2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
1234 Total
Navy 07714 28
Arizona State 2113280 62
DateDecember 29, 2012
Season2012
StadiumAT&T Park
LocationSan Francisco, California
MVPMarion Grice (Offense)
Will Sutton (Defense)
FavoriteArizona State by 14+12[1]
National anthemGlide Memorial Church Ensemble[2]
RefereeRick Loumiet (Big 12) [3]
Halftime showArizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band[4]
Attendance34,172
PayoutUS$750,000 (Navy)
$950,000 (Pac-12)
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersDave Pasch (Play-by-play)
Brian Griese (Color commentary)
Jenn Brown (Sidelines)[5]
Nielsen ratings0.7[6]
Fight Hunger Bowl
 < 2011 (Dec) 2013

The 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game held on December 29, 2012, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California, United States. The 11th edition of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl began at 1:00 p.m. PST, and was televised on ESPN2. It featured the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) and the Navy Midshipmen, who were conference independent. It was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. The game, won by the Sun Devils 62–28, drew 34,172 spectators.

In accordance with a 2009 deal with bowl organizers, the Midshipmen accepted their invitation to play in the game on November 3 after winning six of their first nine games of the season. After the Sun Devils achieved bowl eligibility by defeating in-state rival Arizona Wildcats for a 7–5 regular-season record, the team accepted its bowl invitation on December 2.

The pregame buildup focused on the contest between Navy's triple option offense and the Sun Devils' defense. After a change in quarterbacks, the Midshipmen's rushing offense had become one of the best in the nation; however, the team's passing offense ranked near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Arizona State's balanced offense hinged on its quarterback efficiency, with the potential to set a number of school records for the season. Defensively the team ranked as one of the best in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, but its rushing defense ranked 74th in yards allowed per game. Most analysts predicted a victory for the Sun Devils. Navy sold over 10,000 tickets to the game, and Arizona State sold over 5,000.

The Sun Devils scored the first 21 points of the game in the first quarter, while keeping the Midshipmen scoreless. After Navy scored its first points in the second quarter, Arizona State scored two more touchdowns to bring the score to 34–7 at halftime. The Sun Devils added four more touchdowns in the third quarter, but the only additional points from the Midshipmen came from a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Navy scored the only two touchdowns of the fourth quarter, ending the game with a score of 62–28. The bowl brought both teams' won–lost records to 8–5.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference odds was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  3. ^ Navy vs. Arizona State. NavySports.com (Scoring summary). United States Naval Academy. December 29, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference thrilled was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "ASU Football Closes Out 2012 Season Versus Navy in Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl". YumaNewsNow.com. December 10, 2012. On the Air. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference ratings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).