TicketsBOSTON – The University of Cincinnati football team will face Louisville in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. ET at Fenway Park.
The game will be televised on ESPN. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.
The Bearcats (9-3) and Cardinals (7-5) renew the famed regional rivalry at Fenway Park, the venerable home of the Boston Red Sox, for a unique game that is sponsored by Wasabi Technologies. The matchup will be the first bowl game ever played at the historic ballpark after last year's game was cancelled.
The "Keg of Nails" traveling trophy will return. Cincinnati and Louisville will play for the 54th time and the first time since 2013.
"You really couldn't ask for a better matchup," Director or Athletics John Cunningham said. "It's been too long since the University of Cincinnati and Louisville battled for the 'Keg of Nails.' We are looking forward to renewing this historic rivalry that will give this game extra significance. I'm thrilled that our student athletes will get to end the season in a rivalry game and have an outstanding bowl experience at an iconic venue such as Fenway Park."
UC and UofL played every year from 1966 to 1992 and each season from 1996 to 2013. The Bearcats lead the series 30-22-1, which began in 1929.
The winning trophy is a replica of a keg used to ship nails, and its use was initiated by the schools' fraternities, signifying the winning team is "tough as nails."
Cincinnati will make its 22nd bowl appearance and play in its fifth consecutive bowl.
The Bearcats are 10-11 all-time, falling most recently to No. 1 Alabama in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic a year after a last-second defeat in the 2020 Peach Bowl at the hands of No. 9 Georgia. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have won the last two national championships.
Cincinnati has gone to a bowl game in 12 of the last 15 seasons, including four New Year's Six bowls. Cincinnati's 133 wins over the last 15 years rank as the 12th-most in college football over that time.
Cincinnati is 31-5 since the start of 2020 and 53-10 since the start of 2018 - both marks rank in the Top 5 in the nation.
The 2022 Bearcats are led by national award finalists senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. and sophomore punter Mason Fletcher.
Pace Jr. was named the 2022 AAC Defensive Player of the Year after ranking in the Top 10 nationally in tackles (120) and tackles for loss (19.5). He is a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker, and the Bednarik Award, given to the nation's top overall defensive players.
Fletcher collected 2022 AAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors after ranking third nationally in punting average (46.7) and setting the AAC and UC record with an 84-yard punt and a 65.0 average at SMU earlier this season. He is a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter.
Pace Jr. and Fletcher were named to the All-AAC First Team last week alongside senior tight end Josh Whyle, senior defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, redshirt freshman Dontay Corleone and senior cornerback Ja'Quan Sheppard.
-GoBEARCATS.com-
The game will be televised on ESPN. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.
The Bearcats (9-3) and Cardinals (7-5) renew the famed regional rivalry at Fenway Park, the venerable home of the Boston Red Sox, for a unique game that is sponsored by Wasabi Technologies. The matchup will be the first bowl game ever played at the historic ballpark after last year's game was cancelled.
The "Keg of Nails" traveling trophy will return. Cincinnati and Louisville will play for the 54th time and the first time since 2013.
"You really couldn't ask for a better matchup," Director or Athletics John Cunningham said. "It's been too long since the University of Cincinnati and Louisville battled for the 'Keg of Nails.' We are looking forward to renewing this historic rivalry that will give this game extra significance. I'm thrilled that our student athletes will get to end the season in a rivalry game and have an outstanding bowl experience at an iconic venue such as Fenway Park."
UC and UofL played every year from 1966 to 1992 and each season from 1996 to 2013. The Bearcats lead the series 30-22-1, which began in 1929.
The winning trophy is a replica of a keg used to ship nails, and its use was initiated by the schools' fraternities, signifying the winning team is "tough as nails."
Cincinnati will make its 22nd bowl appearance and play in its fifth consecutive bowl.
The Bearcats are 10-11 all-time, falling most recently to No. 1 Alabama in the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic a year after a last-second defeat in the 2020 Peach Bowl at the hands of No. 9 Georgia. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have won the last two national championships.
Cincinnati has gone to a bowl game in 12 of the last 15 seasons, including four New Year's Six bowls. Cincinnati's 133 wins over the last 15 years rank as the 12th-most in college football over that time.
Cincinnati is 31-5 since the start of 2020 and 53-10 since the start of 2018 - both marks rank in the Top 5 in the nation.
The 2022 Bearcats are led by national award finalists senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. and sophomore punter Mason Fletcher.
Pace Jr. was named the 2022 AAC Defensive Player of the Year after ranking in the Top 10 nationally in tackles (120) and tackles for loss (19.5). He is a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker, and the Bednarik Award, given to the nation's top overall defensive players.
Fletcher collected 2022 AAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors after ranking third nationally in punting average (46.7) and setting the AAC and UC record with an 84-yard punt and a 65.0 average at SMU earlier this season. He is a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter.
Pace Jr. and Fletcher were named to the All-AAC First Team last week alongside senior tight end Josh Whyle, senior defensive tackle Jowon Briggs, redshirt freshman Dontay Corleone and senior cornerback Ja'Quan Sheppard.
-GoBEARCATS.com-