Lincoln Keinholz didn’t look settled at the start of his Louisville debut, and for a while it seemed like the pressure of the moment was swallowing him up.
The new quarterback, making his first start for the University of Louisville after three years as a backup at Ohio State University, opened the 2026 season against the University of Mississippi in front of 57,390 at Titan Stadium in the Music City Kickoff Classic. The early stretch was messy. There were delays of game, hurried throws and one missed chance to hit a wide-open receiver for what should have been a touchdown.
But the game didn’t stay stuck there.
By the end of the night, Keinholz had flipped the script enough to show why Louisville brought him in. He finished 18 of 29 for 307 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback in UofL history to top 300 passing yards in a season opener. Even Jeff Brohm and Brian Brohm, both former quarterbacks now on the Louisville staff, had to take notice.
Louisville still came up short, falling 41-38 to Mississippi on the game’s final play. Still, Keinholz’s late charge gave the Cardinals something real to build on.
He also showed off his legs when it mattered most, finishing with a seven-yard scramble that tied the game at 38-38 with a minute left. Louisville scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes and kept fighting until the end.
Tre Richardson was a big part of the turnaround. He gave Louisville a lift to start the second half with a 30-yard rushing touchdown on the first drive after halftime, then capped the third quarter with a 62-yard catch from Keinholz to knot the score at 24 going into the fourth. Richardson led the Cardinals with 83 receiving yards on four catches.
Coach Jeff Brohm said the team kept battling through the rough patches.
“We fought tooth and nail until the end so I’m proud of our team for sticking together,” said Coach Brohm. “We had some good moments.
Some other moments weren’t as good. We had some flaws in the action, and we picked some things up, found ways to make plays.
But in the end, we didn’t make enough (plays). When you play good football teams, it’s not going to be smooth”
Louisville also got a steady night from kicker Carson Hilbert, the sophomore and son of former UofL kicker John Hilbert. He went three-for-three on extra points and added a 46-yard field goal before halftime.
On defense, Koen Entringer and T.J. Capers each finished with seven tackles, while Stanquan Clark had six tackles and an interception in the second quarter.
It was a first game full of mistakes, but it also left Louisville with a quarterback who showed plenty of promise.
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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 🡒]
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Lincoln Kienholz Gave Louisville One Huge Reason For Hope
Louisville did not leave with the result it wanted after a 41-38 loss to Ole Miss, but the debut of Lincoln Kienholz offered a real jolt of optimism. The Ohio State transfer settled in after a slow first half and gave the Cardinals a much-needed spark, working the offense with enough poise and movement to keep Louisville within striking distance as the game wore on.
Kienholz showed why the staff had reason to believe in him, throwing for 307 yards and adding 69 more on the ground while accounting for three total touchdowns in his first game. He also helped Louisville dig out of a 14-point hole in the fourth quarter and pull the game even before Ole Miss answered with a last-second 48-yard field goal, leaving the Cardinals with plenty to lament and one big reason to keep believing. [Read more 🡒]