The largely unknown ''Keg of Nails'' traveling trophy is at stake for today's Cincinnati-Louisville football game. UC coach Rick Minter showed the Keg to reporters this week, and said he wants it to become more than an afterthought.
Minter, while admitting the Keg is not exactly the Old Oaken Bucket of college football lore, would like to see it become a more tangible part of UC history.
While holding the smallish, brown Keg aloft, Minter noticed that last year's score - a 10-7 UC victory - has yet to be inscribed. And also, that there are no actual nails in the Keg.
''Well, there you go,'' he said. ''In fact, last year we didn't get it back from Louisville until about a half-hour after the game, when some custodian dropped it off to us. I want to make it a more ceremonial thing, maybe award it after the game.''
Minter hopes for such a ceremony in the aftermath of today's game. And if form holds, the Bearcats will cart the Keg back up the steps to Minter's office.
UC (6-3, 1-3 Conference USA) is a 13-point favorite over Louisville (1-8, 0-4). The Cardinals, who were picked to finish third in the league, have collapsed with a poor defense and subpar running game. The Keg of Nails is believed to have begun with the universities' fraternities, who deemed that the annual winner was ''tough as nails.'' The current trophy is a duplicate of the original prize, which was lost during some construction at Louisville.
There is also some current construction at Louisville, on a new 45,000-seat stadium that opens next year on campus. But last week, with coach Ron Cooper under fire and interest ebbing, only 12,850 fans witnessed the final game in 40-year-old Cardinal Stadium. And U of L, which led East Carolina 31-14 at halftime, managed to lose 45-31.
''There are no excuses,'' Cooper said.
U of L would seem an easy mark for the Bearcats, whose 18 seniors play their final home game today. But Minter, whose team is playing for UC's first seven-win season since he arrived in 1994, has been preaching caution.
''They're dangerous because they're wounded,'' he said of Louisville. ''Their pride is hurt, so they're ready to cut it loose and take chances.''
UC, coming off a 24-17 loss to Southern Mississippi, is also playing for pride. The Bearcats are eliminated from the C-USA race and probably are out of the at-large bowl picture.
''We're not worrying about a bowl game any more,'' junior quarterback Chad Plummer said. ''We just want to help the seniors go out with the best season since they've been here.''
MINTER: NO PLANS TO LEAVE
SEASON IN STORIES
