Lousiville, Ky. ? Seconds after the gun sounded to end No. 22 Cincinnati’s soggy 28-20 victory over Louisville on Friday, several Bearcats sprinted to the end zone and grabbed the Keg of Nails, the trophy that had tormented them for years.

This was one keg party coach Brian Kelly had no plans of interrupting. Besides, for the surging Bearcats the good times might just be starting.

“I think we can all say the rivalry is back,” Kelly said. “There was a lot of emotion out on the field in this game.”

Cincinnati dominated the reeling Cardinals in the second half to win the keg for the first time in six years and take another major step toward its first Big East title.

The victory gives Cincinnati (8-2, 4-1) a half-game lead over idle West Virginia and No. 21 Pittsburgh in the conference title race. Cincinnati beat the Mountaineers last week and play host to the Panthers on Nov. 22.

“The next game is the biggest game,” said Cincinnati cornerback Mike Mickens, who added to his school record with the 14th interception of his career. “Beating Pitt is the next task.”

Dominick Goodman caught nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown for Cincinnati, and John Goebel ran for 77 yards and a score as the Bearcats won the Keg of Nails for the first time since 2002.

“It means a lot for this program to come in here and win the Keg of Nails,” Goodman said. “We’d like to keep it for a long, long time.”

The way the Bearcats are playing these days, they just might.

Quarterback Tony Pike, who took over the starting job earlier this year when senior Dustin Grutza went down due to a broken leg, completed 19 of 33 passes in soggy conditions before getting knocked out in the fourth quarter because of an undisclosed injury.

Enter Grutza, who hadn’t played since breaking his right leg during a 52-26 loss to Oklahoma on Sept. 6. If Grutza felt rusty, he didn’t show it.

Walking onto the field in steady rain, Grutza quickly led the Bearcats on a five-play, 72-yard touchdown drive that gave the Bearcats a 28-20 lead with 6:29 to play.