Final Huddle: UC Falls Flat Against Louisville 24-7 In Fenway Bowl

The Bearcats struggled to do anything offensively in Boston.

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats fell 24-7 to Louisville in the 2022 Fenway Bowl following a rough offensive showing. The Cardinals now hold onto the Keg of Nails for the foreseeable future as they have since 2013.

Louisville brought the heat all day, sacking Evan Prater (7-of-15, 83 passing yards, 1 fumble lost) 6 times. The UC offensive and defensive lines got overwhelmed in a game that featured multiple turnovers from both teams.

Here's the Final Huddle on the 54th meeting between Cincinnati and Louisville.

Prater Problems

Prater was under duress all day against Louisville, but even when he had time, it wasn't pretty. The redshirt sophomore struggled with any passes under five yards (2-of-6, 19 yards) and continued to show why the UC coaching staff picked Ben Bryant to start this season. Prater's fumble also came on a nagging problem with protecting the ball in the pocket.

His passing acumen isn't ready to beat top-20 defenses right now, and that was evident over the final two games of the season. UC played upper-tier units both times and he couldn't find any rhythm.

He went 17-of-41 passing combined for 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and 1 lost fumble against Tulane and Louisville.

Now the offensive line shares some blame. The loss of both Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor hurt the pass and run blocking. Louisville took advantage of the edges and had five players notch at least one sack, including stud player Yasir Abdullah (6 tackles, 1.5 sacks).

Some were on Prater. Some were on the offensive line. Overall, it was too much to hit double digit points on Saturday. The Bearcats inconsistent run game also had no identity, with four running backs getting carries. Only Ethan Wright (8 carries, 43 yards) averaged over 4 yards per tote.

Turnover Impact

Turnover off the field and on the field played a big role in this game. UC nabbed 2 interceptions and a fumble while giving up 2 fumbles themselves. 

Cincinnati scored just seven points on those turnovers largely due to that offensive ineptitude detailed above. It tied the Temple game for UC's most forced turnovers in a game this season

Now for the roster turnover. UC played this game without their top-six pass catchers this season.

Prater deserves a little bit of slack in that sense. His top receivers on the day were Blue Smith (2 catches, 32 yards) and Wyatt Fischer (2 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD), a duo that had a combined 6 career catches for 56 yards coming into this game. 

No one should blame the players missing today for making their own career decisions. It is what it is, but the impact was clear as UC's green receivers got very little separation for an inaccurate quarterback.

Long Louisville Runs

The Cardinals didn't hide their top offensive priority in Boston. Down quarterback Malik Cunningham, Louisville leaned on the run for two huge TDs by Jawhar Jordan and 287 yards on the ground.

It's the most rushing yards allowed by UC this season.

Deion Branch's team smacked UC's front in the mouth early and often. They stuck to their outside zone rushing plan, and it wore down Cincinnati. The Cardinals posted 6 explosive runs for 170 yards.

Jordan (9 carries, 115 yards, 2 TDs) was the lightning to Maurice Turner's (31 carries, 160 yards) thunder. The two were great as Louisville averaged 5.9 YPC.

Ivan Pace Jr. added to his 2023 NFL Draft resume with another stellar day, one of the few highlights for UC. The senior posted a team-high 16 tackles, added a sack, and helped aid a fumbled Louisville exchange.

His sack was a textbook play from Pace. Instantly recognizing the protection, then overpowering the center for quick damage.

Pace is currently 233rd on the consensus big board and 17th among linebackers. He should keep rising throughout the process. That's where the focus now shifts as the offseason begins and another signing day approaches for Scott Satterfield's new program.

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