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Trailing 31-10 with less than two minutes to go in the first half, the Cincinnati Bearcats undefeated season and BCS hopes had all but evaporated in the frigid air of Heinz Field.  The offense was sputtering and the defense could not stop the Pittsburgh rushing attack led by freshman Dion Lewis.  A Panther touchdown with 1:26 to go until half gave them a 21-point lead and put them in the drivers seat for a Sugar Bowl birth.  Then on a cold snowy day in Pittsburgh something magical happened.

Enter Mardy Gilyard.  All week it was talked about how Pittsburgh's special teams were their weakness, their one achilles heal.  That played right into the hands of the best return man in the country.  I had been thinking all game that 'Super Mardy' could take one to the house, but I never actually thought it would happen.  

"Right before the kicker kicked the ball I said Lord just take care of me...take care of me," Gilyard said after the game.  Gilyard caught the kickoff on the 1 yard line ran straight down the right sideline then cut back across the field and outran the coverage taking it 99 yards for a momentum and game changing touchdown.  

Gilyard's burst gave Cincinnati all they needed going into the locker room.  But they were still down 14 against a team playing on their home field in favorable conditions.  The Bearcats would need a lot to go their way to pull out a victory...enter once again Mardy Gilyard.  

With Cincinnati trailing 31-17 midway through the third quarter, quarterback Tony Pike hit Gilyard deep over the middle.  Gilyard broke free and scampered 68 yards for a touchdown bringing Cincinnati within seven at 31-24.  The Bearcats were right back in the game and Gilyard was on his way to one of the best offensive games of the season. He finished with 381 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.  The Panthers were not ready to lay down however and with 12 minutes to go went ahead 38-24.  Surely they wouldn't kick to him again would they?  

Enter Mardy Gilyard.  They tried to avoid him, they really did, but instead Gilyard ran up and caught the pooch kick bursting ahead 49 yards to the Pittsburgh 23, setting up another Bearcat touchdown.  He had successfully put the team on his back and given them a chance to win the Big East Title.  After a missed extra point the Bearcats found themselves down eight and once again Pike found Gilyard.  After an Isaiah Pead touchdown with less than six minutes to go Gilyard caught a two-point conversion to tie the game at 38.  

Another methodical drive by Pittsburgh capped by another Dion Lewis touchdown gave Pittsburgh a 44-38 lead and what followed will haunt Pittsburgh fans for eternity.  The snap was good...the hold was not.  A botched extra point meant Pitt led 44-38 with 1:36 to go. For fans of Cincinnati, that missed extra point was all they needed.  Every single person in that stadium knew when he missed that extra point Cincinnati was going to the Sugar Bowl.  

"There was no doubt in my mind," Gilyard said when asked if he thought Cincinnati was going to score in the final 1:36.  It only took four plays, but with 33 seconds to go Cincinnati's Armon Binns caught a Tony Pike touchdown pass and the Bearcats were on their way to New Orleans.

The greatest season in the history of UC football was capped with a come from behind drive and a one-point victory in the most exciting football game of the season.  A 12-0 record and a Big East Championship equal perfection.  I guess it is safe to say the Queen City owns the Steel City this football season.  

A trip to the Sugar Bowl and a chance to play the Florida Gators will give the Bearcats another opportunity to shine in the national spotlight and it will give Bearcat fans one more chance to see the extraordinary talents of one of the greatest players in UC football history.  From living in his car and losing his scholarship less than four years ago, to being one of the best receivers in the country and a sure fire All-American, Mardy Gilyard is someone you can't help but root for.  He is the heart and soul of this Bearcats team. They go as he goes.  

I will never forget the legacy of Mardy Gilyard, from him picking up and hugging a little kid in the stands last season after falling into him trying to make a catch, to him capping off a legendary career with a historic performance on a snowy December day in Pittsburgh.  

"The Lord a is good man," exclaimed Gilyard after the game.  Indeed he is.  So is Mardy Gilyard and so are the Cincinnati Bearcats.  

Tags: armon binns, big east championship, dion lewis, florida gators, isaiah pead, mardy gilyard, sugar bowl, tony pike