Associated Press game recap /
Photo Gallery
CINCINNATI -- Sunday was one of the great days in ACU football history, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the results produced on the field.
Sure the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Chicago Bears 45-10 in front of almost 65,000 fans at Paul Brown Stadium. But Sunday was about much more than that.
It was about three former Wildcats representing a program in a way that would cause both of their head coaches to call them "good players, but better people." It was also about the embodiment of the growth of a collegiate program over the last several years.
Sunday's interconference game on the banks of the Ohio River didn't attract as much attention nationally as a few other games on Sunday's NFL schedule, but it was notable for ACU fans because for the first time ever three former Wildcats were on the same field in a regular-season NFL contest.
Former running back Bernard Scott was on the winning side with the Bengals, while former ACU defensive back Danieal Manning and wide receiver Johnny Knox were on a Chicago team that was embarrassed by the Bengals.
But for the ACU contingent on hand -- a group that included ACU president Dr. Royce Money and director of athletics
Jared Mosley -- the final outcome of the game was of little consequence.
The fact that three former Wildcats were on the field at the same time in an NFL game was somewhat of a surreal moment.
When Money became the university's 10th president in 1991, hardly anyone -- least of all Money himself -- could have imagined this day would happen. The Wildcats had just finished a 1-9 season in 1990 and were about to post back-to-back records of 1-9 and 3-6, leaving most fans to question whether or not ACU could even finish at the .500 level at the NCAA Division II level, much less send quality players to the NFL.
Almost 20 years later, however, Money sat in the stands watching three players who grew and matured in head coach Chris Thomsen's program. It had to be a proud moment for the president, who is retiring as the president to become the university chancellor at the end of the current school year.
All three players got on the field Sunday, although none of them got into the end zone or made a game-changing play. Manning finished with 10 tackles (seven solo) and Knox had four catches for 42 yards and seven kickoff returns for an average of 21.6 yards per return, while Scott finished with six carries for 17 yards and one catch for 14 yards for the Bengals.
The stars of the game were running back Cedric Benson (37 carries, 189 yards, one TD) and quarterback Carson Palmer (20 of 24 for 233 yards and five touchdowns) for the Bengals.
After the game, however, the scoreboard was forgotten for just a few minutes as Manning, Knox and Scott enjoyed a mini-reunion. That was only after both Scott and Manning were seen by their respective team doctors for minor injuries that shouldn't affect their playing status for their next games.
The three of them met in the end zone outside the Bears' locker room, exchanging hugs, laughs and cell phone numbers. Manning joked with Scott about a tackle he almost made on him in the first quarter before Scott gave him a juke and got past him for an 11-yard gain.
All three met with Money and Mosley for some words of encouragement before posing for several photos. Manning brought over Chicago head coach Lovie Smith, who thanked Money and Mosley for sending him "not only two really good football players, but also two really good men as well."
Chicago Bears' radio play-by-play personality Jeff Joniak met briefly with Money and Mosley and told them both that Manning and Knox were "as good as we've had with the Bears in my time here. They're both great young men and great players."
Those words echoed the sentiments of Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis, who noted before the game that Scott had turned heads within the team and was as good a person as he was a player.
Shortly after the meeting with Smith and a few more photos, Manning and Knox boarded the team bus for the trip to the airport and a plane ride back to Chicago. Scott, meanwhile, had family to meet up with after the game, and he left after a few more handshakes and hugs.
The game might not have gone the way the Bears and Manning and Knox would have liked, but the big winner on Sunday was ACU.
The proof was on the field.
