Louisville’s defense did enough to keep the Cardinals in it through a chaotic first half Sunday night in Nashville, but the offense couldn’t turn the breaks into points.
No. 24 Louisville went to halftime trailing No.
9 Ole Miss 10-6 at Nissan Stadium, even after forcing two turnovers and holding the Rebels to 148 yards. The Cardinals’ own mistakes - and a missed chance or two - kept the score from tilting their way.
The Cardinals struck first with a steady 10-play, 47-yard march that chewed up more than six minutes. Lincoln Kienholz helped move Louisville deep into Ole Miss territory with a 22-yard completion to Jaleel Skinner, but back-to-back delay-of-game penalties slowed everything down. Cooper Hillbert still got the drive across the finish line with a field goal, putting Louisville ahead 3-0 with 7:19 left in the first quarter.
Louisville’s defense answered right away. On the Rebels’ next series, Clev Lubin forced Trinidad Chambliss to fumble near the Louisville 40, giving the Cardinals another short field. But Louisville went three-and-out and handed the momentum right back.
Ole Miss evened things up early in the second quarter. Chambliss hit Traylon Ray for 31 yards on an 11-play, 60-yard drive, and Lucas Carneiro finished it with a 43-yard field goal.
That’s when Louisville let a big opportunity slip. Kienholz overthrew Tre Richardson on a route that looked like it could have gone for a touchdown.
Soon after, a botched punt forced Louisville to down the ball at its own 12-yard line. Ole Miss wasted no time, needing just four plays before Kewan Lacy punched in a one-yard touchdown run to put the Rebels on top 10-3 with 10:38 left in the half.
Even then, Louisville’s defense kept battling. Stanquan Clark picked off Chambliss at the Louisville 44 on the next Ole Miss possession, giving the Cardinals another chance. But once again, the offense couldn’t move the ball and went three-and-out.
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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 🡒]
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 🡒]
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 🡒]