PK Sport - Raleigh Sports Examiner: 12/01/2012

Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012 Belk Bowl Live: Duke Blue Devils vs.Cincinnati Bearcats

Dukee Blue Devils vs. Cincinnati Bearcats - pregame - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS LLC

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Belk Bowl falls from Duke’s grasp

The Duke Blue Devils suffered a gut-wrenching 48-34 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday.Following an 18-year drought, Duke (6-7) went into...

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Game Notes:

Belk Bowl - Bank of America Stadium - 6:30 p.m. - ESPN

Duke Blue Devils (6-6) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3)

First-ever meeting between both teams.
Duke is looking to cap off its season with a bowl win during its 100th season while Cincinnati is seeking to do the same in its 125th year.
The Bearcats have played in 13 Bowl games all-time and hold a 7-6 record in the postseason while the Blue Devils have appeared in 8 Bowl games and look to improve upon a 3-5 postseason record.

Players to watch:

Duke: Sean Renfree, Connor Vernon, Jamison Crowder, Desmond Scott, Jela Duncan, Ross Martin

Cincinnati: Brandon Kay, George Winn, Travis Kelce, Kenbrell Thompkins, David Abernathy, Tony Miliano

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Kick-off in 60 minutes

1st Quarter

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Cincinnati wins the toss and elects kick off
Jamison Crowder with the return to the 21-yard line
Sean Renfree starts the Duke series with pass
Second play is a handoff to Josh Snead - get the chains moving early
Snead gains more yardage on the next play - 1st down on the Cincinnati 44-yard line
Bearcats with the blitz and force Renfree to throw it away
Duke keeps it on the ground as Thompson takes the handoff
Renfree takes the snap from the 36-yard line and he finds Conner Vernon for a 19-yard gain
Handoff to Snead and he takes it down to the 5-yard line - first and goal
Brandon Connette comes in for the Wildcat setup and he runs it in for the touchdown
The PAT is blocked but Ross Martin recovers his own blocked kick and runs it in for a 2-point conversion
PLAY IS UNDER REVIEW
Martin was ruled down before crossing the goal line - Duke leads 6-0 with 11:48 to play
Cincinnati quarterback Brandon Kay starts the offense with a pass to David Abernathy for 3 yards
Duke contains the Bearcats to a small 4-yard gain on the next play
Swing pass to George Winn is stopped short on tackle from Jordan Byas forcing the Bearcats to punt
After Cincinnati punts the ball out of bounds - Duke starts on its 40-yard line
Renfree orchestrating another productive series of downs that takes Duke down to the Cincinnati 20-yard line
A pass to Connette gains another 6 -yards - penalty flag on the play goes against Duke
Renfree misses Vernon in the end zone and follows it up with a missed pick by Bearcats' Chris Williams
Duke elects to go for the field goal which is good - Martin puts Duke up 9-0 with 6:12 to go
Cincinnati starts on its 25-yard line
Byas with big hit on Cincinnati's Travis Kelce - Byas very shaky and stumbles after the hit - is helped off the field looking woozy
The Bearcats test out the Blue Devils secondary and Ross Cockrell breaks up thye play
Kelce goes up for the pass and Byas hits him again - and looks shaken up again
On the next play Duke's Tony Foster blocks the Cincinnati punt and the ball rolls into the end zone and Foster recovers it for the touchdown - the PAT is good - Duke leads 16-0 with 4:45 to play
Abernathy returns to the 22-yard line on the kickoff and the Bearcats gain 4-yards on the first play
A big run by Cincinnati's Deven Drane and the Bearcats move the chains to their 46-yard line
The Bearcats threatening on the Duke 30-yard line and Winn gains small yards but Cincinnati with momentum on its side right now
On the next play, on an overthrow by Kay, Walt Canty comes up with a pick on the play
PLAY IS UNDER REVIEW
Play is ruled as an incomplete pass and Cincinnati continues its drive - starting on third down on the Duke 28-yard line
Bearcats get on the board as Tony Miliano kicks a 45-yard field goal to narrow the Duke lead to 16-3 - the kick is the longest field goal in Belk Bowl history - beating the previous mark by three yards - 1:43 to play
On Duke's ensuing series Vernon runs it upfield before an incomplete long ball attempt tips off Crowders fingertips
Vernon gains 8 yards on next play and the Blue Devils rush it from their 49-yard line
Snead gains 11 yards on the rush and the quarter ends - Duke will continue its drive on the 38-yard line

2nd Quarter

Renfree continues the drive with gains on four consecutive downs and Duke is in the Red Zone on the Cincinnati 15-yard line
A snap to Connette results in lost yardage - 2-yards back to the 17-yard line
Renfree with a swing pass to Snead on the next pass to the right sideline and he gains 5 yards to the 12-yard line
On the next snap Renfree finds Duncan who fumbles it after being hit by Bearcats Greg Blair - ball is on the one-yard line
Cincinnati with some work to do and Winn runs it up to the 10-yard line
The Bearcats continue to work the ball upfield on the ground as Winn is doing the heavy lifting right now
A big run by Kay but a flag is thrown on the play for a late tackle
Clipping call on the Bearcats brings them back 15 yards after Kay's big gain - ball will start on the Cincinnati 31-yard line
Big sack on Kay by Justin Foxx for a loss of 8 yards - Bearcats forced to punt fronm the 12-yard line
Jamison Crowder returns it from the 33-yard line to the Duke 46-yard line - Blue Devils will start from there
Snead carries four yards and Duke is at midfield
Crowder makes a catch and scrambles to the sideline for a gain of one yard on the next play
Renfree rushes it on the next play but comes up short and the Blue Devils face 4th down with one to go on the Cincinnati 45-yard line - Duke timeout and still leading 16-3 with 6:15 to play
Duke's Thompson is denied on the rush with no gain and Cincinnati gets the gall on its own 46-yard line
Kay takes advantage of the opportunity with a big pass for 18-yards to the Duke 36-yard line - Bearcats threatening to score with their momentum on the drive
Consecutive 6-yard and 5-yard rushes keep the chains moving
Kay is pressure by Duke defense and forced to roll towards the left sideline before a deflected pass hits the ground - down restarts from the 25-yard line
Kay finds Anthony McClung at the goal line for the 25-yard reception and the PAT is good - Duke lead is only now 16-10 at the 4:02 mark
Cincinnati drive took five plays to complete
On the ensuing Duke possession a run play gains minimal yardage before Desmond Scott makes an attempted catch but it bounces out and Cincinnati picks it up and runs it in for a touchdown - a very confusing play
PLAY IS UNDER REVIEW
Incomplete pass is ruled with Duke getting the ball back but penalized for an end-of-play penalty 15-yards - third down from their own 13-yard line (half distance from original spot)
Renfree throws to Connette, inside and to the right, for five yards - Duke's Will Monday punts it and it bounces and rolls, stays inbounds for a 79-yard kick - a new Belk Bowl record - previous was 55 yards
Cincinnati will start on its own 2-yard line with 2:28 left in the quarter - Duke looking to blitz
Incomplete pass on the first down and Winn carries it for a yard gain on the next down
Duke continues to pressure Kay on third down and eight yards to go
Kay finds plenty of daylight and gains 26 yards for a first down
A pass to Kenbrell Tompkins is broken up by Duke's Foster
On next shap kay airs it out to McClung to the Duke 40-yard line - a 30-yard gain
Duke defense is looking tentative with less than a minute to play
Kay airs another one for 41-yards to Abernathy who outruns Kyler Brown and scores
After the PAT, Cincinnati leads 17-16 - taking its first lead of the game with 0:42 to play
Scott returns the kickoff from his end zone to the 18-yard line
Renfree starts the drive with 35 seconds to play in the half
David Reeves with the reception and a gain of six yards
Duke continues to make gains on the ground and to the sideline to manage the clock
Renfree attempts a pass which hits the ground with 11 seconds to play
Vernon makes a catch for 23 yards and gets to the Cincinnati 36-yard line
The field goal unit comes out with Ross Martin looking to kick a 53-yarder
Illegal substitution by Cincinnati before the snap and he will get another try for a 48-yard field goal attempt
The kick misses wide left of the post as time runs out

End of the half: Cincinnati 17, Duke 16

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3rd Quarter:

Cincinnati returns for short yardage on the kickoff and works the ball on the ground including a gain of 16 yards by Kay on a broken defensive play for Duke
Canty misses a tackle at the Cincinnati 40-yard line and the play ends at the Duke 10-yard line - a 55-yard gain plus a 5-yard penalty and the Bearcats start with first and goal to go
A gain of four has the ball on the one-yard line and Kay tries to run it in on his own but is stopped short - ball is still on the one-yard line
False start on Cincinnati and third down will now start on the 5-yard line
Kay takes the snap and looks to run it in but Anthony Young-Wiseman trips him up
Miliano comes out for the 27-yard field goal attempt which he converts - Bearcats now lead the Blue Devils 20-16 with 10:02 to play
Duke gets the ball back and works up the field - from the 25-yard line to the 50-yard line until Renfree throws it up for an interception
Cincinnati starts on its own 40-yard line and then execute a double reverse for a 14-yard gain up to the Duke 47-yard line
Winn gets the handoff from Kay and runs it in for a 46-yard touchdown as the Duke secondary can't deny him the goal line - the PAT is good and the Bearcats lead is extended to 27-16
Renfree starts the series with two complete passes and moves the chains to the 37-yard line
Duncan makes Duke's third straight reception and Crowder catches the fourth - the drive continues from the Duke 47-yard line
A rush and another catch by Duncan and Duke just shy of Cincinnati territory on the drive
A long 39-yard pass to Desmond Scott and the Blue Devils are in the red zone
A rush and then a pass to Vernon for the touchdown - Duke goes for the two-point conversion
A roll to the right by Renfree and he then looks left to a wide-open Blakeney for the extra two points - Bearcats now lead 27-24 with three minutes to play in the quarter
Bearcats return the kickoff for 15 yards to prep for their series of downs - Duke's Kyler Brown being tended to after the last play
Kay passes to Winn for a 5-yard gain but can't convert the next down and the field goal unit comes out for the Bearcats
Duke was set to start with good field position on the return by Crowder but he ran into his own player on the return - after a holding penalty Duke will start on its won 31-yard line with 40 seconds to go
Pass interference call on Vernon after he's hauled down - first down the the Cincinnati 41-yard line
Vernon makes the completion on the next down and the quarter ends

4th Quarter:

The Blue Devils will start on the 37-yard line trying to continue its current offensive momentum and looking to retake the lead since losing it late in the second quarter
Renfree finds Connette for a gain of 11 yards
Taking the snap from the 26-yard line Renfree can't find his intended receiver and floats it out-of-bounds
Vernon gets the next pass and he gains another 13 yards - Duke in the red zone again
After the snap Thompson takes the handoff from Renfree and moves the ball to the five yard line
Second down and Connette takes the snap and rushes to the one-yard line
On the next snap Connette fumbles the snap and loses a yard - second down and goal to go
Touchdown! Connette finds Reeves with a short pass over the defender's head - the PAT is good - Duke regains the lead 31-27 with 12:45 to play
Bearcats start on their own 23-yard line and Kelce gains 35-yards on the play - ends at the Duke 42-yard line
Cincinnati double-reverses again but the Duke defense contains the play to a two-yard gain
Duke secondary is allowing Bearcats receivers to much room - luckily Tompkins tips the pass by the sideline
On the next play Duke is flagged for pass interference - automatic first down for Cincinnati at the Duke 25-yard line and threatening to score
Kay connects with Chris Moore for a 25-yard touchdown pass and the PAT by Miliano is good - Bearcats regain the lead 34-31 with 11:19 to play
On the kickoff return Scott gains 19 yards and the Blue Devils will start on their 19-yard line
Vernon gets the first pass for eight yards and then Renfree finds Duncan on another pass
On first down Renfree takes his time on the snap and hands off to Duncan for eight yards
Duncan gets the ball next and gains the first down to the Duke 46-yard line
Blakeney gets the pass and gains the first down at the Cincinnati 41-yard line
Snead takes the ball on the run for 6 yards and the Blue Devils snap it with third and four to go
Incomplet pass and Martin comes out for the 52-yard field goal attempt - it's good!
Duke ties the score 34-34 with 7:24 to play
Announced attendance for tonight's game - 48,128
Cincinnati starts on its own 25-yard line and Kay takes it and is dragged down on the tackle by Duke's Young-Wiseman and Canty
Kelce gets a pass for a 4-yard gain - third down and two yards to go on the 33-yard line
Big stop by the Duke defense and the Bearcats are forced to punt it away with 5:32 to play
Crowder returns it and breaks a tackle and the Blue Devils will start on their own 43-yard line
Snead takes the handoff and gains 11 yards to the Cincinnati 46-yard line
Vernon gets the next pass and gains another 11 yards
Renfree takes the snap from the 35-yard line and Snead gains seven more yards to the 28-yard line
Duke stays on the ground with Snead on the carry again for two more yards
Connette in and takes the snap and keeps it himself for another short gain - first down gained at the Bearcats' 24-yard line
Unddre three minutes to go and Snead gets the ball again for a gain of three yards - the chains keep moving for Duke
Refnree looks for the pass to Vernon for 13 yards on the left and Duke is in the red zone - first down at the 8-yard line
Snead tries to break through the middle on the next play but is stopped after only a three-yard gain - 1:32 left to play
Connette hands off to Snead and he fumbles it while trying to advance it forward and Cincinnati gets it back on its own 5-yard line - 1:20 left on the clock
Kay scrambles avoiding being tackled for a safety and gains nine yards on the play
Bearcats go to the pass on the left side which sails over everyone's heads out-of-bounds
Third and one yard to gain and Cincinnati hands off to Winn for the first down
The drive continues and Kay finds Kelce who catches and runs it for an 83-yard touchdown - after the PAT Cincinnatie leads 41-34 with 44 seconds remaining.
Duke with the return to their 32-yard line - have to make this series count
Crowder makes the catch with a 13-yard gain to the 45-yard line
Pass for Scott is incomplete and almost intercepted but a roughing-the-passer call gains Duke a first down at the Cincinnati 40-yard line
Renfree is hit hard while being rushed to pass on the next play and the ball is picked off as the Bearcats score again with 14 seconds remaining
Renfree finally gets up while the Bearcats await their PAT - it is good and the Bearcats' lead extends to 48-34
Cincinnati kicks it off and Duke returns it 14 yards to the 31-yard line - 9 seconds remain
Anthony Boone take s the snap and hands it off to Snead - one second remains and counts down as the Bearcats claim the 2012 Belk Bowl.

Final: Cincinnati 48, Duke 34

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

2012 Belk Bowl: Duke Blue Devils reaching journey's end

The Duke Blue Devils 'D' will adorn the field at the 2012 Belk Bowl - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC

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No one following the Duke Blue Devils (6-6) this season could ask for a better set-up to finish the 100th year of Blue Devils football - watching the team play its final game in the state of North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and competing in the Belk Bowl against the Big East co-champion Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) on Thursday.

All the ingredients of a perfect ending are in place for Duke football fans who have endured 18 years to see their team compete in a postseason bowl game and to finish the season with a winning record.

Both of those things have not happened since the team played in the Hall of Fame Bowl game on Jan. 2, 1995, suffering a 34-20 loss to the Wisconsin Badgders, and finishing the season with an 8-4 record.

A pivotal game

The Belk Bowl match-up with the Bearcats holds much significance for Duke as it represents both an ending and a beginning of sorts.

A win for Duke will provide the seniors recruited by head coach David Cutcliffe with their first winning season and a bowl victory to cap it all off.

Though that scenario will bring to an end a four-plus year process to resurrect Duke football from the dormant stage it has been in at the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for so long, it places the program in a place to go to a higher level.

Coach believes in you

Cutcliffe recently signed a significant contract extension that will allow him to continue the work he has started in putting Duke football back on the map, and a bowl win will provide the star to place on the grid for future recruits to know exactly where the football program stands.

The belief that the Duke coach has in his players' abilities and talents has brought them very far and he uses that to his advantage.

He is a leader of athletes who possess character and that is what he will continue to look for with his recruiting efforts.

His players' individual and collective talents have helped them establish new school, conference, and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) records throughout the season - reason for him to call this team is a 'special' one.

Cutcliffe continues to tell all who will listen that he has 'special people doing special things' all the time at Duke.

A team of destiny?

Team captains Sean Renfree, Connor Vernon Walt Canty, and Ross Cockrell have all set examples playing their respective positions throughout the season to establish their individual legacies at Duke.

There is no doubt that these players hold the Blue Devils' destiny in their hands when they take to the field against Cincinnati.

They will try to do what many believe they can't do - win.

Even after clinching a bowl bid with a final-seconds 33-30 finish against cross-Triangle rival the North Carolina Tar Heels, many were content to say that Duke's season had reached its peak.

Four consecutive losses to end the regular season lent support to that thinking.

The prototypical heart break and aching that has been a part of following Duke football for a long time has presented that smidgen of doubt for non-believers to hold on to.

However, for those who have watched the surprisingly exciting plays and exhilarating moments that this team has executed and experienced, one can only assume that the best is still yet to come.

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A look back: 100th season of Duke Football on Examiner.com: