No. 9 Ole Miss had its hands full in Nashville, and so did one fan in the stands.
The Rebels survived No. 24 Louisville 41-38 in a season-opening thriller at Nissan Stadium, but one third-quarter reaction shot stole plenty of attention along the way.
As Louisville scored, the broadcast lingered on an Ole Miss fan wearing a light-blue ruffled top, blonde hair resting at her shoulders, hands behind her head with a phone balanced there. Within minutes, screenshots of the moment were spreading fast.
βI think we all know why sheβs going viral. π,β one post said about the fan.
βCanβt believe Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss,β another post said while posting about the Ole Miss fan.
βThe cameraman at the Ole Miss - Louisville game understood the assignment. Bro zoomed in. IβM CRYING π,β one final post added.
The game itself started slowly, with both teams looking jittery early. Only 16 points were scored in the first half, and Ole Miss went into the break holding a narrow 10-6 lead despite a rough opening from Trinidad Chambliss. The quarterback threw an interception and lost a fumble before halftime.
The second half turned into a different sport.
Chambliss shook off the first-half mistakes and delivered a huge performance for the Rebels, including two 62-yard touchdown passes to Deuce Alexander in the third quarter. The offense opened up on both sides, and the game became the kind of back-and-forth shootout that had been missing early.
Louisville still had plenty left. Down 38-24 in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals clawed all the way back to tie it at 38-38 with 1:28 remaining.
But Ole Miss kept enough time on the clock to answer. Chambliss guided the Rebels into position, and Lucas Carneiro drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired to finish it off.
In Other News...
Louisville Saw Enough From Lincoln Keinholz To Fuel A Bigger Question
Lincoln Keinholzs first start for Louisville gave the Cardinals a real opening to assess where they stand at quarterback, and there was plenty to like in the way he settled in against Mississippi. The debut came in a high-scoring opener that asked a lot of him early, and he responded better as the game went on, showing clear progress in the second half as Louisville hung around in a back-and-forth matchup.
Jeff Brohm left the night with a familiar mix of encouragement and concern, praising the way his team competed while also pointing to the need for more plays against quality opponents. For Louisville, the bigger question now is not just what Keinholz showed in the opener, but how much of that performance can carry over when the schedule tightens and the margin for error shrinks. [Read more π‘]
Louisville Just Found A Quarterback Fans Can Dream On
Louisville came up just short in its Week 1 battle with Ole Miss, but the game still offered a glimpse of something the program has been searching for at quarterback. Lincoln Kienholz, the 4-star transfer from Ohio State making his first start, settled in quickly and gave the Cardinals a legitimate dual-threat presence, throwing for 307 yards while adding 69 on the ground.
The debut mattered because it showed Louisville more than survived a tough opening test against a ranked opponent, it found a passer who can tilt a game with both his arm and legs. Kienholzs production also put him in a rare category for the program, with the kind of early return that can change the feel around an offense even in a loss, and now the bigger question is how far that carryover can go once the schedule keeps moving. [Read more π‘]
Louisville Just Took A Painful Recruiting Hit At Center
Louisvilles frontcourt recruiting board took a hit when five-star center Darius Wabbington backed away from the program, ending a run that had the Cardinals among his final six schools. Wabbington, one of the top centers in the country, had been scheduled to make an official visit on Sept. 11, but that stop is now off the calendar as Louisville loses ground in a pursuit that once looked promising.
The timing makes the setback sting a little more, because the Cardinals are still trying to stay active with another elite big man in Lewis Uvwo. Louisville has made a late push there, but Duke is currently out front, leaving the Cardinals searching for a way to recover from one miss while trying to keep another high-end option within reach. [Read more π‘]
