After Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield took the same job with Cincinnati, the Cardinals and Bearcats had to prepare to play each other in what became a very strange matchup. With the Satterfield connection, the game had more storylines entering the day than previously thought.
In the end, it was Louisville that came out on top in the first ever Wasabi Fenway Bowl. Behind interim head coach Deion Branch, a former wide receiver who made a name for himself in New England, Louisville dominated Cincinnati to come away with a 24–7 victory.
Louisville collectively ran for 287 yards, as Maurice Turner collected 31 carries for 160 and Jawhar Jordan pitched in 115 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Both of Jordan’s touchdowns were runs of over 40 yards in the first half.
With the win, Louisville finishes the season 8–5, while the loss means Cincinnati fell to 9–4.
Branch, who attended Louisville for two years before entering the NFL, has spent the last year as the program’s Director of Player Development. He was named interim head coach for the bowl game once Satterfield chose to leave for Cincinnati and, for now at least, moves his coaching record to 1–0.
Next season, the Cardinals bring in former Purdue coach Jeff Brohm, who attended Louisville in the 1990s and coached with the Cardinals as an assistant coach from 2003 to ’08.
