Abilene Christian University Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- Former ACU running Bernard Scott has been waiting patiently for his chance to make a play for a Cincinnati team that is one of the surprises of the NFL season.

Sunday he had the chance, and he made the most of it.

With his team trailing 3-0 in the first quarter in front of the second-largest crowd in Heinz Field history, Scott scooped up a kickoff at 4-yard line, made a couple of moves that ACU fans -- and Wildcat opponents in 2007 and 2008 -- remember well and went 96 yards for the touchdown that gave the Bengals a 6-3 lead.  It was Scott's first NFL touchdown.

The Bengals would go on to beat Pittsburgh, 18-12, for their first season sweep of the Steelers since 1998.  The 7-2 Bengals have essentially a two-game lead over the 6-3 Steelers in the AFC North.

But Scott's kickoff return wasn't his only chance to make plays in Sunday's win.  The Bengals' sixth-round pick had to take the place of an injured Cedric Benson during the second quarter and finished with 33 yards rushing and 21 yards receiving.

Benson suffered a hip flexor strain and said after the game that he was hopeful of playing in next Sunday’s game at Oakland. Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis said that the team would rest Benson early in the week before deciding his status.

Scott was a huge factor for the Bengals, racking up 260 all-purpose yards (33 rushing, 21 receiving, 206 yards on five kickoff returns) in the Bengals' victory.

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer -- who said in the pre-season that Scott had "dropped more jaws than anyone in (training) camp" -- called Scott aside before he entered the game in place of Benson and gave him some words of encouragement.

"I couldn’t be more proud of (Scott)," Palmer said.  "The kickoff return was amazing; the moves he made, the cuts he made, and just to come in against a defense that he’s never played against, it’s very confusing. They do a lot of different looks, lot of different personnel groupings. And we had to leave him in the game and say, 'Okay, you have pick up LaMarr Woodley, and (James) Harrison, and (James) Farrior if you have to, and you’re going to have to run the ball against those guys too.'

"And he came in and it was kind of his coming out party," Palmer said.  "He’s a special player; he’s going to be a special player."

For his part, Scott said he didn't feel any added pressure in taking up the slack for the injured Benson.

"There wasn’t any pressure; I was just waiting on my turn to get called," said Scott, who ran for 4,321 yards and scored 73 touchdowns in two seasons as a Wildcat.  "When it’s your time to get called, you have to make a play. We’ve been working hard in the special teams area, and Coach said it was going to come down to special teams. We just went out there and ran the ball hard, trying to score.

"Ced told me that I probably would finish the game because his hip was bothering him," Scott said.  "I just go out every week and prepare like I’m the starter. You just try to work hard, and whenever my opportunity comes just try to take advantage of it. Just try to make plays and help the team win."

In a game that Lewis said was one of the most physical contests he's been a part of as the Bengals' head coach, Scott said he and he his teammates knew that a special teams play could make the difference. 

And they were right.

"It was a bad kick and I just picked it up and tried to go back to where the return side was," Scott said.  "All week during special teams practice, coach said it was going to come down to special teams play. We just try to make special teams special. We went out there and worked hard and tried to make a play. We just tried to get something started and put our offense in good field position. That was the whole thing."

Scott's kickoff return for a score against the Bengals means that all three ex-Wildcats who are currently in the NFL -- Scott and Chicago's Johnny Knox and Danieal Manning -- have each returned kickoffs for touchdowns in their careers.  And both Knox and Scott have scored touchdowns this season in victories over the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers.