Missed PAT Allows Cincinnati to Scrape Past UConn

There are many philosophical questions that mankind has never been able to answer. Why are we here? Is there such thing as universal truth? What is the sound of one hand clapping? We have another one to add to the list and its a long one. If you win because the other team scored a touchdown with no time left on the clock but then missed the extra point that would have tied the game, did you really win?

Well that’s what happened to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday. They somehow walked out of Nippert Stadium with a 22-21 victory over the UConn Huskies in their season finale despite needing a miracle to win in regulation.

While there were 60 minutes (and a little extra) football played, the game really came down to a sequence that could be summed up in a 35-second Twitter video.

In case that didn’t make it clear, here’s what happened. Trailing 22-15, the Huskies got to the Cincinnati 15-yard line. After three plays gained zero yardage, they were forced into a fourth-and-10. While the fourth-down play failed, a pass interference penalty on Linden Stephens gave UConn a free play.

As you can see from the video above, things worked out for the Huskies, as UConn quarterback David Pindell rolled out and hit Hergy Mayala for a touchdown. Mayala was pretty stoked about the score and got into Stephens’ face. That led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which forced the Huskies to attempt the PAT from the 18-yard line. That PAT attempt went wide left and the Bearcats won. It was confusing, frustrating and more than a little weird, but they won.

Thanks to that missed PAT, UC finished the season with a 4-8 mark and a 2-6 record in American Athletic Conference play. Hayden Moore threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-28 passing, while also rushing for a score, to lead the way. Mike Boone had a team-high 83 yards in his final collegiate game and Kahlil Lewis tallied 64 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.

As a team, UC was out gained 449-335 in total yards and also allowed three fourth down conversions and an 11-of-24 success rate on third down. UConn also had 10 more first downs than the Bearcats, who at the least ended the season on a high note. A high note that was built on one of the weirder endings of a game this season.