2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl The 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl was a post - season American college football bowl game held on December 29 , 2012 at AT & T Park in San Francisco , California in the United States . The 11th edition of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl began at 1 : 00 p . m . PST and aired on ESPN2 . It featured the Arizona State Sun Devils from the Pacific - 12 Conference ( PAC - 12 ) against 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 , which the Sun Devils won with a score of 62 – 28 , and drew 34 , 172 attendees . As stipulated in a deal made in 2009 with bowl organizers , the Navy Midshipmen accepted their invitation to play in the game on November 3 after earning six wins in their first nine games of the season . After the Sun Devils attained bowl eligibility and defeated their in - state rival Arizona Wildcats to earn a 7 – 5 regular season record , the team accepted their bowl invitation on December 2 . The pre - game buildup focused on the contest between Navy ' s triple option rushing attack and the Sun Devils ' defensive squad . After a quarterback change , the Midshipmen rushing offense had become one of the most prolific in the nation , but 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 , and had 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 had allowed an average of 172 yards per game . Most analysts predicted a victory for the Sun Devils . Navy sold over 10 , 000 tickets to the game , while Arizona State sold over 5 , 000 . The Arizona State 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 34 – 7 at halftime . The Sun Devils added four more touchdowns in the third quarter , while 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 , bringing the game to a final score of 62 – 28 . Team selection . In September 2009 , organizers of the Emerald Bowl ( since retitled the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl to reflect its new sponsor ) announced that they had renewed their contract with the Pacific - 12 Conference for four years , with the sixth bowl eligible team from the conference playing against a team from the Western Athletic Conference in the 2010 and 2013 editions of the game and the Navy Midshipmen in the 2012 game , should they become bowl eligible . Prior to the start of the 2012 season , college football analyst Phil Steele projected that the Navy would play the California Golden Bears , but changed his projected Pacific - 12 team in late October to the Arizona State Sun Devils . On November 3 , " CBSSports . com " writer Jerry Palm projected that Navy would play the Arizona Wildcats in the game . Navy received $ 750 , 000 for its participation in the game , while Arizona State received $ 950 , 000 . The bowl game ' s executive director , Gary Cavalli , received $ 375 , 176 in compensation . Navy . The Midshipmen , representing the United States Naval Academy , began their 2012 season with a 50 – 10 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin , Ireland . They earned a 1 – 3 record for their first four games , but began a five - game winning streak with a victory over the Air Force Falcons in overtime on October 6 . After defeating the Florida Atlantic Owls for their fifth straight victory to bring their season record to 6 – 3 , the Midshipmen accepted the first invitation of the 2012 – 13 NCAA Bowl season to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on November 3 . Midshipmen athletic director Chet Gladchuk cited the team ' s positive experiences at the 2004 Emerald Bowl as a primary reason for returning to play in the game . The Midshipmen won that game against the New Mexico Lobos with a score of 34 – 19 ; it was highlighted by a drive from the Midshipmen in the third and fourth quarters that set an NCAA record for longest drive in a college football game . For the remainder of the season , the Midshipmen lost to the Troy Trojans and defeated the Texas State Bobcats before playing the final game of the season , the 113th Army – Navy Game . After the Arizona State Sun Devils accepted their invitation , Midshipmen head coach Ken Niumatalolo stressed that his team still considered the game against the Army Black Knights for the Commander - in - Chief ' s Trophy more pressing than preparing for the bowl game : The Midshipmen won the game with a score of 17 – 13 , their 11th straight victory in that series . The 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl was the first postseason contest for the Midshipmen since losing the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl to the San Diego State Aztecs . The team had lost four of its last five postseason games . Arizona State . The Sun Devils , representing Arizona State University ( ASU ) began their first season under head coach Todd Graham by winning four out of their first five games , their sole loss coming against the Missouri Tigers 20 – 24 . They lost against their next four PAC - 12 Conference foes , giving them a 5 – 5 record through the first 10 games of the season . With two games left , the team needed at least one more win to become bowl eligible . The Sun Devils defeated the Washington State Cougars on November 17 to earn bowl eligibility . On November 23 , they defeated the 24th - ranked Arizona Wildcats in their final regular season game to win the Territorial Cup and finish the season at 7 – 5 , its best record since the 2007 season . After the game , bowl organizers announced that one of the two Arizona teams would receive the second invitation to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl , with the other team likely going to the 2012 New Mexico Bowl . Both schools lobbied heavily for an invitation to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl , and ASU officials stated that the date of the New Mexico Bowl would conflict with the school ' s final examination schedule . The Sun Devils accepted their invitation to play in the bowl game on December 2 . The contest was the second straight bowl game for ASU ; the Sun Devils lost the 2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas against the Boise State Broncos the previous year . Pre - game buildup . The game was the first ever meeting between the two teams , and was the 18th bowl appearance for the Midshipmen and the 26th for the Sun Devils . Both teams were allotted 15 extra practices after the regular season to prepare for the bowl game . After its final regular season game against Arizona , the Sun Devils had 37 days to prepare for the Navy Midshipmen . Arizona State coach Todd Graham used part of his extended practice schedule to prepare younger athletes on the team ' s roster for the upcoming season . From the day it defeated Army , the Midshipmen had 21 days to prepare for the bowl game ; however , due to the demanding final examination schedule at the United States Naval Academy and the unusual length of Navy ' s football season , head coach Ken Niumatalolo gave his team extra recovery time after the Army – Navy Game . The team began one - hour practices at 6 a . m . to avoid conflicts with the school ' s examination schedule . Both teams expected to use the game to increase their recruiting presence in the San Francisco Bay Area . Members of both teams participated in community service activities in the days prior to the contest , with the Midshipmen and the Sun Devils handing out meals at St . Anthony ' s Dining Room and Glide Memorial Church , respectively , on Christmas day . Offensive matchups . Navy offense . The Midshipmen offense focused on its flexbone - style triple option offensive scheme , which was ranked sixth in the nation in rushing yards per game . Although the team scored 10 or fewer points in three of its first four games , it averaged almost 32 points per game in its seven games prior to facing Army . During pre - game walk - throughs , the team prepared its new system to relay offensive plays , a series of oversized cards divided into four sections of various colors and symbols . Freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds started every game since the team ' s win against the Air Force Falcons , and was the third freshman to start at quarterback in the team ' s history . He rushed for 628 yards on 140 carries during the season , while senior slotback Gee Gee Greene led the team in rushing yards with 765 . Greene played in every Midshipmen game since 2009 , and his 1 , 996 rushing yards prior to the Army game ranked him second among Navy slotbacks behind Shun White . Sophomore fullback Noah Copeland also ran for 694 yards during the season . Slotback Bo Snelson was removed as a team captain before the Emerald Isle Classic , but was reinstated before the Army – Navy Game . He replaced senior slotback John Howell in Navy ' s 12 – 0 loss to the San Jose State Spartans . As is typical with triple option teams , the Midshipmen rarely threw the ball , attempting 143 passes in its first eleven games ; however , Reynolds completed 10 of 17 passes for 130 yards during the game against Army , earning the game ' s Most Valuable Player award . With 758 career receiving yards , Greene would need 73 more in the bowl game to surpass Reggie Campbell for most by a Navy slotback . Arizona State offense . Using a balanced spread offense system , the Arizona State Sun Devils entered the game with the third - best scoring offense in the Pacific - 12 Conference . Sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly led the team with 2 , 772 passing yards and 25 touchdowns . He also threw nine interception s , seven of which came during the Sun Devils ' four - game losing streak . The team ' s receiving corps included six players with at least 300 yards for the season . Senior running back Cameron Marshall led the team in rushing yards with 524 , but his role in the team ' s offense had diminished somewhat since the previous season . Junior running back Marion Grice also ran for 520 yards during the season , in addition to 406 yards receiving . Grice ' s status for the bowl game was placed in doubt after he took leave from the team to attend to the death of his brother . As of December 27 , he was expected to play in the game after a brief hiatus . Coming into the game , some Sun Devils players had opportunities to secure school records . Kelly entered the game with a 65 . 9 % pass completion percentage for the season , and was likely to break the school record held by Brock Osweiler set during the 2011 season . He was also likely to break Rudy Carpenter ' s single - season passing efficiency record , set during the 2007 season . Tight end Chris Coyle was likely to tie or break the school records for receptions and touchdowns by a tight end in a season , both held by Zach Miller . Punter Josh Hubner also had an opportunity to break the single - season record for average yards per punt . Defensive matchups . Navy defense . Immediately after returning from the Army – Navy Game , 11th - year Midshipmen defensive coordinator Buddy Green began to prepare his team ' s 3 – 4 defensive scheme for the Sun Devils ' offense . Although the Midshipmen had faced similar spread offense s earlier in the season , Green noted the balance between running and passing plays that the Sun Devils had employed , saying " they do some things that are similar to a lot of the teams we play , but I don ’ t think there has been one opponent that incorporates all the elements that [ Arizona State ] has in its package . " Coming into the bowl game , the Midshipmen ranked 55th in yards allowed per game and 31st in scoring defense , allowing opponents to score an average of 22 points per game . After an early - season series of personal issues and injuries depleted the Midshipmen defensive line , Navy had established a rotating system using 11 different linemen to keep players fresh during games . The Midshipmen also used unconventional position moves to adapt to opponents . For example , for the bowl game , Greene moved defensive end Danny Ring to nose tackle to better handle opponents ' running backs . The team ranked 94th and 102nd in the nation in sacks and tackles for losses , respectively . Linebacker Keegan Wetzel led the team in tackles . Prior to the team ' s game against the Army Black Knights , Vice Admiral Michael H . Miller reinstated senior linebacker Brye French , considered a team leader on defense throughout the season , as a team captain . Although the team ' s defensive secondary unit had been plagued with injuries early in the season , the squad had found some stability by the time it played the final game of the regular season . After the team ' s game against the Texas State Bobcats , cornerback Kwazel Bertrand was named the FBS Independent Defensive Player of Week . Arizona State defense . The Sun Devils ' defense ranked 26th in the nation in total defense , second in tackles for loss , and second in sacks ; however , it ranked 74th in rushing defense , allowing opponents to gain an average of 172 yards per game on the ground . The team ' s defensive squad was led by players such as Keelan Johnson , who ranked 11th in the nation for interceptions ; Carl Bradford , who was 16th in the nation for tackles for loss and 17th for sacks ; Brandon Magee , who was third in the nation for solo tackles ; and defensive tackle Will Sutton , who was fifth in the nation in tackles for loss and 13th in sacks . Sutton , who had also forced three fumbles and broken up five passes , was voted as the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year in the Pacific - 12 Conference and became the Sun Devils ' 15th ever consensus All - American player . Prior to the bowl game , Sutton told reporters that he didn ' t know whether he would forego his senior season and enter the 2013 NFL Draft after the game . Pre - game media attention focused on to the ability of Arizona State ' s defense to stop Navy ' s triple option offense . " ESPN . com " analyst Kevin Gemmell wrote that " Watching Sutton . . . and the rest of the Sun Devils defense square off with the Navy offense is going to be one of the more fascinating chess matches of the postseason . " Writing for " SportsPageMagazine . com " , Terese Karmel wrote that " The key to the game could be the matchup between the Sun Devils ' defense ( second in the nation in sacks with 48 ) against the Naval Academy ' s young quarterback , Keenan Reynolds . " After the Sun Devils accepted their invitation , head coach Todd Graham began to prepare the team to face Navy ' s run - heavy offense . Graham spoke about preparing defensively for Navy ' s triple option offense : Defensive coordinator Paul Randolph stated that the team would not focus solely on stopping the run , however , citing Reynolds ' recent passing performances as reasons for emphasizing discipline in the team ' s defensive secondary . Predictions . With some exceptions , most sports analysts predicted that Arizona State would win the contest . All six of the college football commentators surveyed by " CBSSports . com " predicted an Arizona State victory , and of the eight analysts surveyed by " River Region Sports " , six predicted that the Sun Devils would win the game , while two selected the Midshipmen . Basing his prediction off of the Sun Devils ' balanced offensive scheme , NBC Sports writer John Tamanaha predicted that Arizona State would defeat Navy with a score of 42 – 23 . " Sporting News " predicted that if Arizona State could avoid turnovers during the game , the Sun Devils would win the game . Analyst Will Harris predicted a 42 – 24 victory for the Sun Devils for " ESPN . com " , citing Todd Graham ' s bowl record and Navy ' s undersized defense as his reasons for his confident projection . Phil Steele and " Sports Illustrated " writer Stewart Mandel also predicted that Arizona State would win , rating the game among their most confident predictions . Spread bettors favored the Sun Devils by points . Ticket sales . Each team was required to sell a minimum of 11 , 500 tickets to the game . Navy began selling tickets in November , with the athletics department selling tickets priced between $ 25 and $ 75 . Arizona State athletics began selling tickets in December , charging between $ 50 to $ 85 . As of December 4 , tickets were selling on the secondary market for an average of $ 99 . Both institutions conducted campaigns to increase fan turnout at the game . Arizona State sold $ 75 individual travel packages to students , including a game ticket , bus transportation , and a hotel stay . Navy allowed donors to purchase tickets to the game for active military personnel and veterans . On December 17 , bowl director Gary Cavalli stated that Navy had sold over 10 , 000 tickets . Although Arizona State aimed to sell another 10 , 000 , the school had sold approximately 5 , 000 by December 19 . Cavalli estimated that the game would sell around 35 , 000 tickets total . For every ticket sold , bowl sponsors donated one meal each to the San Francisco Food Bank , the St . Anthony Foundation , and the Glide Foundation . Game summary . The 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl began at 1 : 00 p . m . PST on December 29 , 2012 , at AT & T Park in San Francisco , California . Since AT & T Park typically hosts the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball , the venue had to be converted to accommodate the bowl game . As a result , both teams were placed on the same sideline during the game . As the designated visiting team , the Navy Midshipmen wore white jerseys , pants , and helmets ; the Arizona State Sun Devils wore black jerseys , white pants and white helmets as the designated home team . The Sun Devils ' uniform also included a black - and - white circular helmet sticker with the number 57 to honor Emerson Harvey , the school ' s first black student athlete in 1937 . In a pre - game ceremony , Will Sutton received the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year award as the best defensive player in the Pacific - 12 Conference in 2012 . Prior to kickoff , the Midshipmen marched onto the field in service dress . The Glide Memorial Church Ensemble performed " The Star - Spangled Banner " with a American flag . At the conclusion of the national anthem , four United States Navy F / A - 18 Hornet aircraft performed a flyover past the stadium . Arizona Senator John McCain performed the game ' s coin toss with an Oreo ( to represent the game ' s sponsor , Kraft Foods ) . Media coverage . The contest was broadcast on ESPN2 , with Dave Pasch providing play - by - play , Brian Griese providing color commentary , and Jenn Brown with sideline coverage . Approximately 1 . 1 million people viewed the broadcast , earning it a Nielsen rating of 0 . 7 . Live online streaming was available through WatchESPN . ESPN also reached a deal with social media service Twitter to provide bowl game highlights via expanded tweets ; for the first time , viewers could watch the highlights without leaving Twitter . The game was also covered on multiple broadcast radio stations : Touchdown Radio featured Roxy Bernstein handling play - by - play and Gino Torretta with color commentary . Additionally , the game was available on Sirius and XM satellite radio on SiriusXM channel 91 . Television coverage began during Arizona State ' s first play from scrimmage when a basketball game between the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the UNLV Runnin ' Rebels went over its allotted time slot . First quarter . Using an up - tempo offense , Sun Devils quarterback Taylor Kelly quickly moved his team 75 yards on the team ' s first drive , ending with a 16 - yard touchdown pass to Rashad Ross . On the first Midshipmen drive , the team moved two yards before Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds was sacked by Carl Bradford . Reynolds landed awkwardly on his elbow , and conferred with trainers on the sideline . On Arizona State ' s next drive , running back Marion Grice ran ten yards for another touchdown to bring the score to 14 – 0 in favor of the Sun Devils . The Midshipmen responded with a 10 - play , 44 - yard drive that included a fourth down conversion from running back Greene , but the drive stalled at the Sun Devils ' 31 - yard line , resulting in a turnover on downs . Kelly and Grice led the Sun Devils on their next drive . Sun Devils running back D . J . Foster was injured on a helmet - to - helmet collision on the third play of the drive , resulting in a 15 - yard penalty against the Midshipmen . Foster did not return for the remainder of the game . Kelly capped off the drive with a 1 - yard touchdown run , bringing the score to 21 – 0 at the end of the first quarter . Second quarter . The Midshipmen began their next drive at their own 16 - yard line . On the sixth play of the drive , Midshipmen freshman fullback Chris Swain ran 36 yards to the Arizona State 18 - yard line . After dodging an unblocked Sun Devil defender , Reynolds threw a three - yard pass to wide receiver Matt Aiken , bringing the score to 21 – 7 . Arizona State needed five more plays to score again , ending with Kelly ' s pass to Alonzo Agwuenu to make the score 28 – 7 . Navy ' s next 13 - play drive did not result in any points after kicker Nick Sloan missed a 34 - yard field goal . On the third play of the Sun Devils ' next drive , Kelly threw a 52 - yard touchdown pass to Rashad Ross to increase their lead . Navy ' s final drive of the half stalled , leaving the score at 34 – 7 . Third quarter . The Midshipmen began the second half with the ball , but after one rushing play , Reynolds threw an interception , giving Arizona State possession at its own 34 - yard line . After two rushes from running back Cameron Marshall and a short toss to tight end Chris Coyle , Taylor Kelly completed a 50 - yard pass for a touchdown to Rashad Ross , making the score 41 – 7 . Navy ' s next possession ended with another punt , and the Sun Devils ' next drive added another touchdown to make the score 48 – 7 . Midshipmen Gee Gee Greene returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown , but three plays later , Arizona State ' s Marion Grice ran 39 yards for another Sun Devils touchdown , making the score 55 – 14 . ASU needed one play to reach the endzone again on its next drive , and the third quarter ended with the Sun Devils ahead by a score of 62 – 14 . Fourth quarter . Arizona State began the fourth quarter with a turnover on downs , its first drive of the game not ending in a touchdown . During the next drive , Keenan Reynolds was tackled hard after pitching the ball , and would not play for the remainder of the game . Freshman fullback Chris Swain scored Navy ' s first offensive points of the second half . Using mostly second - string offensive players , the Sun Devils committed their only turnover of the day when quarterback Michael Eubank fumbled the ball as he was injured on a third down play near midfield . The Midshipmen scored the final touchdown of the game when quarterback Trey Miller threw a 23 - yard pass to Brandon Turner with 5 : 16 left in the game . Arizona State ran out the clock for its final possession , and the game ended with a final score of 62 – 28 . Final statistics . With five tackles and 2 . 5 sacks , Will Sutton was named the game ' s most valuable defensive player . Marion Grice , with 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns , was named the game ' s offensive MVP . Although the Midshipmen led the game in time of possession , Arizona State ' s offense needed just under nine minutes of game time to score five touchdowns in the first half , and its first nine touchdowns used a total of 13 : 38 . In all , the Sun Devils ' performance in the rout included setting 20 new Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl records , including most total yards gained and largest margin of victory . With 36 first downs , the team also tied the NCAA Division I bowl game record , set by the Oklahoma Sooners in the 1991 Gator Bowl and the Marshall Thundering Herd at the 2001 GMAC Bowl . Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly completed 17 of 19 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns , setting a new school record for completion percentage in a season ; with four receptions , tight end Chris Coyle also set a school record for completions by a tight end in a season , with 57 . Midshipmen running back Gee Gee Greene also set a Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl game record with his 95 - yard kickoff return , which was also a Navy bowl game record .