Boston Bounces Back With Upset Over Cincinnati
BOSTON, MA - Some viewed this as a trap game for the Cincinnati Bearcats and they couldn't be more correct. Boston never trailed for the entire game and, though they did not dominate the game, Boston pretty much controlled the entire game and walked away with a somewhat surprising 31-21 victory and their sixth win of the year, which now makes them bowl eligible for the first time in school history.
Boston controlled the pace of the first half and lined up for a chip shot field goal on the left hash mark with three seconds left in the half. Jake Manning missed it and Boston went into halftime with a 10-0 lead instead of a 13-0 lead. Boston fumbled the opening kickoff in the second half. The fumble breathed some life into the Bearcats. Cincinnati scored on an eight yard touchdown pass by Dustin Grutza as a result. However, Boston was able to score two more touchdowns to make it 24-7 going into the fourth quarter. Though Cincinnati made a vailent fourth quarter comeback attempt, the margin was too large and the Bearcats fell victim to Boston.
Chad Kemp bounced back from two subpar weeks in a row with a 316 yard, three touchdown performance. He threw no interceptions and completed an eye-opening 23 of 25 pass attempts, which equates to 92%. And this was without Eric Callahan! Freshman wideout Jake Mitchell took Eric Callahan's place as star receiver, totaling 9 receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Mithcell seems to be a star in the making and he should be one of the best receivers in the country by his junior and senior years.
Boston faces a tough final three games with games at Louisville and Notre Dame and a game at home against South Florida. Though Boston is technically bowl eligible, another win would solidify their chance at a bowl as six win teams often miss bowls.
Boston - 31, Cincinnati - 21
CIN: 00-00-07-14
BOS: 07-03-14-07
Box Score
1st Quarter
BOS: 6 yard pass from Kemp to Mitchell (7-0 BOS)
2nd Quarter
BOS: 40 yard field goal by Manning (10-0 BOS)
3rd Quarter
CIN:10 yard pass from Grutza to Wright (10-7 BOS)
BOS: 9 yard pass from Kemp to Mitchell (17-7 BOS)
BOS: 11 yard pass from Kemp to O'Brian (24-7 BOS)
4th Quarter
CIN: 7 yard run by Johnson (24-14 BOS)
BOS: 32 yard run by Sims (31-14 BOS)
CIN: 6 yard pass from Grutza to Wright (31-21 BOS)
Team Statistics (CIN/BOS)
First Downs: 17/25
Total Offense: 332/434
Rushes-Yards: 20-78/24-118
Comp-Att-TD: 23-38-2/23-25-3
Passing Yards: 254/316
Sacked: 1/2
Turnovers: 1/1
Total Yards: 459/504
Penalties-Yards: 4-40/2-20
T.O.P.: 14:04/13:56
Individual Statistics
Cincinnati
Dustin Grutza: 23-38, 254 Yds, 2 TD, Int
Mike Johnson: 16 Car, 72 Yds, TD
Shawn Ware: 7 Rec, 76 Yds
Tim Castorani: 5 Rec, 59 Yds
William Wright: 3 Rec, 43 Yds, 2 TD
Jared Brunner: 9 Tkl
Kyle Bishop: 7 Tkl, TFL, Sck
Ken Smith: 6 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sck
Boston
Chad Kemp: 23-25, 316 Yds, 3 TD
Billy Sims: 5 Car, 55 Yds, TD, Rec, 16 Yds
Steven Harris: 14 Car, 52 Yds, Rec, 12 Yds
Jake Mitchell: Car, 10 Yds, 9 Rec, 111 Yds, 2 TD
Joe Harley: 5 Rec, 93 Yds
Andrew O'Brian: 4 Rec, 45 Yds, TD
Jamie Carter: 8 Tkl
Greg Walker: 5 Tkl, Int
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