Sunday, September 12, 1999

TROY STATE 31, UC 24

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Uh-oh - and Wisconsin's next

BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

UC's P.J. Mays falls over Troy State's Al Lucas for a touchdown reception. (Ernest Coleman photos) ZOOM

        The last pass Deontey Kenner threw Saturday night that meant anything resulted in a touchdown. This wasn't really what he had in mind.

        Kenner is the Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback, and Kovey Jones is a backup cornerback for the Troy State Trojans. Which means Jones was not the intended receiver, although it sure looked like it when he stepped directly toward the ball and returned his interception 39 yards for the clinching touchdown in a 31-24 Troy State win over UC at Nippert Stadium.

        “Any time I'm in the shotgun with five wide receivers, there are a whole lot of defenders who are free and can be anywhere,” Kenner said. “The pass was off, and he stepped in front of it. There was nothing we could do.”

        The pass was supposed to keep a drive alive with 1:05 left and UC down one touchdown, not create a big play. But not a lot went as the Bearcats planned it.

UC's Jason Collins-Baker makes a catch as Troy State's Eric Slon moves in. ZOOM

        UC (1-1) allowed touchdown passes of 40 and 43 yards to fly between quarterback Brock Nutter and wideout Jonathan Carter. The Trojans rushed for 225 yards. When they were up a touchdown with 4:18 left and backed up to a third-and-18 from their 21, Nutter completed a 20-yarder over safety Tinker Keck that kept the drive moving and cost UC nearly three minutes and all three of their timeouts.

        “You don't give up a post route on three-deep coverage, and we did it twice,” Bearcats coach Rick Minter said. “Everybody has to take blame. I thought we got outplayed, got outcoached.”

        Although Troy State (1-0) competes in Division I-AA, Minter expected a more stringent test than the opener against Kent, which struggled to complete a pass and allowed the Bearcats to roll up 495 yards on offense.

        Against the Trojans, UC rushed for 123 yards. Kenner was 26-of-50 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. That was far less efficient than he'd been in the opener, which left him ranked No.4 among NCAA passers.

UC's Paul Stephens (91) helps drop Troy State quarterback Brock Nutter. ZOOM

        “I knew they were good, and I knew we were not very good,” Minter said. “They tested us, and we failed the test.”

        This was Troy's first win over a I-A team since 1995. Although UC was coming off a 2-9 season in 1998 and looked very much like that team in this game, the Trojans celebrated as if they defeated, say, Wisconsin.

        “This win ranks among the best of all time here,” coach Larry Blakeney said.

        Ahead 3-0 in the second quarter, the Bearcats were nailed by an uncommon ruling that cost them possession of the ball, 15 yards and ultimately their lead.

        With Troy at its 45, UC defensive tackle Mario Monds caused a fumble on a handoff. The ball bounced toward the sideline, but just before it flew out of bounds, cornerback Bob by Fuller saved it with a sweep of his arm.

        That sent the ball dancing in the direction of the UC end zone, and Troy Evans recovered just outside the 20. The officials ruled the ball had been illegally batted forward by the defense and awarded the Trojans a 15-yard penalty that set them up at the UC 40.

        “It's hard to get penalized for hustling,” UC safety DeJuan Gossett said.

        On first down, Nutter dropped deep and threw to Carter on a post pattern. He'd left cornerback Jeff Burrow far behind. Troy State grabbed a 7-3 lead.

        UC fell back 24-10 by early in the third quarter, then delayed its comeback with a dismal series that began with Keck's recovery of a fumble caused by Gossett. After starting at the Troy 38, UC found itself in a third-and-2 situation. An inside handoff to fullback Lloyd Garden was stuffed for a 3-yard loss. On fourth-and-4, wideout Jason Collins-Baker ran a 3-yard pattern and fell short of a first down.

        “When you line up in the power-I and can't make a foot,” Minter said, “you are not a very physical football team.”

               

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