Louisville’s first half against SMU had the feel of a statement game, and Lincoln Kienholz kept supplying the loudest evidence.
With the Cardinals and Mustangs locked in a heavyweight ACC matchup, Louisville trailed by three after 30 minutes, but Kienholz continued to be the player drawing the most attention. The 4-star transfer has been carrying a growing spotlight for Jeff Brohm’s team, and his latest half gave people even more to talk about.
Through the opening two and a half games of his first season as Louisville’s starter, Kienholz has looked every bit like a quarterback the Cardinals can build around. A former 4-star recruit out of high school who spent three seasons at Ohio State, he arrived in Louisville and immediately took over QB1 duties. So far, he has delivered.
Against SMU in the first half, Kienholz completed 7 of 10 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, with just three incompletions. He also added another layer to his game on the ground, rushing six times for 26 yards and a rushing score.
The throw everyone will remember came when pressure arrived fast from the right side. Kienholz first looked left, then recognized the corner blitz, slipped away, rolled to his right and fired a 33-yard touchdown to Lincoln McCoy off one leg. It was the kind of play that stops a game in its tracks.
The reaction online came quickly:
“Lincoln Kienholz is going to make an NFL GM very very happy pic.twitter.com/RwvYayQiJi
- SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) September 19, 2026”
“LINCOLN KIENHOLZ IS A MAGICIAN pic.twitter.com/1UEl98dOOk
- College Football Report (@CFBReport) September 19, 2026”
“Lincoln Kienholz is doing Lincoln Kienholz things and Louisville takes an early lead over SMU 🎯 pic.twitter.com/4q8LLnYn9m
- CFB Kings (@CFBKings) September 19, 2026”
That kind of buzz is starting to follow Kienholz everywhere. Before kickoff, Pat McAfee compared him to NFL MVP Josh Allen, and while he’s only played two full games, the early signs are hard to ignore. Kienholz has now recorded at least one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown in all three games.
He’s already carved out a place in Louisville’s record book, too. Kienholz became the first Cardinal to throw for 300 yards in his college debut, and he was the first since Lamar Jackson to throw for 300 yards, account for two passing touchdowns and add two rushing touchdowns in a single half.
For Louisville, the bigger picture is clear: Kienholz is producing against strong competition and doing it fast. If he keeps stacking plays like the 33-yard strike to McCoy, the conversation around his future is only going to get louder.
In Other News...
Louisville Let This Ranked Test Slip At The Worst Moments
Louisville has spent most of the first half in a ranked test that felt close enough to swing either way, but No. 16 SMU has had the better finishing touch so far at L&N Stadium. The Cardinals are trailing 17-14 at halftime after Lincoln Kienholz accounted for 89 total yards and two touchdowns, while SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has settled things down with 132 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception.
The gap has been shaped by SMUs ability to answer when the game tightens up, with Kendrick Raphael giving the Mustangs a steady ground presence and helping them edge ahead before the break. Louisville has been good enough to stay in striking distance, but the margin for error in a ranked matchup is already looking thin, and the Cardinals will need a sharper second-half finish if they want to keep this one from slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Faces An Early ACC Test Fans Cant Ignore
Week 3 of the 2026 college football season already has the feel of a measuring-stick weekend, and Louisville is right in the middle of it. The Cardinals date with a ranked opponent sits among a slate that also features No. 7 LSU at No. 9 Mississippi and No. 10 Alabama hosting Florida State, with the top-25 action spread across multiple TV windows, channels and streaming options on Sept. 19.
For Louisville, the matchup carries more than simple September intrigue because it offers an early chance to see where the Cardinals stand in the ACC race. The game brings an opponent with its own conference expectations, and the outcome figures to shape how the league hierarchy looks before the schedule really settles in, especially with Miami looming as the team everyone is trying to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville May Have Found The Backfield Spark It Desperately Needed
Louisville went looking for a backfield jolt against SMU, and Keyjuan Brown delivered the kind of afternoon that can change a rotation in a hurry. He piled up a career-high 163 rushing yards and gave the Cardinals the explosive run game they had been chasing, helping carry the offense with a burst that stood out in a game that needed playmakers.
Isaac Brown, meanwhile, entered the season with plenty of expectations but had a much quieter day, finishing with just eight carries for 37 yards. That contrast leaves Louisville with an intriguing question moving forward: whether the Cardinals have finally found the spark they needed, and how they choose to balance the workload if this is more than a one-game jolt. [Read more 🡒]