Previewing the Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Louisville
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This is the preview for the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
Cincinnati vs. Louisville (-2, 40)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. ET
Betting splits: 60% of bets, 51% of handle on Louisville
It is hard to know where to begin with this game because it is the craziest one of the bowl season. Former Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield was hired at Cincinnati just after this bowl matchup was announced. Satterfield also took defensive coordinator Bryan Brown with him. Offensive coordinator Lance Taylor is now the head coach at Western Michigan, and secondary coach Wes McGriff went to Auburn.
Former Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell is now with Wisconsin, leaving Kerry Coombs as the interim head coach for the Fenway Bowl. It is hard to think that either one of these teams will be prepared for this game, though Cincinnati has the better shot, given that Satterfield knows the Louisville personnel as well as anybody.
The status of Malik Cunningham is also interesting for the bowl game. The Louisville QB has spent most of his collegiate career banged up and has strong numbers anyway. The Bearcats are missing their starting quarterback after Ben Bryant suffered a broken foot last month. So, we’ve got interim head coaches, backup quarterbacks, and two teams with questionable motivation playing on a baseball field nowhere near campus. Seems like an easy handicap, right?
The two teams were almost identical in yards per play on offense, with 5.98 for Cincinnati and 5.97 for Louisville, but the QB situations loom large in that regard. Cincinnati has a big edge on defense, though, ranking fourth in yards per play with 4.52, while Louisville was a solid 39th with 5.24.
Related links
Matchup page for Wasabi Fenway Bowl
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