CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati football team has accepted a bid to play Duke University in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 27, 2012 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The game will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET and air on ESPN.
"We are pleased to accept a bid to the Belk Bowl," head coach Butch Jones said. "We are excited by the prospect of a great number of Cincinnati fans being the team behind the team and helping us celebrate the holiday season in Charlotte.”
In addition to the game, the Belk Bowl FanFest will feature a free concert with Lady Antebellum outside the stadium prior to kickoff.
“We are very happy to announce that the University of Cincinnati will be playing in the 2012 Belk Bowl,” said Will Webb, Executive Director. “Cincinnati has played very well this season and we are excited to host the Co-Champions of the Big East Conference. We feel that the Bearcats are a very strong team that should provide a good matchup in Charlotte for its opponent. We look forward to hosting Cincinnati and their fans for the 2012 Belk Bowl and all the surrounding events.”
“We are very excited about hosting the Bearcats and their fans in Charlotte for the first time,” said Jon Pollack, Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and E-Commerce of Belk. “They bring a strong record to the game. We know they will enjoy our Modern Southern Style of football!”
The Bearcats (9-3, 5-2 BIG EAST Conference) will be playing in their 14th bowl game and sixth in the past seven seasons. UC is 7-6 all-time in post-season games and will be making its first trip to the Belk Bowl.
UC won its fourth BIG EAST title in five years on Saturday, the only NCAA FBS AQ team in the nation to achieve that feat. The Bearcats are 19-6 over the past two seasons with two BIG EAST titles and a win over SEC foe Vanderbilt in the 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
The Bearcats and Blue Devils have never met on the gridiron despite being two of the older programs in college football. UC (1885) is celebrating its 125th season of football while Duke (6-6, 3-5 ACC) has been playing since 1895.
Duke finished the season with a 6-6 overall record (3-5 in the ACC, fifth in the Coastal Division). Duke won six of its first eight games, including a 33-30 win over rival North Carolina to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. Head Coach David Cutcliffe was named the 2012 ACC Coach of the Year, and nine Blue Devils earned All-ACC recognition following the regular season. With senior quarterback Sean Renfree headlining the offense, Duke is the only team in the nation to have three receivers with 60-plus receptions this season.
Charlotte Collegiate Football, a non-profit organization, runs the Belk Bowl. Fans can visit the official website, www.BelkBowl.com, for more information about the game and surrounding events.
