(Courtesy Yahoo)
[10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 … 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1]
Cincinnati’s wide receiver corps never had the claim to fame as in previous years when players like Goodman, Gilyard, and Binns were running wild in opponents’ secondaries. For the last two seasons no Bearcats wideout eclipsed the 1,000 reception yard mark, breaking a streak of three straight years in which that was accomplished. In fact in 2012 Cincinnati’s leading receiver was actually a tight end, Travis Kelce. Perhaps that speaks more to his skills, which ultimately got him drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, than UC’s wide receivers. Regardless they never really stood out in 2012.
That’s not to say they didn’t have their moments, however, one of which occurred in one of the most important games of the season and comes in at #3 in this countdown.
It was Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech, the Bearcats’ much-anticipated non-conference matchup of the 2012 season. While this was “home” game for UC, it was actually played on FedEx Field, the home of the Washington Redskins. Virginia Tech had paid the Bearcats $3 million to move the game out of Cincinnati and while it wasn’t moved to Blacksburg, FedEx Field was a pseudo home game for the Hokies due to the location of the venue.
As such, UC was playing on enemy turf that Saturday in front of a hostile crowd. Getting a win against a premiere ACC team is never easy and things were made even more difficult with the environment the Bearcats played in that day. Still, Cincinnati held their own against Virginia Tech. It was a showcase of defense during the first three quarters with UC clinging to a tenuous 13 – 7 lead as the fourth quarter began.
But then the offenses awakened. 24 combined points over the ensuing 13 minutes had brought the crowd back to life. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, Virginia Tech had outscored them over that time capped off by a long Logan Thomas touchdown pass that put the Hokies up by 4 with a little less than two minutes remaining. The outcome of the game was firmly in Munchie Legaux and the offense’s hands.
A quick completion to Travis Kelce, a long scramble by Legaux, and another quick completion to Anthony McClung moved Cincinnati into Hokie territory. But the hourglass was rapidly running out of sand. With 20 seconds remaining, the endzone I’m sure looked like the Moon to Legaux. And after two straight incompletions that brought up a 3rd down, the pressure was weighing even heavier on the quarterback’s shoulders. But in that moment Legaux came up big. On 3rd and 10 with the pocket collapsing around him and Hokie defensive linemen bearing down on him, Munchie Legaux threw perhaps the best pass of his career:
Leading his wideout, placing the ball only where only he could catch it, Legaux threw the ball just about as perfect as anyone could have asked him to. On the receiving end of the pass you can’t forget Damon Julian. The receiver turned it up a notched to sprint past the Virginia Tech secondary. And while Legaux’s pass was darn near flawless, the pressure forced him to a release it a hair early. As a result, Julian had to dig it out of the turf as he slid into the endzone.
No matter how they got it done all that matters is that, well, they got it done! The touchdown put Cincinnati up by 3 (after the ensuing field goal) with just 13 seconds remaining. The Hokies were cooked. As the Bearcats celebrated on their sidelines so too did the few thousand fans who made the long journey it to Maryland. They went home happy that day and especially this gentleman in the middle of this gif: