Cincinnati tops East Carolina in final minute

CINCINNATI -- On a brutally cold night, the University of Cincinnati football team survived a late collapse and rallied for a stirring 54-46 win over East Carolina.

Redshirt freshman Andrew Gantz hit a career long 47-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, providing the go-ahead score that made it 48-46 for UC.

UC punched in another score on the final play, when defensive end Terrell Hartsfield scooped up a desperation lateral by East Carolina and took it 20 yards to score. That made it 54-46 as time expired.

A shivering crowd of 19,113 watched at Paul Brown Stadium, where game-time temperature was 27 degrees.

"It's something everyone dreams of when you start kicking a football," Gantz said of his clincher. "Whether you're an 8-year-old or an 18-year-old that's the moment you dream of, to be in a position to win a game for your team, for your brothers that you work so hard with."

Gantz credited long snapper Kirk Willis, holder Sam Geraci and his blockers for helping him execute the kick.

UC (6-3, 4-1 American Athletic Conference) gained bowl eligibility with its sixth win and moved into a first-place tie with Memphis in the league. It was UC's fourth straight win.

"Andrew Gantz, what can you say?" UC coach Tommy Tuberville said. "I was more worried about the snap and the hold. I knew he could get it that far and make it, but that's really out of his range. The adrenaline obviously was pumping."

East Carolina (6-3, 3-2 AAC) was ranked nationally before being upset 20-10 by Temple in its last game, Nov. 1 in Philadelphia.

The Bearcats led 38-20 in the third quarter, then rallied from a collapse that saw them fall behind 46-45 with 1:01 left.

After East Carolina gained its one-point lead, UC quarterback Gunner Kiel led the Bearcats on a quick drive that resulted in Gantz's decisive kick.

"It's a great feeling to be bowl eligible and to be on top of the race again for winning the conference," Kiel said. "When we lost to Memphis (Oct. 4) it was hard for us. Guys battled back and had chips on their shoulder and it definitely showed tonight, and the past few weeks."

Along with the 100 total points, the game included 1,158 yards of total offense. UC had 586 total yards (436 passing) and East Carolina had 570 total yards (418 passing).

Kiel completed 29-of-44 passes for 436 yards and four touchdowns. Kiel was intercepted three times, but two bounced off the hands of UC receivers before being picked.

Mekale McKay topped UC receivers with nine catches, 172 yards and two TDs. Rod Moore was the top UC rusher with 19 carries, 99 yards and a TD.

Kiel is from Columbus, Indiana, and thus said the weather did not bother him.

"For me playing in the cold is second nature, growing up in Indiana and playing football in the backyard with my two older brothers," Kiel said. "I'm pretty used to playing in cold weather and snow, and our equipment managers did a great job of keeping us warm on the sideline. Guys came up with big plays, and it was just my job to get them an accurate ball."

Tuberville also had hoped to play backup quarterback Munchie Legaux some. But, with Kiel playing well and the cold weather not the best situation for Legaux's surgically repaired left knee, Tuberville said he opted to play Kiel all night.

East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden had 418 yards passing, with two TDs.

UC led at all quarter stops: 14-6 after one quarter, 31-20 at halftime, and 38-27 after three quarters.

While UC surrendered lots of yards, the defense had its share of stops. The Bearcats opted to play lots of man-to-man coverage and thus allowed some passing yardage, almost by design.

"We knew going in we'd probably have to score 40 points or so to win," Tuberville said. "Defensively we were very aggressive. We wanted to take the run away from a passing team. Now, that sounds crazy, but you can't do both. We wanted to take the run away and make them throw it."

East Carolina rushed for 154 yards, which was 35 under its average.

Safety Zach Edwards led UC with 16 tackles, linebacker Nick Temple had 14 tackles and linebacker Jeff Luc had eight tackles.

Gantz, from Centerville High School near Dayton, won the job this year in a spirited battle with incumbent senior Tony Miliano. Miliano still handles kickoffs, but Gantz has become a Lou Groza Award semifinalist and made 12-for-13 field goal attempts this year.

Gantz said he has connected from 65 yards in practice, but obviously it's a different story with a game on the line. Gantz said it was the first game-winning field goal of his life.

"I'm going to try to live this moment as long as I can," Gantz said. "It's awesome.

Tom Groeschen writes for The Cincinnati Enquirer.