The 2022 Wasabi Fenway Bowl features the 9-3 Cincinnati Bearcats against the 7-5 Louisville Cardinals. Here is the 2022 Wasabi Fenway Bowl Preview.
Cincinnati won nine games to get to bowl eligibility, but lost their coach Luke Fickell in the process. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams in Miami (OH), SMU and East Carolina. All three of their losses came to bowl-eligible teams.
The Bearcats score 31.1 points per game, which is tied for 46th in the country. They rush for 136.8 yards (ranked 88th) and pass for 255.9 yards per game (ranked 43rd).
Ben Bryant was the quarterback for the Bearcats for most of the season, but he is out for the year with a foot injury. Evan Prater will start for Cincinnati. He was a highly-touted recruit who passed for 340 yards and one interception on 54.9 percent completion. Five receivers have over 200 receiving yards on the season. Tyler Scott has been the team’s best, as he has 54 catches for 899 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. Another productive receiver was Tre Tucker, who has 52 catches for 672 yards and three touchdowns, but he has opted out.
Running back Charles McLelland has led the rushing attack for the Bearcats this season. He has had 834 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Corey Kiner, a transfer from LSU, has rushed for 351 yards and five touchdowns, although he has missed some time due to injury. Prater will also help out the running game, as he had 196 rushing yards in limited time this season.
The Bearcats allow 20.3 points per game, ranking them 24th in the country. They give up 142.1 rushing yards (ranked 50th) and 186.4 passing yards per game (ranked 18th). Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has been all over the field for Cincinnati with 119 total tackles and eight sacks. Their secondary is loaded with talent, which includes Ja’von Hicks (four passes defended and two interceptions) and Arquon Bush (five passes defended and two interceptions).
Louisville won seven games to qualify for a bowl game. They defeated five teams who went at least .500 this season, including NC State, James Madison, Wake Forest, Pitt and UCF. They lost one game to a team who wasn’t bowl-eligible in Boston College.
The Cardinals score 27.2 points per game, which ranks 76th in the country. They pass for 211.7 yards (ranked 93rd) and run for 193.4 yards per game (ranked 34th).
Starting quarterback Malik Cunningham has opted out of the bowl game. Backup Brock Domann is expected to start after passing for 866 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions on 53.7 percent completion. Three pass-catchers have over 300 receiving yards on the season. Tyler Hudson had 69 receptions for 1,034 yards and two touchdowns to lead the team this season. Tight end Marshon Ford has been a matchup problem and has 31 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Jawhar Jordan leads the rushing attack with 700 yards and two touchdowns. Cunningham is the team’s second-leading rusher with 565 yards and 12 touchdowns. Tiyon Evans has been a solid running back behind Jordan, but he has declared for the NFL Draft. Third-string running back Trevion Cooley is in the transfer portal. The Cardinals will be thin at running back for the bowl game.
The defense allows 20.2 points per game, ranking 20th in the FBS. They concede 140.6 rushing yards (ranked 49th) and 206.3 passing yards per game (ranked 38th). Linebacker Momo Sanogo has led the team with 86 total tackles. Yasir Abdullah and YaYa Diaby have both pressured the quarterback with eight and 7.5 sacks respectively. Defensive back Jarvis Brownlee has shown ball production in the secondary with 11 passes defended and two interceptions.
Louisville has already had several players opt out of this bowl game and more could be on the way. Cincinnati will have a backup quarterback in Prater, but he was the highest-rated recruit in Cincinnati history. Their defense will travel and they can set Prater up well to win the game.
Cincinnati Bearcats 28 Louisville Cardinals 22
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