Some good defenses have shown up for some Thursday night football, but what else would you expect from a rivalry that awards an actual keg of nails to the winning team? Louisville jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but a late touchdown by Cincinnati cut the Cardinals’ lead to 10-7 at the half.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has had a bit of a rough first half, completing just six of 14 pass attempts, but his 36-yard touchdown pass to Davante Parker in the first quarter gave Louisville an early 7-0 lead. Cincinnati quarterback Brendon Kay has also had some forgettable moments in the first half, thanks to two interceptions, but his push forward on the goal line late in the half got the home team on the scoreboard and cut in to Louisville’s lead. Kay headed to the locker room just a little earlier than the rest of the team with members of the medical staff after a physical half. A late drive by Louisville ended with Bridgewater being intercepted along the left sideline, although it appeared it may have actually been an incomplete pass.
A Louisville win will give UCF the American’s automatic BCS bid regardless of what happens in Saturday’s game between the Knights and SMU. A Cincinnati win would earn the Bearcats at least a share of the conference’s title, leaving the BCS bid to be determined by highest BCS ranking. As it stands now, that advantage would go to UCF. However, a Cincinnati win and a UCF loss on Saturday would give Cincinnati the conference championship, as UCF would likely potentially below Cincinnati in the BCS standings.