Jeff Brohm’s Louisville team got the kind of response it needed, and it came in a hurry. After a sluggish opening stretch, the Cards found their rhythm, leaned on Lincoln Kienholz’s arm and legs, and rolled past Villanova 59-13.
The final score tells the story, but the early moments were a little messier than Louisville would have liked. A roughing-the-passer penalty kept one drive alive, and the Cards mixed in Isaac Brown before trying to attack the red zone through the air.
Kienholz missed Jaleel Skinner twice on what could have been touchdowns, but Louisville still settled in quickly. Villanova answered with a 35-yard field goal to tie it at 3, then Louisville punched right back with a 72-yard drive capped by Kienholz’s 19-yard touchdown run.
That was the start of a big first quarter for the Cards. After Villanova went three-and-out on a fourth-and-1 punt, Louisville hit Skinner on the same concept from a different formation, and this time it worked perfectly. Skinner turned the catch into a 69-yard touchdown, and Louisville took a 17-3 lead before the quarter ended.
Villanova briefly trimmed the margin on the first play of the second quarter with a 65-yard catch-and-run down the sideline, but Louisville answered almost immediately. In just two plays and less than 80 seconds, the Cards went 80 yards, with Kienholz connecting with Lawayne McCoy on a 61-yard touchdown to make it 24-10.
The offense kept stacking scores. Kienholz added a 4-yard keeper, and Louisville carried a 31-10 lead into halftime. At the break, the Cards had 276 passing yards and 124 rushing yards, while controlling the clock for 14:09.
The second quarter wasn’t clean, though. Louisville picked up a string of penalties, including running into the punter, running into the kicker, illegal hands to the face, two unsportsmanlike penalties, and illegal formation. That kind of sloppiness was hard to miss even in a game the Cards were controlling.
Louisville’s defense opened the third quarter with a quick three-and-out, but the offense didn’t capitalize right away. The Cards eventually got back on track, with Braxton Jennings finishing a drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 38-10. Villanova later took advantage of a Louisville penalty on third down to extend a drive and get three points, but the Cards answered again and went into the fourth quarter ahead 45-13.
The fourth quarter brought Louisville’s first sack of the game and season, a strip sack by Tyler Thompson that the Cards recovered. Kienholz’s day was essentially done by then, and he finished with 332 passing yards and four total touchdowns, including two passing and two rushing.
From there, Louisville kept adding to the margin. Devin Wydner threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Braxton Jennings, then found Davis again later as the Cards pushed the lead to 59-13. Briggs Cherry also got into the action and connected with freshman Louisville native Marlon Harbin for his first completion at Louisville.
Louisville finished with 375 passing yards and 260 rushing yards, and the win moved the Cards to 1-1. Kienholz became the only Louisville player to top 300 yards in his first two starts in a Louisville uniform, and the offensive line gave him solid protection throughout the night.
There were still some warning signs. Isaac Brown continued to have trouble finding the holes this offense created, and the penalties remain a problem. The defense also spent much of the night dealing with Villanova’s screens, misdirection, and other designed looks before finally getting that long-awaited sack.
Tre Richardson finished just two yards shy of 100 receiving yards, and the receivers continued to look the part, including Harbin. Louisville now turns to SMU, with the ACC matchup set for next Saturday at L&N at 3:30 pm.
In Other News...
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That dynamic flared again this week when a rumor began circulating around Brown and a possible trip to a high-profile game in Lexington, only for the post to disappear soon after. Brown himself stepped in on social media to shut it down, and for Louisville, the bigger takeaway is less about one rumor than the message behind his response: the Cardinals top 2027 target is still publicly standing by his pledge, even when speculation tries to pull him elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Louisvilles Home Opener Has A Very Different Feel Tonight
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For Louisville, it is the kind of September game that can still shape the mood around a season, especially when the opponent is unfamiliar and the first impression comes on a bigger stage. The matchup will have national visibility on the ACC Network and ESPN+, adding another layer to a night that already feels a little different than the usual home opener. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Home Opener Comes With One Early Problem Fans Already Feel
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Jeff Brohms latest injury update added another layer to the opener prep, with the defense already having to adjust before the first home snap. Louisville still has some encouraging signs on the availability front, but the bigger concern is how quickly the Cardinals can settle into their rotation and avoid letting early disruptions linger beyond one week. [Read more 🡒]