BOSTON — Louisville and Cincinnati will resume their “Keg of Nails” rivalry in Boston’s iconic Fenway Park at the Fenway Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 17. The game will kick off at 11 a.m. ET and be televised by ESPN.
What You Need To Know
- Louisville Cincinnati are resuming the “Keg of Nails” rivalry game on Saturday during the Fenway Bowl
- The game will kick off at 11 a.m. ET and be televised by ESPN
- The schools, located about 100 miles apart on the Ohio River, first played in 1929 and haven’t met since 2013
- Scott Satterfield left Louisville for the top job at Cincinnati, but he’ll stay away from the bowl game as Kerry Coombs leads the Bearcats
The schools, located about 100 miles apart on the Ohio River, first played in 1929, with the winner declared “tough as nails” and taking home the trophy. They haven’t met since 2013, where Louisville edged out a 31-24 victory.
Saturday’s bout will be especially dramatic as both teams will have interim coaches on the sidelines due to recent personnel changes. Scott Satterfield left Louisville for the top job at Cincinnati, but he’ll stay away from the bowl game as Kerry Coombs leads the Bearcats.
After Satterfield’s sudden departure, Deion Branch will coach the Cardinals to what he hopes to be a victory before new hire and former Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm takes over next season.
With the Green Monster as their backdrop, Louisville and Cincinnati will meet for the 54th time on the gridiron. Cincinnati leads the all-time series 30-22-1.
The Cardinals won five of their last seven games to finish the regular season at 7-5 and 4-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With five victories over teams with seven or more wins, Louisville tied for the most among FBS schools this season.
The Cincinnati Bearcats finished the season at 9-3, coming within a game of playing for the American Athletic Conference Championship. The Bearcats won six consecutive games midway through the season and were ranked as high as number 20 in the Associated Press poll and number 19 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
Louisville is making its 25th postseason appearance, posting an 11-12-1 all-time record in bowl games. Since 2007, Cincinnati has been to four New Year’s Six bowls and the 2021 College Football Playoff, while winning 70 percent of its games.
