The day at L&N Cardinal Stadium had all the ingredients for trouble: late-afternoon heat, more than 90 degrees, and an SMU team that had already given Louisville plenty of grief in the past. The Cardinals had lost all four previous meetings with the Mustangs, but this time Jeff Brohm had the right formula.
Louisville answered SMU punch for punch and came away with a 41-31 win on Saturday in front of 50,991 fans. It was tense, it was draining, and for the Cardinals it was the kind of victory that sticks around.
SMU came out fast, rolling 75 yards in eight plays for the opening touchdown. Louisville responded on its first possession, with quarterback Lincoln Keinholz scoring on a one-yard run to finish a 12-play, 75-yard drive. After the Cardinals forced a stop, they went right back down the field and scored again, this time on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Keinholze to Lawayne McCoy.
“We found a way to make more plays than them, that shows the toughness and the makeup of the team,” said Brohm in the post-game news conference. “It shows the toughness and the makeup of our assistant coaches, of the ability just to fight to the end.
Sometimes things look good, sometimes they don’t. You need to get down and you can do something about it.
That’s why this sport is so great is because it teaches you to hang in there to the end no matter what, and special things happen.”
Louisville’s ground game became the difference. The Cardinals piled up 265 rushing yards out of 442 total, with Brown going for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came on runs longer than 50 yards.
The lead flipped eight times, and the outcome wasn’t settled until the final minutes. That’s when Junior Kaleb Beasley punched the ball loose from SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings at the half-inch line. Beasley finished with 10 tackles and two interceptions in a huge all-around effort.
Louisville had spent four straight games against SMU coming up short. This one went the other way, and it was hard-earned all the way to the end.
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Louisville Made A Statement But One Problem Should Worry Fans
Louisvilles 41-31 win over Southern Methodist was the kind of result that can change the feel around a team in a hurry. It was the Cardinals first victory ever against SMU, and they earned it with a mix of explosive offense and timely defense, with Kejuan Brown breaking off multiple long touchdown runs to keep the pressure on the Mustangs.
The concern, though, is hard to ignore. Louisville was flagged 11 times for 110 yards, a level of sloppiness that can turn a strong win into a warning sign if it keeps showing up. Brycean Scott and Kaleb Beasley helped steady things when it mattered most, but the discipline issue lingers for a team that just proved it can beat a quality opponent and will now have to show it can do so cleaner. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville's Big Win Brought A Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Louisvilles victory over No. 16 SMU at L&N Stadium had the kind of energy the program wanted, with 50,199 on hand to see a 41-31 result that could matter down the line. Lincoln Kienholz helped steady the offense, and the Cardinals got a major boost from their defense in a game that briefly looked like it might swing back and forth until Louisville found a way to close it out.
Still, the win came with a familiar concern that cant be brushed aside. Louisville was penalized 11 times for 110 yards, a number that undercut some of the good work on both sides of the ball and kept the Cardinals from fully controlling the night the way a ranked-win home game should allow. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Made A Statement Fans Have Been Waiting For
No. 23 Louisville got the kind of road victory that can steady a season and turn heads, outlasting No. 16 SMU 41-31 in a game that never really settled into one rhythm. Lincoln Kienholz accounted for three touchdowns, throwing for 177 yards and adding a score on the ground, while the Cardinals kept answering every time the Mustangs threatened to seize control.
The biggest separator was the ground game, where Keyjuan Brown kept Louisville in front with a relentless performance that gave the offense balance and the margin it needed in a back-and-forth contest. After multiple lead changes, the Cardinals finished the job with a late defensive stand, leaving Louisville with a statement win and a reminder that this team can win the kind of high-pressure matchup its fans have been waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]