2011 BBVA Compass Bowl

The 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl (formerly known as the Papajohns.com Bowl and the Birmingham Bowl) was a postseason college football bowl game between a team from the Big East Conference and a team from the SEC played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama on January 8, 2011 (12 p.m. ET). ESPN provided television coverage.

2011 BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsburgh Panthers Kentucky Wildcats
(7–5) (6–6)
Big East SEC
27 10
Head coach: 
Phil Bennett
(interim)		 Head coach: 
Joker Phillips
1234 Total
Pittsburgh 01377 27
Kentucky 3070 10
DateJanuary 8, 2011
Season2010
StadiumLegion Field
LocationBirmingham, Alabama
FavoritePitt by 3[1]
Attendance41,207
PayoutUS$1 million (SEC); $900,000 (Big East)[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersMike Gleason and John Congemi

The game was initially renamed "The Birmingham Bowl" after previous title sponsor PapaJohns.com decided not to renew their sponsorship of the game. However, on November 4, 2010, the Bowl officially changed its name to the BBVA Compass Bowl after an agreement with Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria was signed.[3]

Scoring 13 points in the second quarter, Pittsburgh defeated Kentucky 27–10.

Teams

Pittsburgh (7-5, 5-2 Big East) was selected to play Kentucky (6-6, 2-6 SEC) in the game.

Pittsburgh
See also: 2010 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Pitt started the season 2-3, which came as a surprise to many after Pitt was listed as the favorite to win the 2010 Big East Football Conference championship. The Panthers received 22 of 24 possible first-place votes, and 2 second-place votes. After their slow start, the Panthers rebounded, winning 4 out of their next 5 games, improving their record to 6-4. The Panthers ended the season at 8-5 and finished as Big East Co-Champions, along with West Virginia and Connecticut. However, because of the Panthers' losses to both schools, they were not eligible for the conference's bid to a BCS Bowl Game.

Kentucky
See also: 2010 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The Wildcats began the season by winning their first 3 games, all against non-conference teams. Over the span of the next 6 games, the Wildcats won only a single game, reducing their record to 4-5. They then split the last 4 games of the season, finishing it at 6-6, good for 5th in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring play Score
1st quarter
UK – Craig McIntosh 50-yard field goal, 03:15 UK 3–0
2nd quarter
PITT - Dan Hutchins 21-yard field goal, 11:29 TIE 3-3
PITT - Hutchins 33-yard field goal, 03:30 PITT 6-3
PITT - Tino Sunseri 1-yard run (Hutchins Kick), 00:34 PITT 13-3
3rd quarter
PITT - Brock DeCicco 13-yard pass from Sunseri (Hutchins kick), 10:47 PITT 20-3
UK - Moncell Allen 1-yard run (Mcintosh Kick), 00:41 PITT 20-10
4th quarter
PITT - Dion Lewis 2-yard run (Hutchins kick), 10:26 PITT 27-10

Statistics
StatisticsPittsburghKentucky
First Downs2020
Total offense, plays - yards65-35768-315
Rushes-yards (net)46-26132-104
Passing yards (net)96211
Passes, Comp-Att-Int9-19-121-36-0
Possession32:3827:22

Notes
  • Dave Wannstedt, who was forced to resign after the regular season, was expected to coach Pitt in the bowl game, however on January 3, 2011, he declined to coach in the game. Instead defensive coordinator Phil Bennett stepped in as interim head coach.[4][5]

References
Notes
  1. The Odds, Los Angeles Times, December 20, 2010
  2. Jon Solomon, ESPN develops new financial model for BBVA Compass Bowl, The Birmingham News, November 5, 2010
  3. Russell Hubbard, BBVA Compass to take over sponsorship of Birmingham bowl game, The Birmingham News, November 4, 2010
  4. Paul Zeise, Bennett: Wannstedt to coach Pitt in bowl game, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 10, 2010
  5. Associated Press, Phil Bennett to coach Pitt in bowl, ESPN, January 3, 2011
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