SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 1, 2012

Cincinnati 34, Connecticut 17: Brendon Kay threw two touchdown passes to tight end Travis Kelce and Kelce threw one to Kay on a trick play as the visiting Bearcats clinched a share of the Big East title for the fourth time in five years.

Kay was 19-for-29 for 245 yards. He threw touchdown passes to Kelce in the first and third quarters and broke free for a 39-yard TD catch from Kelce in the second to give Cincinnati (9-3, 5-2 Big East) a 14-0 lead.

Chandler Whitmer threw for 264 yards and a touchdown for Connecticut (5-7, 2-5) before leaving in the third with an injury. Lyle McCombs had a rushing score for the Huskies, who fell short of bowl eligibility for the second straight year after four consecutive bowl appearances.

After Kay's TD catch, Connecticut scored 10 quick points before halftime on a field goal and a 74-yard touchdown from Whitmer to Ryan Griffin. Kay answered with a touchdown to Kelce on the opening drive of the third, but the Huskies came back with McCombs' 1-yard score to get within 21-17.

Johnny McEntee, who relieved Whitmer, was picked off on Connecticut's first drive of the fourth and George Winn ran it in from 4 yards out on the next play to give the Bearcats a 31-17 advantage with 10:52 left. McEntee was picked off again on a desperation fourth-down try with under five minutes remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati won the league outright in 2008 and 2009 before sharing it with two others last season. ... Kelce now has a receiving, rushing and passing TD in his career. ... McEntee, who also relieved Whitmer last week in a triple-overtime win over Louisville, was 7-for-16 for 73 yards.