Cincinnati is not an option football team. However, that did not stop them from calling an option play in one of the most critical junctures of the season on Thursday night.
Leading East Carolina 45-40 with just over two minutes to play, the Bearcats faced a 4th-and-2 at their own 33 when Tommy Tuberville elected to hit the Pirates with an option. It was a disaster.
East Carolina scored a minute later to take a 46-45 lead, but the Bearcats booted a game-winning 47-yard field goal with 15 seconds to play and then added a 20-yard fumble return as time expired to secure a 54-46 win. The win pushed Cincinnati to 6-3 on the season and into a tie for first place in the American with Memphis.
Hey, they don't call him the Riverboat Gambler for nothing.
(HT USA Today)