Louisville’s trip to Syracuse had all the makings of a problem early, but the Cardinals found enough answers to leave with a 34-26 win on Oct. 17 and head into the Week 8 bye on a high note.
The Cardinals fell behind 10-0 before settling in, then leaned on timely offense, a defense that came up with three takeaways and a pass rush that finally started to tilt the field. Louisville still had plenty to clean up, especially in the kicking game, but it did enough to survive a wonky Week 7 slate that saw several top teams stumble.
Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz was at the center of it all. He threw for 310 yards and a touchdown on 14-for-26 passing with two interceptions, giving him his fourth 300-yard passing game of the season. He also made school history with an 82-yard rushing touchdown, the longest by a quarterback in program history, though his final rushing total settled at 53 yards after he was sacked three times and had a negative run.
Kienholz said he entered the game still working through an undisclosed injury.
“I felt probably 95-97% (healthy) going into this game,” he said.
The bye week should give him more time to get fully right before Louisville returns home to face Stanford.
“Each week it's getting better,” Kienholz said, “and the bye week is just going to help. The more treatment I'll get in next week and the rest on my body a little bit, we'll be good to go.”
Even with Syracuse wideout Umari Hatcher putting together a huge day, Louisville found ways to blunt the damage. Hatcher caught 13 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown, including a 65-yard grab to open the game and a 41-yard touchdown on Syracuse’s second drive. Still, the Cardinals kept the Orange under their season scoring average of 31.7 points per game and shut them out in the second half until the late stages.
The biggest swing came from Louisville’s pressure. The Cardinals finished with a season-high five sacks, including two from Tyler Thompson, and have now piled up nine sacks over the last two weeks after collecting eight in the first five games of the regular season. Thompson also recovered a fumble, and he explained why those plays matter.
“I think someone on our staff has done a study that anytime you get a sack, it's a 92% chance that they (opposing team) don't score,” said Thompson, who also had a fumble recovery. “So, sacks are definitely important in the negative plays, and they take away the offense's momentum.”
That fumble recovery was one of three turnovers Louisville used to keep Syracuse at arm’s length. Kaleb Beasley picked off his fifth pass of the season, and Cam White added the first interception of his career. Syracuse quarterback Malachi Nelson left late with what appeared to be a lower leg injury.
On offense, Jeff Brohm again said he did not call plays, leaving that to offensive coordinator and younger brother Brian Brohm. He repeated earlier comments about trusting the week’s work and the people involved in building the plan.
“We've got defensive guys and offensive guys that help put the plan together,” the elder Brohm said. “For sure, during the week, we go over it in thorough detail. I'll give a few suggestions, but kind of have to let your guys call and work through that.”
The Cardinals weren’t clean there either. Syracuse slowed Isaac Brown, who finished with 11 yards on nine carries, and Kienholz’s two interceptions were a career high in the wrong direction. But Louisville still hit explosive plays through the air and on the ground, with eight passes of 15 or more yards and three runs of at least 10 yards.
Brohm also turned the defense over to co-coordinators Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis, and that group responded by allowing only three second-half points.
Special teams, though, became a late concern. Punter Niall Hayes had an uneven night, including a 30-yard punt that went out of bounds in the fourth quarter and a 38-yard boot on his final attempt. He averaged 39 yards per punt against Syracuse, just under his season mark of 40, helped by third-quarter kicks of 45 and 47 yards.
Carson Hilbert missed an extra point after Louisville’s last touchdown, leaving the game within one score for the final 7:34. Kicking had been a point of concern in fall camp and had looked steadier during the season, but Week 7 brought it back into focus.
Brohm said the Cardinals still have work to do.
“We've just got to identify those and try to be more efficient the entire game in all three segments,” he said.
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