2011 Liberty Bowl
| 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 53rd Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Nielsen ratings | 1.88 | |||||||||||||||||
The 2011 Liberty Bowl was a
The game, which was telecast at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, featured the Cincinnati Bearcats, Big East co-champions, versus the Vanderbilt Commodores of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[2] It was the first edition of the game to be aired by ABC since 1980. Cincinnati won the game, 31–24, in front of a crowd of 57,103.[3]
Teams
After finishing the 2011 season with six wins and six losses, the Vanderbilt Commodores ended in fourth place in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) East Division.[4] They were chosen as the SEC representative to the Liberty Bowl. The Commodores' roster included junior-year quarterback Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers.[5]
The Cincinnati Bearcats ended the regular season with nine wins and three losses and were co-champions of the
In the 2011 season, both teams had beaten
Game
After a touchdown by Zac Stacy and a successful conversion kick by Ryan Fowler, the Commodores were ahead at the end of the first quarter by 7–0. The Bearcats dominated the scoreboard in the second quarter with touchdowns by George Winn and Anthony McClung (with successful conversions by Tony Milano) and Cincinnati went into halftime with a 14–7 lead.[3]
The halftime entertainment was presented by
After halftime, Vanderbilt tied the score with a Jerron Seymour touchdown and Ryan Fowler conversion and the third quarter ended 14–14. Shortly after the start of the fourth quarter, Cincinnati again took a 17–14 lead with a Tony Milano field goal. Vanderbilt responded with a touchdown by Chris Boyd and conversion by Fowler to retake the lead 21–17. Ralph Abernathy IV and Isaiah Pead then scored a pair of touchdowns (and two conversions for Milano) for Cincinnati, who went ahead 31–21. Vanderbilt finished the game with a Ryan Fowler field goal. The final score was Cincinnati 31 – 24 Vanderbilt.[3]
MVP
After running for 149 yards and a touchdown, Isaiah Pead was named the game's
Statistics
Both teams were evenly matched in total offensive yards (Cincinnati 301, Vanderbilt 295) and yards per play (Bearcats 4.1, Commodores 4.2), but Cincinnati had a decisive edge (20–14) in total first downs. Vanderbilt played more of a passing game with 12 completions in 34 attempts for 168 yards (4.9 yards per attempt). Cincinnati also completed 12 passes but in 29 attempts for 2.8 yards per attempt. The Bearcats played more of a running game with 44 carries for 221 yards (5 yards per carry) while the Commodores had 36 carries for 127 yards (3.5 yards per carry).[11]
Both teams threw two interceptions, but the Commodores also lost a fumble. Cincinnati received five penalties for 55 yards and Vanderbilt had six penalties for 39 total yards. The Bearcats had a slight edge in time of possession with 30:46 to the Commodores 29:14.[11]
References
- ^ Bowl Schedule, Los Angeles Times, December 7, 2011
- ^ a b "Liberty Bowl Official Website". Libertybowl.org. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores – Box Score – December 31, 2011". ESPN.com. December 31, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ a b "Vanderbilt Commodores News, Scores, Schedule, Stats". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ Weintraub, Robert (December 30, 2011). "Vanderbilt Quarterback Finds Help in Green Bay". New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ a b "Cincinnati Bearcats News, Scores, Schedule, Stats". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ Silver, John (April 27, 2010). "Big East Bowl lineup complete". JSilver's UConn blog. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ "Auburn Dominates Virginia; Utah Wins". New York Times. Associated Press. December 31, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ "2011–53rd Autozone Liberty Bowl". LibertyBowl.Org. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores – Recap – December 31, 2011". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 31, 2011. Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
- ^ a b "Saturday, December 31, 2011 Cincinnati Bearcats – Vanderbilt Commodores Box Scores, Game Results & Summary". USAToday.com. December 31, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.