image courtesy of Louisville Athletics
The Louisville Cardinals begin the 2026 season falling short to the Ole Miss Rebels in a track meet that came down to the final play.
Beginning the season in Nashville, the Cards couldn’t continue their three-year streak of winning on opening week. They fell 41-38 against the Rebels on a 48-yard game winning kick by Lucas Carneiro.
What began as a slow start became a game of hot potato, as both teams combined for 63 second-half points. Louisville and Ole Miss put up nearly 500 total yards in a statistically-even affair.
Notable Cards:
Lincoln Kienholz finished going 18/29 for 307 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he led the team in rushing with 69 yards and had the game-tying score late in the fourth. Despite starting out flat, Kienholz really turned it around in the second half. It was always going to take some time for the newcomer to get the hang of the game, and he was able to find a rhythm near the end of the first half. He proved that he’s capable of leading a highly regarded offense this season. “Seeing him against a top-ten opponent, we learned a lot,” head coach Jeff Brohm said postgame. “He gave us a chance to win in the end.”
Wide receiver Tre Richardson came in from Vanderbilt and made an immediate impact, as many expected. He was the first Cardinal to cross the endzone on a 30-yard end around. Richardson also hauled in a 62-yard touchdown on the biggest offensive play for the Cards closing out the third quarter. He finished with 4 catches for 83 yards and showcased his potential in the Brohm offense.
Clev Lubin and Stanquan Clark made their share of plays on the defensive side. Lubin forced a critical fumble from Trinidad Chambliss on a fourth down early in the game. Clark was the only Card to intercept Chambliss. His interception led to a drive before half that ended with a field goal.
Takeaways:
- Lack of Discipline: This was one of those games where you could absolutely not force self-inflicted wounds and win, and that’s what happened for Louisville. Multiple personal fouls extended Ole Miss drives and the most costly one gave the Rebels a two-score lead late. Mistakes like this have been a common theme over the years. To beat elite teams, you have to be the more disciplined side
- Snapping the Ball: Louisville had to burn three timeouts to prevent delay of game penalties. Entering the fourth quarter, Louisville was out of timeouts after taking all three in the third quarter. Whether it’s miscommunication between the players and coaches, or a result of Kienholz’s first-game jitters and getting the ball snapped, this needs to be sorted out before Friday.
- Kienholz’s Bounceback: For a first half that couldn’t have been much worse, Kienholz bounced back to have a historic day. He became the first Cardinal to throw for 300 yards in his debut, most of which came in a monster second-half. Kienholz rebounded after the tough start and showcased his capabilities of playing in a Jeff Brohm system. The positives significantly outweigh the negatives and there are several things to be excited about for Cardinal fans.
- Kicking: Maybe the kicking concerns weren’t as bad as people initially thought? Trinity grad Carson Hilbert got the start and impressed. He hit from 25, 45 and 46, going 3/3. The kicking competition will certainly develop over the course of the season, but it was a perfect start. Punter Niall Hayes also had a solid day. It wasn’t a clean go of it for special teams, however. A snap over the head of Hayes put Ole Miss in position for the first touchdown of the game, but after that, the operation was smooth.
- Defensive Pressure: Louisville’s talented defensive front failed to record a sack against Chambliss, this lack of getting to the QB became increasingly costly as the game went on. The Cardinals were able to generate pressure at times and force Chambliss to move around in the pocket, but they could not consistently finish the plays and bring him down.
- Offensive Line Struggles: The re-tooled offensive line didn’t have a stellar day. They were able to give Kienholz enough time to throw for the most part, but couldn’t open up any running lanes. Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown both finished with under 60 yards rushing, and couldn’t get anything going for most of the night. Tackle Anwar O’neal was out with an injury. As a result, Lance Robinson shifted outside and Evan Wibberly started at center. Although the rocky start, the line will continue to get healthy and the talent is there. The chemistry will come sooner than later.
Final Thoughts:
This loss isn’t one Louisville fans should hang their heads about. There were some mistakes which were hard to overcome, but the inspiring effort late in the game showed the heart in the team. They certainly proved that they can be a contender in the ACC by taking Ole Miss to the wire. There are plenty of things to improve upon, but the overall performance was positive.
Next up, Louisville welcomes Villanova to L&N Stadium on Friday night for the home opener.