Top 10 Moments Of The 2012-13 Football/Basketball Season: #7 Snea-Kay! Snea-Kay!

(Courtesy Connecticut Post, Getty Images)

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You don’t see trick plays that work to perfection too often. Most of the time they fizzle out before any damage is done and if they do it’s only for a handful of yards. But the 2012 Bearcats had two that went for glorious touchdowns and helped Cincinnati get their troll face on en route to a win. The first was illustrated earlier in this countdown, when runningback George Winn floated a pass to a streaking Travis Kelce for a touchdown, shocking the Syracuse Orange and just about everyone in Nippert Stadium.

The second occurred in the last game of the season and had far greater consequences. Beating a conference opponent like Syracuse is always key, especially in the Big East. As Cincinnati fans know, one win or one loss can be the difference between a spot near the top or the bottom of the conference. So clearly Winn’s successful touchdown pass to Kelce was critical for UC last season and is why it made this countdown (in addition to the splash-value of the play). But the next ace up Butch Jones and Mike Bajakian’s sleeve proved much more important for Cincinnati because of what was on the line at the end of the game; another Big East title.

The Bearcats had traveled to Storrs, Connecticut to take on the hosting UConn Huskies in early December. To say Cincinnati didn’t fare well in The Rent was an understatement. UC hadn’t beaten UConn on their home turf since 2006 when a late Kevin Lovell field goal put the Bearcats up with just 10 seconds to play.

The other trips to Storrs didn’t produce such favorable outcomes for Cincinnati. When the Huskies hosted the Bearcats in 2008, they put a whooping on our beloved red and black, rolling behind Donald Brown’s 150 rushing yards en route to a 40 – 16 victory. It was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect 2008 Big East schedule for Cincinnati. Then in 2010 a young and depleted Bearcats team was again steamrolled by the hometown Huskies. Zach Collaros threw 4 picks and UConn’s Jordan Todman ran all over UC to the tune of 175 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. It was Cincinnati’s seventh loss of the season throwing the possibility of a bowl game right out the window.

So I was vocally nervous to say the least for UC on that cold, wet Saturday in December.

Thankfully the Bearcats didn’t share my fears. They strolled into Rentschler Field that afternoon like they owned the place and proceeded to kick the snot out of UConn for 60-straight minutes. After forcing the Huskies into a three-and-out to begin the game, UC methodically marched down the field and scored a touchdown on their opening drive. It was a beautifully thrown ball from Brendon Kay to Travis Kelce, a precursor to the tremendous game that duo was going to have.

The highlight of the evening came just a couple of drives later. After Chris Williams picked off a pass from Chandler Whitmer, the Bearcats offense was set up in an excellent position on the UConn 39 yard line. Then Butch Jones went for the jugular. The Bearcats had established their physical dominance throughout the first quarter but now was the time to illustrate their creativity, with the following wonderfully drawn up play:

It looked like a bubble screen to the tight end from the onset. The Huskies thought it would be anyways. But as soon as Travis Kelce caught the pass, he reared back and fired it across the field to a waiting Brendon Kay. If you don’t remember, Travis Kelce was actually a quarterback in high school and it really showed on this play! When Kay caught the ball near the opposite sideline he found himself behind a wall of Cincinnati linemen. One lowly UConn defensive back was dispelled with ease as the UC quarterback and his offensive line cruised into the endzone.

And just like that, Cincinnati was up 14 – zip with no signs of giving up the lead. Which they didn’t. The Bearcats put up twenty more points en route to a 34 – 17 win, the first time UC had emerged victorious from Storrs in six years. On top of that, the Bearcats had just notched their fifth conference win, earning them a right to the Big East title, their fourth in five years. Overall, this play and this game put a capper on another exciting Cincinnati football season.