Pike, Gilyard Lead Cincinnati Past Fresno State
Interception Helps Ruin Bulldogs' Bid for College Football Upset
Pike passed for 300 yards, and Gilyard caught nine passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 14 Bearcats defeated Fresno State 28-20 in a non-conference football matchup at Cincinnati.
Coach Brian Kelly's Cincinnati team moved to 4-0 despite having the ball for just 17 minutes, 18 seconds. Fresno State (1-3) was on offense for 42:42, running 84 plays to Cincinnati's 42.
But the Bulldogs had a bid for a go-ahead score ruined by linebacker Craig Carey's interception early in the fourth quarter. And they couldn't contain Pike, Gilyard and Cincinnati's no-huddle offense.
Pike completed 18 of 26 passes without an interception, hitting Gilyard with TD passes of 11 and 23 yards and finding Ben Guidugli for a 32-yard score. Gilyard, who is averaging eight receptions per game, came up with a career-high for single-game yardage.
Fresno State garnered more yards than its opponent for the third week in a row, but also lost its third straight. Coach Pat Hill's Bulldogs, who outgained Wisconsin and Boise State in their two previous losses, had 443 yards to Cincinnati's 357 and picked up 290 yards on the ground.
Ryan Mathews carried the ball 38 times -- twice as many as rushes as he's had in any of his other college games. The junior managed 145 yards and a touchdown, but Cincinnati's defense prevented him from breaking way for long runs.
Last week, Matthews had three touchdown runs of 60 yards or more while gaining 234 yards vs. Boise State. But his longest carry Saturday was 11.
Carey's Interception Keeps Cincinnati in Control
Fresno State, down 21-17, faced a fourth-and-two situation from the Cincinnati 6-yard line. The Bulldogs went for the first down, and Ryan Colburn tried to loft a short pass over Carey. But Carey reached high to make an interception, and returned it 19 yards.
Cincinnati proceeded to drive 81 yards on 71 yards on six plays, and Pike's 23-yard pass to Gilyard gave the Bearcats a 28-17 lead with 13:09 left.
Fresno State wasn't finished yet. The Bulldogs pulled within 28-20 on a 49-yard field goal by Kevin Goessling, then got the ball back on their own 8-yard line with 3:55 left.
Propelled by a 33-yard run by Lonyae Miller, the Bulldogs marched to the Cincinnati 32, where they faced another fourth-and-two. After a timeout, Fresno State was flagged for a delay-of-game penalty. And Ryan Colburn's fourth-and-seven pass over the middle to Chastin West was broken up by Aaron Webster, sealing Cincinnati's eighth consecutive home victory.
Bearcats Race to Early Lead
Pike's TD passes to Guidugli and Gilyard lifted Cincinnati to a 14-3 first quarter lead. Fresno State closed within four after a 1-yard TD by Mathews, but the Bearcats increased the lead to 21-10 on a 1-yard scoring run by Isaiah Pead with 8:53 left in the first half.
Fresno State then changed the complexion of the game with a 17-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took 8:48 off the clock. Colburn connected with Jamel Hamler on a 21-yard TD play to pull Fresno within 21-17 with seven seconds left on the clock.
Before that drive, it had been a shootout. But the Bulldogs began churning up short chunks of yardage, taking time off the clock and keeping the Bearcats offense off the field. The pattern continued into the third quarter when Fresno State ran 24 plays to Cincinnati's four.
When the period ended, the Bulldogs were on a 13-play drive with a solid shot to take the lead. But Carey's interception came on the 14th play.
Young Players Anchor Cincinnati Defense
Redshirt freshman defensive back Drew Frey recorded a team-high 11 tackles for Cincinnati. Another redshirt freshman, lineman Dan Giordano, added nine tackles, as did junior linebacker Demetrius Jones and sophomore linebacker J.K. Schaffer.
Jones is a former Notre Dame quarterback who switched to defense after transferring to Cincinnati.
Pike and Gilyard accounted for most of Cincinnati's offensive production, although T.J. Woods had four catches for 53 yards. The Bearcats ran the ball only 16 times, with Pead gaining a team-high 27 yards on four carries.
For Fresno, Miller rushed 10 times for 77 yards, and Hamler had four catches for 57 yards. Colburn completed 16 of 27 passes for 153 yards, but the interception was his seventh this season.
Linebacker Nico Herron paced the Bulldogs defense with seven tackles, and Fresno defensive end Chris Carter recorded the only sack of the game.
Bulldogs, Bearcats Return to Conference Play on Oct. 10
Cincinnati hits the road next week for a Saturday, Oct. 3, non-conference matchup with Miami (Ohio). The Bearcats, who are 1-0 in the Big East, return to conference play Oct. 10 at South Florida.
Fresno State will have a week off before traveling to Hawaii for a Western Athletic Conference game Oct. 10.
Saturday's game was the first between Cincinnati and Fresno State
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