2012 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

	2012 Big East football standings
	† – BCS representative as champion ; § – Conference co-champions ; As of January 5, 2013 • Rankings from AP Poll

Cincinnati Bearcats football
2012 Cincinnati Bearcats football
File:Cincinnati University Bearcats textlogo.svg
Big East co-champion; Belk Bowl champion; Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy
Belk Bowl, W 48–34 vs. Duke
Conference	Big East Conference
2012 record	10–3 (5–2 Big East)
Head coach	Butch Jones (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Bajakian (3rd year)
Defensive coordinator	John Jancek (3rd year)
Home stadium	Nippert Stadium; (Capacity: 35,097)
« 2011	2013 »

The 2012 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearcats, led by third year head coach Butch Jones, played their home games at Nippert Stadium and were a member of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 10–3, 5–2 in Big East play to finish in a four way tie for the conference championship. Along with Rutgers, Louisville, and Syracuse, the Bearcats were the final football champions of the Big East Football Conference, as the league's original incarnation folded following the loss of the three former programs and others to different conferences. Cincinnati would become a charter member of the American Athletic Conference the following season. They were invited to the Belk Bowl where they defeated Duke.

At the end of the regular season, head coach Butch Jones resigned to take the same position at Tennessee. Defensive line coach Steve Stripling was named the interim head coach for the Belk Bowl.

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 6	8:00 PM	Pittsburgh		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (River City Rivalry)	ESPN	W 34–10	33,562
September 15	7:00 PM	Delaware State*		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	ESPN3	W 23–7	27,112
September 29	3:30 PM	vs. Virginia Tech*		FedExField Landover, MD	ESPNU	W 27–24	46,026
October 6	7:00 PM	Miami (OH)*		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (117th Battle for the Victory Bell)	FS Ohio	W 52–14	35,097
October 13	7:00 PM	Fordham*	No. 21	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	ESPN3	W 49–17	26,317
October 20	7:00 PM	at Toledo*	No. 21	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	ESPN3	L 23−29	24,124
October 26	8:00 PM	at No. 16 Louisville		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY (Keg of Nails)	ESPN	L 31–34 ^OT	53,271
November 3	12:00 PM	Syracuse		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	Big East Network	W 35–24	26,180
November 10	12:00 PM	at Temple		Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	Big East Network	W 34–10	20,192
November 17	12:00 PM	No. 22 Rutgers		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	Big East Network	L 3–10	34,526
November 23	7:00 PM	South Florida		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	ESPN	W 27–10	21,171
December 1	3:30 PM	at Connecticut		Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	ABC	W 34–17	33,112
December 27	6:30 PM	vs. Duke*		Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (Belk Bowl)	ESPN	W 48–34	48,128
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries[]

Pittsburgh[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Panthers	0	0	3	7	10
Bearcats	14	3	7	10	34

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–8	2011	CIN, 26–23

Delaware State[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Hornets	0	0	0	7	7
Bearcats	13	7	0	3	23

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First Meeting

Virginia Tech[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Hokies	0	7	0	17	24
Bearcats	3	3	7	14	27

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–5	2009	VT, 20–7

Miami (OH)[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
RedHawks	6	8	0	0	14
Bearcats	14	10	21	7	52

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
50–59–7	2011	CIN, 27–0

Fordham[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Rams	3	3	8	3	17
Bearcats	14	0	21	14	49

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First Meeting

@ Toledo[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
#18 Bearcats	0	13	7	3	23
Rockets	10	6	10	3	29

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–2	2001	TOL, 23–16

@ Louisville[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Bearcats	10	7	7	7	31
#14 Cardinals	7	7	3	14	34

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
30–20–1	2011	CIN, 25–16

Syracuse[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Orange	10	7	7	0	24
Bearcats	7	7	14	7	35

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
5–7	2011	CIN, 30–13

@ Temple[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Bearcats	14	10	7	3	34
Owls	3	0	7	0	10

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–9–1	2003	CIN, 30–24

Rutgers[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Scarlet Knights	0	7	0	3	10
Bearcats	0	0	0	3	3

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
8–8-1	2011	RUT, 10–3

South Florida[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Bulls	0	0	3	7	10
Bearcats	7	6	7	7	27

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
6–3	2011	CIN, 37–34

@ Connecticut[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Bearcats	7	7	7	13	34
Huskies	0	10	7	0	17

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
6–2	2011	CIN, 35–27

Duke–Belk Bowl[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Bearcats	3	14	10	21	48
Blue Devils	16	0	8	10	34

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
	1st Meeting

The Bearcats made their first ever appearance in the Belk Bowl and their first ever meeting with Duke. The Blue Devils raced out to an early 16-0 lead in the first quarter after a punt was blocked and recovered for a touchdown. The Bearcats then scored 27 unanswered points capped off by a 46 yard touchdown run by George Winn. The Blue Devils then scored back to back touchdowns to take a 31-27 lead. The Bearcats retook the lead with a 25 yard touchdown pass from Brendan Kay to Chris Moore. The Blue Devils then tied the game with a 52 yard field goal and the game seemed headed to overtime. With under a minute to play TE Travis Kelce took a short pass from Kay and broke several would be tackles in racing 83 yards for the winning score. Insult was added to injury when Nick Temple stripped the ball from Duke QB Sean Renfree and dashed 55 yards with the stolen loaf for a score as time expired. The 48 points is the most points scored by the Bearcats in a bowl game, their largest margin of victory in a bowl game since 1997 and to date their most recent bowl win. The win gave the Bearcats their 4th 10 win season in the past five years. |}

Roster[]

2012 Cincinnati Bearcats

Running Back

1 Ralph David Abernathy IV - Sophomore
22 Jameel Poteat - Freshman
23 Tion Green - Freshman
25 Rob Rice - Redshirt Freshman
31 Deionte Buckley - Freshman
32 George Winn - Redshirt Senior
38 Adam Fearing - Senior
49 Anthony King - Junior

Wide Receiver

2 Dyjuan Lewis - Redshirt Sophomore
3 Braxton Lane - Freshman
6 Anthony McClung - Junior
7 Kenbrell Thompkins - Senior
15 Chris Moore - Redshirt Sophomore
16 Damon Julian - Senior
19 Shaq Washington - Redshirt Freshman
20 Leviticus Payne - Freshman
24 Chris Burrell - Sophomore
80 Alex Chisum - Sophomore
82 Max Morrison - Redshirt Freshman
83 Danny Milligan - Redshirt Senior
84 Nate Cole - Freshman
85 Bruce Horner - Redshirt Senior
87 Jacob Giltrow - Redshirt Freshman
87 Jeremy Graves - Freshman
88 Shakim Alonzo - Freshman

Offensive Line

59 Deyshawn Bond - Freshman
60 Sam Longo - Junior
62 Cory Keebler - Redshirt Sophomore
63 Dan Sprague - Redshirt Junior
66 Sean McClellan - Redshirt Junior
68 Daniel Murray - Redshirt Freshman
69 Dominic Mainello - Sophomore
71 Eric Lefeld - Redshirt Sophomore
73 Ryan Leahy - Freshman
74 Justin Murray - Redshirt Freshman
75 Kevin Schloemer - Sophomore
76 Austen Bujnoch - Junior
77 Sean Hooey - Senior
78 Parker Ehinger - Redshirt Freshman
79 Andre Cureton - Redshirt Junior

Quarterback

4 Munchie Legaux - Junior
9 Patick Coyne - Redshirt Freshman
10 Bennie Coney - Freshman
11 Brendon Kay - Redshirt Senior
12 Trenton Norvell - Freshman

Tight End

18 Travis Kelce - Redshirt Senior
35 Josh Russ - Sophomore
46 Jared Golden - Freshman
48 Matt Staubachh - Redshirt Freshman
81 DJ Dowdy - Freshman
86 Blake Annen - Redshirt Junior
86 Demetrius Richardson - Senior

Defensive Line

46 Mitch Meador - Redshirt Junior
50 Alex Pace - Freshman
52 Elijah Shuler - Junior
54 Walter Stewart - Junior
55 Roney Lozano - Redshirt Sophomore
57 Carroll Phillips - Freshman
58 Brandon Mills - Redshirt Senior
65 Connor Donnini - Freshman
67 John Williams - Senior
70 Brandon Mitchell - Redshirt Freshman
90 Camaron Beard - Redshirt Sophomore
91 Adam Dempsey - Sophomore
92 Silverberry Mouhon - Redshirt Freshman
93 Brad Harrah - Redshirt Sophomore
94 Jordan Stepp - Redshirt Junior
95 Jonathan Burt - Freshman
96 Josh Posley - Freshman
97 Chad Hannah - Redshirt Freshman
98 Chad West - Redshirt Freshman
99 Dan Giordano - Redshirt Senior

Defensive Back

2 Trenier Orr - Redshirt Freshman
8 Adrian Witty - Redshirt Sophomore
9 Dominique Battle - Reshirt Senior
11 Deven Drane - Junior
13 Pat Lambert - Redshirt Senior
17 Malcolm Murray - Senior
20 Chris Williams - Senior
21 Camerron Cheatham - Reshirt Senior
25 Arryn Chenault - Junior
26 Drew Frey - Reshirt Senior
27 Drake Bruns - Freshman
29 Andre Jones - Freshman
30 Aaron Roberson - Senior
35 Dylan Coombs - Freshman
36 Marcus Foster - Freshman
39 Demitri Beal - Reshirt Sophomore
40 Kevin Brown - Freshman
48 Breon Mapp - Junior

Linebacker

4 Maalik Bomar - Senior
10 Jordan Luallen - Redshirt Junior
33 Solomon Tentman - Redshirt Sophomore
37 Joey Jones - Freshman
38 Mason Antoun - Redshirt Freshman
41 Kevin Hyland - Redshirt Freshman
42 Corey Griffin - Freshman
43 Nick Temple - Sophomore
44 Corey Mason - Redshirt Sophomore
45 Ey'Shawn McClain - Freshman
46 Devin Bruns - Freshman
47 Colin Lozier - Senior
48 Jeff Luc - Junior
50 Innocent Macha - Sophomore
51 Greg Blair - Senior
53 Franklin Bruscianelli - Freshman
57 Clemente Casseus - Freshman

Special Teams

14 Tony Miliano - Redshirt Sophomore (K)
61 Kirk Willis - Redshirt Freshman (LS)
24 John Lloyd - Sophomore Sophomore (P)
34 Pat O'Donnell - Junior (P)
35 Eric Ernst - Redshirt Freshman (P)

Head Coach

Butch Jones

Assistant Coaches

Steve Stripling – Asst HC/Co-Defensive Coord/DL
Mike Bajakian – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Mark Elder – Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties
John Jancek – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Don Mahoney – Offensive Line Coach
Shannon Morrison – Cornerbacks Coach
T.J. Weist – Wide Receivers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Dave Johnson – Tight Ends Coach
Dave Lawson – Asst. AD/Sports Performance
Roy Manning – Running Backs Coach
Mike Szerszen – Director of Football Strength & Conditioning

^[1]

Depth chart[]

Defensive Starters

FS
Arryn Chenault
Dominique Battle
⋅

WLB	MLB	SLB
Maalik Bomar	Greg Blair	Nick Temple
Solomon Tentman	Clemente Casseus	Corey Mason
⋅	⋅	⋅

SS
Drew Frey
Malcolm Murray
⋅

CB
Camerron Cheatham
Leviticus Payne
⋅

DE	DT	DT	DE
Brandon Mills	Camaron Beard	Jordan Stepp	Dan Giordano
Josh Posley	Adam Dempsey	John Williams	Silverberry Mouhon
Elijah Shuler	⋅	Mitch Meador	⋅

CB
Deven Drane
Trenier Orr
⋅

Offensive Starters

WR
Kenbrell Thompkins
Chris Moore
Jeremy Graves

WR
Damon Julian
Alex Chisum
Nate Cole

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Eric Lefeld	Austen Bujnoch	Dan Sprague	Sam Longo	Parker Ehinger
Cory Keebler	Andre Cureton	Dominic Mainello	Parker Ehinger	Sean Hooey
⋅	⋅	⋅	⋅	⋅

WR
⋅
⋅
⋅

WR
Anthony McClung
Danny Milligan
Shaq Washington

QB
Brendon Kay
Munchie Legaux
Patrick Coyne

RB
George Winn
Ralph David Abernathy IV
Jameel Poteat

Special Teams
PK Tony Miliano
P Pat O’Donnell
P John Lloyd
KR Ralph David Abernathy IV/Anthony McClung
PR Danny Milligan
LS Kirk Willis
H Pat O’Donnell

Awards and milestones[]

Big East Conference honors[]

Big East Conference All-Conference First Team[]

George Winn, RB
Travis Kelce, TE
Eric Lefeld, OL

^[2]

Big East Conference All-Conference Second Team[]

Austen Bujnoch, OL

Dan Giordano, DL
Greg Blair, LB
Pat O'Donnell, P

^[2]

Big East Conference All-Conference Third Team[]

Ralph David Abernathy IV, KR

Walter Stewart, DL
Maalik Bomar, LB
Drew Frey, DB
Anthony McClung, PR

^[2]

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	RV	21	21	RV	RV	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV
Coaches'	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	20	18	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	22
Harris	Not released						20	18	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	Not released
BCS	Not released							21	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	Not released

Players in the 2013 NFL Draft[]

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Travis Kelce	TE	3	63	Kansas City Chiefs

References[]

↑ http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cinn-m-footbl-mtt.html
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 "2012 Big East All-Conference Teams". College Sports Madness. https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/5612. Retrieved December 22, 2018.

Template:Big East Conference football champions

[1] ttp://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cinn-m-footbl-mtt.html

[2012_Big_East_All-Conference_Teams-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 "2012 Big East All-Conference Teams". College Sports Madness. https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/5612. Retrieved December 22, 2018.

[1]

[2]

v · d · e
2012 Big East football standings
Team	W		L	W		L
#22 Louisville †§	5	–	2	11	–	2
Cincinnati §	5	–	2	10	–	3
Rutgers §	5	–	2	9	–	4
Syracuse §	5	–	2	8	–	5
Pittsburgh	3	–	4	6	–	7
Connecticut	2	–	5	5	–	7
Temple	2	–	5	4	–	7
South Florida	1	–	6	3	–	9

† – BCS representative as champion § – Conference co-champions As of January 5, 2013 • Rankings from AP Poll