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Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly, right, walks with quarterback Tony Pike, left, after Cincinnati beat Illinois 49-36 in an NCAA college football game, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 in Cincinnati.

AP Photo Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly, right, walks with quarterback Tony Pike, left, after Cincinnati beat Illinois 49-36 in an NCAA college football game, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 in Cincinnati.

By JOE KAY, The Associated Press Updated 8:58 AM Monday, November 30, 2009

CINCINNATI — Remember Tony Pike?

For six weeks, Cincinnati's senior quarterback recovered from surgery on his non-throwing arm while sophomore backup Zach Collaros kept the fifth-ranked Bearcats unbeaten. There were suggestions that Collaros was doing so well that he should keep the job when Pike was able to play.

Really.

"I can't believe you guys forgot about how good he is," coach Brian Kelly said.

How good? Record good.

Pike returned to the starting job and threw a school-record six touchdown passes Friday in a 49-36 victory over Illinois that kept the Bearcats unbeaten and left them back at full strength.

"Words can't describe how amazing this feels," Pike said.

Cincinnati (11-0) finishes its regular season next weekend in Pittsburgh, playing for their second straight outright Big East championship. Pitt lost to West Virginia 19-16 later Friday, dropping the Panthers to 9-2 and 5-1 in the Big East.

"I wouldn't say it was easy to get to 11-0, but 11-0 is not going to matter if we lose to Pittsburgh, and the guys know this," said senior Mardy Gilyard, who caught two touchdown passes and ran back a kickoff for a score. "If we take care of business, the rest is up to the voters and the computers whatever else is out there, to figure out what we do with the postseason."

Pike had the biggest hand in the latest win.

He hadn't played since Oct. 15, when he damaged a protective plate in his left arm. He needed surgery to replace the plate, and quickly became an overlooked quarterback.

Would he be sharp in his return as a starter? Could he take a hit? He answered the questions with one sensational half.

Pike threw a career-high four touchdowns in the first half alone while leading the Bearcats to a 35-20 lead. He was knocked to the ground twice by the Illini (3-8), the second time when he stayed in the pocket long enough to get off an 11-yard touchdown pass to Gilyard.

The Bearcats werea more balanced team when Collaros ran the offense. They abandoned any pretense of the run Friday, handing off only four times in the first three quarters.

"We knew we had to throw the ball to win today, and that was the plan all week," Kelly said. "We were going to throw it all over the ballpark today."

Pike finished 32 of 46 for 399 yards. He even ran a quarterback draw to show the arm wouldn't hold him back.

"It felt fine today," Pike said. "It feels great now."

The Illini couldn't handle a spread offense that's better than anything they'd see in the Big Ten. Cincinnati had 35 points in the first half alone — as many as the Illini allowed in any full Big Ten game this season.

"You go into a game trying to make them pass," Illinois defensive coordinator Dan Disch said. "That may be a mistake against them. We gave up too many big plays."

The Illini had particular problems covering tight end Ben Guidugli, who is primarily a blocker in Cincinnati's spread offense. He repeatedly ran uncovered through the secondary, catching a career-high six passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.

Pike's fifth touchdown pass put Cincinnati up 42-20 in the third quarter and tied the school record set by Gino Guidugli — the older brother of the tight end, who watched from the stands as his record fell.

"He was happy because I was part of it," Ben Guidugli said. "I don't think he has any bad feelings about it."

Illinois also got its starting quarterback back from injury. Juice Williams missed most of the last two games with an injured left ankle. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, but couldn't match Cincinnati's breakneck scoring pace. Williams also became only the sixth player in Big Ten history to top 10,000 career combined yards.

"It's a blessing," Williams said. "Not toomany people have ever done it. There have been a lot of great players that played this game. I will sit back and enjoy that once my career is over."

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November 28, 2009 09:21 AM EST

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