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 The fourth quarter was an entirely different story.
"We're pretty athletic at defensive end," Bearcats coach Tommy
Tuberville said, "but we were grabbing for air a lot of times. He
out-athleted us."
Bridgewater rallied 19th-ranked Louisville from a fourth-quarter
deficit, and running back Dominique Brown scored on a 2-yard run on
Louisville's first possession in overtime, lifting the Cardinals to
a 31-24 victory over Cincinnati on a cold, blustery evening at
Nippert Stadium.
Louisville (11-1, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) earned the
rivalry's coveted "Keg of Nails" after defeating Cincinnati in
overtime for the second consecutive season.
"It was great to see this team finish the way they did," Cardinals
coach Charlie Strong said. "You talk about a team with a lot of
resiliency and heart. There were high expectations this season. I
couldn't be more proud of this football team."
Bridgewater completed 23 of 37 passes for 255 yards and three
touchdowns, including two dazzling plays in the fourth quarter.
Sixth-year senior quarterback Brendon Kay delivered a gutsy
performance for Cincinnati (9-3, 6-2 AAC), but his fourth-down pass
in overtime to wide receiver Anthony McClung fell incomplete.
Kay finished 22-for-40 for 304 yards while limping on a bad ankle
most of the night. He threw two interceptions and no touchdown
passes.
"He did it on one leg," Tuberville said. "You can't say enough about
a guy like Brendon. He's a battler."
Cincinnati grabbed its first lead early in the second half on Kay's
2-yard touchdown plunge, making the score 14-10.
Bridgewater took over from there.
First, he ran for 14 yards on fourth-and-12 to keep a drive alive.
"I knew I had to do what I could to get the first down," Bridgewater
said. "I felt that nothing was open. I fought and fought. I had to
keep the drive going."
On the following play, Bridgewater again eluded pressure and heaved
a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Damian Copeland, putting
Louisville ahead 17-14 with 8:08 remaining.
"I knew if I could lay it up there for him, he would make a play,"
Bridgewater said.
On both plays, frustrated Bearcats defenders appeared to have
Bridgewater firmly in their grasp.
"We just ran out of gas in the fourth quarter," Tuberville said.
"No. 5 (Bridgewater) took over the game. He made plays a lot of QBs
wouldn't make."
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After Bridgewater's heroics, Kay's 57-yard pass
to wide receiver Mekale McKay set up running back Ralph David
Abernathy IV's 15-yard touchdown run, putting the Bearcats ahead
21-17.
Bridgewater then engineered a 60-yard drive, capped by wide
receiver DeVante Parker's 4-yard touchdown catch to give the
Cardinals a 24-21 lead with 2:26 remaining.
Cincinnati kicker Tony Miliano's 26-yard field goal tied the
score with seven seconds left.
Tuberville admitted following the game that he considered going
for the win on fourth down rather than a field-goal attempt by
Miliano, who is 6-for-15 this season.
"It crossed my mind," Tuberville said, "but you have to give
yourself a chance (in overtime) at home."
In the first quarter, Louisville safety Hakeem Smith and
cornerback Charles Gaines each had interceptions on third down.
Gaines' pick led to the Cardinals' first score, a 36-yard
touchdown pass from Bridgewater to Parker that made it 7-0.
Linebacker Nick Temple's sack of Bridgewater stopped a
Louisville drive at the 14-yard line, and the Cardinals settled
for a 31-yard field goal by kicker John Wallace.
The Bearcats got on the scoreboard just before halftime when Kay
capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run,
making it 10-7.
Cincinnati held nearly a six-minute advantage in time of
possession in the first half, but Louisville wound up with a
four-minute edge by the end of the game.
"That was two good football teams out there tonight," Tuberville
said. "We knew it would be close. We didn't disappoint anyone."
NOTES: Thursday's game was the last one played at Nippert
Stadium before an $86 million renovation and expansion gets
under way at the nation's third-oldest Football Bowl Subdivision
stadium. Cincinnati will play its home games at Paul Brown
Stadium next season before returning to Nippert in 2015. ... The
Bearcats lead the series with Louisville 29-23-1. ... Louisville
S Hakeem Smith tied a school record by making his 50th career
start. ... Brendon Kay became just the fourth Cincinnati
quarterback to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a season. ... With
Louisville joining the Atlantic Coast Conference next season,
the teams played their last scheduled meeting in a series that
began in 1929.
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