The No. 23 Louisville Cardinals prevailed 41-31 over the No. 16 SMU Mustangs in a monumental ACC opener. To say it was a hot one would be an understatement, the turf measured 142 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff. In fact, this was the second-hottest Louisville home game ever. The action on the field matched the temperature.
Louisville entered halftime trailing 17-14, but the Cardinals flipped a switch after the break, outscoring SMU 27-14 in the second half. Louisville’s offense found its rhythm on the ground, while the defense came up with key stops and turnovers late to secure the win.
NOTABLE CARDINALS:
The box score doesn’t jump out, but Lincoln Kienholz had another solid performance. He finished 14/23 for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kienholz also picked up 42 yards on the ground and a score as well. For a game of that magnitude, the young quarterback was composed and took care of the football. With about 7 minutes to go, Kienholz hit WR Tre Richardson in-stride for a 44-yard gain— that drive resulted in an Isaac Brown touchdown. Kienholz has been able to make big plays and not put the football in harm’s way.
The Louisville running game had to get going- and it finally did. Keyjuan Brown was the star of the offense, finishing with 163 yards and 2 scores. Brown averaged 16.3 yards per carry and both touchdowns came from more than fifty yards out. Despite only touching the ball 10 times, Brown’s explosive runs gave the Cardinals the edge Saturday.
The MVP of the game was junior Tennessee transfer defensive back Kaleb Beasley. Beasley led the team in tackles with 10 and picked off SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings twice. The secondary got off to a slow start, but really picked up their play during the course of the game. Beasley’s second interception came in the final two minutes and sealed the deal.
TAKEAWAYS:
- Costly Penalties: Louisville continues to burden themselves with costly penalties. Against the Mustangs, the Cardinals committed 11 penalties for a total of 110 yards. The 6 personal fouls prove that this team isn’t very well-disciplined, and they are lucky those mistakes didn’t come back to haunt them.
- Defense Settles In: A 40-yard carry by SMU running back Kendrick Raphael to start the game was a quick wake-up call for the defense, and they responded well. Raphael finished with 197 yards, but the interior defensive line stepped up in a big way, slowing down the SMU attack as the game went on. Similarly, the secondary didn’t start off on the right foot, but got comfortable as the game went on with multiple key plays. The defense forced SMU to a turnover on downs, fumble, and interception on their last three drives.
- Pieces are Connecting: It wasn’t always pretty, but you could see this team begin to put things together. The defensive line was able to put pressure in Jennings’ face, resulting in two sacks and two interceptions. Jennings is a mobile QB who loves to run, but his constant scrambling led to rushed decisions and several balls that were poorly thrown. The running game finally got going, and both sides of the ball came up big in huge moments.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Louisville was able to pull off the win against No. 16 SMU in one of the most consequential games of the year. Lose, and you’re playing from behind the rest of the season. Win, and you’re officially a conference contender. It wasn’t the best, the prettiest, or the most comfortable, but the Cardinals found a way. As Kienholz said postgame, “we just have to keep going.” There’s a lot to clean up, but Louisville showed its resiliency Saturday.
Next up, Louisville hosts Wake Forest next Saturday 9/26 at Noon.
