Behind Enemy Lines: What To Know About Louisville Before FSU Football's Road Trip

The Florida State Seminoles are closing in on a high-stakes conference game against the Louisville Cardinals. Florida State has a chance to build a winning streak, along with finally snapping a 1,000+ day losing streak outside of Tallahassee.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are trying to get back on track after consecutive losses to Wake Forest and North Carolina State.

Ahead of the action, NoleGameday caught up with Matt McGavic of WHAS11 News, an expert on all things revolving around the Louisville Cardinals. McGavic was gracious enough to provide FSU fans with the inside scoop before the Seminoles and Cardinals meet at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday night.

1. What Has Gone Wrong For Louisville In Back-To-Back Losses To Wake Forest And NC State?

Sep 19, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm looks on after the win against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Carter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McGavic: Quite simply, Louisville cannot get out of its own way. Against Wake Forest, the primary offender (other than defense, which I’ll get to in a moment) was penalties. The Cardinals committed a whopping 11 penalties in their game against the Demon Deacons, many of which came at crucial moments of the game.

While they only had five penalties against NC State, Louisville still ranks 118th and 130th in the FBS in penalties and penalty yards per game.

As for the NC State game, that was because (on top of defense), the offense couldn’t hold onto the ball. Louisville fumbled five times – with three of them getting picked up by the Wolfpack. Two of these fumbles were in the second half, with one coming in the fourth quarter after a long run that was about to set UofL up in the red zone.

2. How Is QB Lincoln Kienholz Settling In Early In His Tenure With The Cardinals?

McGavic: Kienholz has been so much better than many expected him to be. Sure, he had the background as a blue-chip recruit and someone who is uber athletic, but no one really knew just how good he would be as a full-time starter, considering he never had been one.

It took a couple of games to truly get all the nerves out, but now, Kienholz is extremely comfortable. He’s been very comfortable and accurate as a pocket passer, which was the one thing that was a bit of a question mark in spring ball and fall camp.

As runner, he is an extremely gritty runner both in terms of extending plays to throw on the run (which he is also very good at doing) and also outright making plays with his legs.

3. What's Led To Louisville's Defensive Struggles In 2026?

Sep 6, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman Clev Lubin (50) celebrates the caused fumble from Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McGavic: Frankly, there is no complementary football being played because almost every unit on the field is massively underperforming when compared to expectations. UofL has playmakers at defensive end, but their defensive tackles have played incredibly poorly – leading to every team they’ve played finding success with just running up the middle.

Making matters worse, the linebacking corps – which was viewed as one of the strongest units on the defense – has not helped in these efforts at all. Then, with the secondary, they can’t stop giving up chunk plays in the passing game. In fact, Louisville ranks 131st in the nation at 30+ yard plays allowed (15).

Some of it isn’t on the players, though, as Louisville’s entire defensive staff consists of coaches in new positions. DL coach Mark Ivey and CB coach Steve Ellis have been with Brohm since day one at Louisville but are taking on their first DC jobs at the P4 level.

LB coach Adam Mueller and S coach Brandon Sharp were quality control coaches who were promoted from within. It seems that too much was placed into the hands of a staff that doesn’t have many reps at their current positions.

4. For FSU Fans Unfamiliar With The Cardinals, Who Are Some Players To Keep An Eye On?

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Lawayne McCoy (7) celebrates in the second half at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Sept.19, 2026 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

McGavic: Offensively, the easy answer would be running backs Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown, but they’re a known commodity. Someone to monitor is none other than wide receiver Lawayne McCoy – who I’m sure FSU fans know very well. While Tre Richardson is WR1, McCoy has been extremely complementary to Richardson and has excelled as this offense’s deep ball threat.

Defensively, the two names that come to mind are defensive end Clev Lubin and safety Kaleb Beasley. While Lubin hasn’t had the start we hoped, this is mainly since he is getting the bulk of attention from opposing offensive lines. He has an insanely high motor, incredible bend, and a deep toolbox of pass rush moves.

As for Beasley, he has had a nose for the football as a high safety, and was one of the biggest reasons why UofL won against SMU with a two-interception day.

5. What Is The One Thing Louisville Must Do If They Are Going To Win On Friday Night?

Sep 19, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Isaac Brown (1) carries the ball against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the fourth quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Carter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McGavic: Stop getting out of their own way and find a way to stop getting gashed defensively. That’s really all it boils down to. Even if Louisville was just an average team at committing penalties/turnovers and allowing chunk plays, there’s a very good chance they are 5-0 right now considering, they only lost by a field goal in every single one of their three losses.

It seems fairly simple, but it’s the truth.

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