JV Gibson carted off vs. Houston, Jordan Allen ejected

The Bearcats were driving to tie the game in the 4th quarter when the scariest moment of the night happened at the goal line.

Here's the play. Gibson went up for a 3rd-down ball near the goal line, the pass fell incomplete, and Allen hit him anyway after it had already gone by. Gibson went down hard and stayed down for several minutes while the whole Cincinnati team took a knee nearby. He was put on a backboard and carted off with Houston up 24-17 and 6:59 to play.

The first good news came from the stadium. Gibson was moving, and the crowd let him hear it.

Per the Fox broadcast, Gibson had appreciable movement and was alert and talking, and a family member gave a thumbs up as the cart left the field. He was then reportedly loaded into an ambulance headed for Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston for more evaluation. That's where things stand right now: no diagnosis, no team statement, just a lot of people holding their breath for a 5th-year receiver who wears No. 11.

The officials didn't need long to decide on Allen. The flags were for a late hit and targeting, the review upheld it, and he was gone.

It's tough to argue with this one. The ball was already past Gibson, and when a defenseless receiver gets hit at the goal line after the play is basically over, that's exactly the hit the targeting rule was written for. Allen is out of the game, and since this happened in the 2nd half, the usual targeting rule would also keep him out of the 1st half of Houston's next game.

The penalty also handed the Bearcats the ball deep in Houston territory, and they cashed in. Two plays later Cincinnati scored on a run, and suddenly a game against a ranked opponent was tied late.

Whatever the final says, the bigger result is the one coming out of Memorial Hermann. Gibson leaving on his own signal and the thumbs up from his family are the best signs anyone could ask for after a hit like that. The next things to watch are Cincinnati's official update on him and whatever the conference does about Allen. Until then, the only score that matters is that he was moving and talking when he left.