Pittsburgh Panthers vs Cincinnati Bearcats Match Player Stats On Sep 06, 2012

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 6, 2012

Cincinnati 34, Pittsburgh 10: Quarterback Munchie Legaux threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns and added 117 yards on the ground as the host Bearcats opened their season with a Big East victory.

George Winn ran for a pair of scores and Ralph Abernathy caught both touchdown passes from Legaux, who was starting his fourth career game. Cincinnati’s defense also finished with six sacks.

Legaux’s 77-yard dash set up Winn’s 9-yard run, which gave the Bearcats a 24-3 lead with 6:05 left in the third quarter. He later connected with Abernathy on a 12-yard touchdown strike to make it 31-3 early in the fourth.

Cincinnati scored on its first play from scrimmage when Winn burst up the middle for 58 yards just 1:24 into the contest.

Five plays later, Walter Stewart forced a fumble by Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri and Camaron Beard recovered at the Panthers’ 38. Legaux found Abernathy on a 15-yard swing pass and Cincinnati led 14-0 with 10:04 remaining in the first quarter.

The Panthers, who opened with a loss to Youngstown State of the FCS last Saturday, squandered two red zone opportunities in the second quarter and trailed 17-0 at the half. After a holding penalty nullified a touchdown, Sunseri was intercepted by Greg Blair in the end zone. The Panthers also drove inside the Cincinnati 5, but the clock ran out after Sunseri’s incomplete pass on first down.

Pittsburgh’s Ray Graham ran for 103 yards, his eighth career 100-yard game.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Winn had a career-high 95 rushing yards. … Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 8-4, but the teams have split eight games in Big East play. … The Panthers lost their first Big East opener since 2007.