#24 Louisville vs Villanova: Game Day Notes

HOW TO FOLLOW

Gametime: 7 pm EST

TV – ACC Network (Cooper Boardman, Charles Arbuckle, Ashley Stroehlein)

Radio – 93.9 The Ville / 970 WGTK (Paul Rogers, Craig Swabek, Jody Demling)

Live Stats – GoCards.com

Social – @LouisvilleFB

TEAM NOTES

The Cardinals began the 2026 season with a tough 41-38 loss against No. 9 Ole Miss in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday. The Cards lost on a game-winning field goal by Lucas Carneiro as time expired. Louisville showed no quit, as they rallied back to tie the game after trailing 38-24 with six minutes left in regulation and no time-outs.

Louisville is 71-33-3 all-time in home openers, including 3-0 under Jeff Brohm. The Cards are 20-8 in home openers inside Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium & L&N Stadium.

The Cardinals are 6-5 following a loss during Jeff Brohm’s tenure.

Villanova comes into tonight’s contest with a 1-1 record. In game one, they blew a 32-22 lead in the closing minutes and lost 35-32 to William & Mary. In game two, they squeaked past Bucknell 17-16.

Louisville is a 36.5-point favorite tonight.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

9 – The Cardinals recorded nine “explosive” plays of 20 yards or more against Ole Miss – seven passing, two rushing. The two rushing were not by running backs though, as Tre Richardson had a 30-yard rush and Lincoln Kienholz had a 41-yard scramble.

0 – Louisville did not turn the ball over in the season opener. The Cards only played one turnover free game of football in 2025. However, it was the first time that Louisville has lost under Brohm when winning the turnover battle.

376 – Lincoln Kienholz accounted for 376 yards of total offense (307 passing, 69 rushing) against Ole Miss Sunday night. He became the first players with 300 yards passing in his Louisville starting debut since Kyle Bolin passed for 300 yards against Georgia in the 2014 Belk Bowl. He was the first to do it in a season opening start.

7 – Coach Brohm emphasized containing the big play during Fall Camp, but his team was the one finding the explosive moment. Kienholz had seven passes of 20+ yards, tied for the most nationally among QBs who have one outing in 2026 (some teams played in Week Zero as well).

32 – The Cardinals scored 32 second half points against Ole Miss, the highest-scoring second half during Brohm’s tenure. Louisville’s 32 point second half was its fourth highest scoring second half in school history when scoring less than 7 in the first half.

$500,000 – How much Louisville is paying the FCS Wildcats to come to L&N Field tonight for the non-conference

- Louisville remains in the AP Poll with a 0-1 record for the first time in school history.

INSIDE THE SERIES

This will be the first time that the two programs will meet on the gridiron. Louisville and Villanova established a rivalry in basketball during their time as conference foes in the Big East. The Cards own a 10-9 advantage on the hardwood, with the last being a 74-55 Louisville route in the 2013 Big East Quarterfinals.

LOUISVILLE AGAINST THE PATRIOT LEAGUE

The Patriot League originated as the Colonial League in 1986 & Louisville is yet to have played against an active member.

Louisville played two of the current members prior to the inception of the league in 1986. The Cardinals split two contests against William & Mary in 1977 and 1978, and defeated Richmond in 1982.

Army and Navy are members on the basketball side. The Cards own a 2-0 series lead over the Midshipmen and 6-3 series lead over the Black Knights.

KIENHOLZ SHINES IN FIRST COLLEGIATE START

Senior quarterback Lincoln Kienholz waited three years to make the first start of his collegiate career. He got off to a slow start in the opening two quarters against Ole Miss. However, he settled in during the second half and put on a show.

Kienholz finished the night 18-of-29 for 307 yards and two touchdowns through the air while leading the Cards with 69 yards and a score on the ground.

Kienholz became the first Louisville quarterback to throw for 300 yards in his first game in a Louisville uniform. He also was the first UofL player to throw for 300+ and rush for 50+ against a ranked opponent since Lamar Jackson did so in 2017 versus NC State.

NEW WEAPONS AT RECEIVER ANNOUNCE PRESENCE

Louisville wide receiver coach Deion Branch proclaimed he thought this was Louisville’s best wide receiver room since Coach Brohm has been here.

Louisville knew it needed to rely on Tre Richardson (Vanderbilt) and Lawayne McCoy (Florida State). The transfer duo found the end zone three times, all on plays of 30 yards or longer.

Richardson scored the first Louisville touchdown of the season early in the third quarter, taking a handoff around the left side, breaking a tackle and racing 30 yards for his first career rushing touchdown. Then, right before the quarter ended, the shift receiver hauled in a pass down the Ole Miss side of the field and found the endzone for a 62-yard touchdown.

McCoy’s only catch going into the fourth quarter vs Ole Miss was a front pylon snag on a two-point conversion. With the Cards trailing by 14, McCoy made an acrobatic catch down the sideline, juked a defender, stiff-armed another and tip-toed the sideline to make it a one possession game.

HILBERT STEPS IN AND STEPS UP AT KICKER

One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2026 season was the special teams, specifically the kicking game.

Carson Hilbert looked like a veteran though. The sophomore knocked home field goals from 25, 45 and 46 yards to make it a perfect 3-3 start as the starting placekicker.

Carson is a legacy player for The Ville as his dad, John, was a kicker for the Cards from 1996-99 and is still sixth on Louisville’s career PATs made list.

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