from Tony Pike, the Bearcats held the Panthers scoreless in the 3rd and would head to the decisive 4th down only 31–24. The deficit ballooned back to 14 on another scoring run from Lewis, the Bearcats got yet another long kick return from Gilyard and DJ Woods snagged an 8-yard touchdown pass from Pike. The extra point missed and the Bearcats trailed 38-30 The Bearcats tied the game on a short run by Isaiah Pead and a successful 2 point conversion and the Bearcats had fought back to level the game at 38. The Panthers were not done, though. Driving 67 yards in 4:10, Dion Lewis scored his 3rd touchdown of the game. Hutchins missed the extra point but the Panthers had a 44–38 lead with 1:36 left and dreams of crashing the Bearcats Big East title and BCS hopes in the snowy afternoon. But Pike and the Bearcats had other ideas. Racing back down field in just 63 seconds, the Bearcats were at the Panther 29. Pike dropped back to pass and found Armon Binns streaking down the sideline. His perfectly lobbed pass found a tumbling Binns in the end zone for the Bearcats first lead of the day with a scant 33 seconds left. The Panthers could do nothing with the time they had left and the Bearcats would celebrate its 2nd consecutive Big East Title and BCS Bowl berth. The Bearcats would finish the regular season with unbeaten for the first time in school history and its 12 wins would be a school record. The Bearcats would head to the bowl without Brian Kelly as it was announced just days after the game that he had accepted the head coaching position at Notre Dame. Jeff Quinn would coach the Bearcats in the Sugar Bowl and then he too would depart as he had accepted the head coaching position at Buffalo. Pittsburgh ==Roster==

===All-Americans=== • Mardy Gilyard, WR • Andre Revels, LB 3rd Team Sporting News All American Post-season finalists and winners • Home Depot Coach of the Year Award - Brian Kelly • Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award - Brian Kelly (finalist) • Paul "Bear" Bryant Award - Brian Kelly (finalist) • Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award - Brian Kelly (finalist) • George Munger Award - Brian Kelly (finalist) Big East Conference All-Conference Second Team • Armon Binns, WR • Jason Kelce, OL • Alex Hoffman, OL • Jeff Linkenbach, OL • Ben Guidugli, TE • Ricardo Mathews, DL ==Players in the 2010 NFL draft==