GAMEDAY: Louisville vs Wake Forest

The No. 16 Louisville Cardinals host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons today at noon in the Cards second Atlantic Coast Conference matchup of the season.

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV – ESPN (Tom Hart, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich)

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

Live Stats – GoCards.com

Social – @LouisvilleFB

TEAM NOTES

The Cards closed out a ranked win last Saturday, securing a 41-31 victory over No. 16 SMU. Keyjuan Brown rushed for 163 yards and two scores, being named Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week. Safety Kaleb Beasley picked off a pair of passes and was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Back of the Week.

Sep 19, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive back TJ Banks (4), defensive back Kaleb Beasley (10) and defensive back Brycen Scott (25) react after a play 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

Louisville continues to bolster the rushing game, compiling 265 yards on the ground in the win over SMU, one week after piling up 260 against Villanova. It was the first time the Cards had rushed for at least 250 yards in consecutive games since 2022 (Florida State and South Florida.)

Louisville is now 12-2 during the month of September under Jeff Brohm, with the only losses coming at No. 16 Notre Dame in 2024 and versus No. 9 Ole Miss.

NOTABLE NUMBERS
12.8 – Keyjuan Brown is averaging 12.8 yards per carry this season, which is first in the country amongst players with 10+ rushes. Last season, Brown finished third in the country in yards per carry.

0 – Louisville has ZERO turnovers through three games. 2024 was the only other season in program history where they accomplished this feat.

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Tre Richardson (0) runs for a gain against Villanova Wildcats defensive back Brenden Toppin (28) in the first half Friday Sept. 11, 2026 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Sept. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

6 – The Cardinals have six touchdowns of 50 yards or more this season, leading the FBS while recording a pair in each game.

20 – The Cardinals have eight players with a 20-plus yard play from scrimmage, seven of which have multiple gains of 20+.

46 – Despite playing a pair of top-20 opponents, The Ville is averaging 46 points per game this season.

134 – A stat that needs to improve, Louisville is ranked 134th out of 138 FBS teams with 94 yards per game in penalty yards. Wake Forest ranks 136th.

77 – In the last five meetings between the Cards and Demon Deacons, the average points per contest. Louisville beat No. 19 Wake Forest 62-59 in 2019 in the highest scoring game in the series.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Louisville and Wake Forest square off for the 11th all-time meeting on Saturday at L&N Stadium.

Oct 12, 2019; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Keion Wakefield (8) catches a pass against Wake Forest Demon Deacons defensive back Nasir Greer (3) during the third quarter at BB&T Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The two sides met for the first time in the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl, a 24-13 victory for the Cardinals. It was the Cards first BCS win in program history and current offensive coordinator Brian Brohm was the game MVP.

The two teams have not played since Jeff Brohm was named the coach of the Cards in December of 2022.

The last time the two programs played, the Cardinals blitzed Wake Forest for 35 points in the third quarter on their way to a 48-21 victory over the 10th-ranked Demon Deacons in 2022 at L&N Stadium. Kei’Trel Clark and Quincy Riley each had a pick-6 of Wake quarterback Sam Hartman.

Louisville forced a total of eight turnovers in the 2022 contest.

LOUISVILLE-WAKE FOREST CONNECTIONS

Louisville run game coordinator and running backs coach Chris Barclay is the all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns at Wake Forest. Barclay played for the Demon Deacons from 2002-05, racking up 4,032 yards and 40 touchdowns on 840 career carries. Barclay was a three-time all conference selection and still ranks ninth in conference history in career rushing. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Hall of Fame in 2016.

Louisville defensive assistant David Elson spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as a defensive analyst at Wake Forest.

Louisville defensive assistant Derrick Jackson coached at Wake Forest from 2012-16, coaching OLBs (2012), DBs (2013) and CBs (2014-16).

Former Louisville receiver Antonio Meeks transferred to Wake Forest for this season. He pulled in a 72-yard touchdown in the opener against Akron.

ABOUT THE DEMON DEACONS

Wake Forest is 2-1 (0-1) on the season after a 33-20 loss to Miami on Friday night in its ACC opener.

North Carolina transfer quarterback Gio Lopez has taken the reins of the Wake Forest offense in 2026. The southpaw ranks second in the ACC and 12th nationally with 295.7 passing yards per game.

Wide receiver Carlos Hernandez has been Lopez’s top target through three games, having hauled in 21 passes for 332 yards and two scores. Hernandez ranks top 15 in FBS in receiving yards and receptions.

KIENHOLZ PROVIDING DIFFERENT LOOK FOR BROHM AT QUARTERBACK

Jeff Brohm is well known for his prowess in developing quarterbacks.

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (3) walks off the field after the Cards defeated SMU Sept.19, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. Sept.19, 2026 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

However, Lincoln Kienholz offers something that the others did not – the ability to make plays with his feet. The senior has already rushed for 153 yards on the ground this season, surpassing all previous quarterbacks during Brohm’s head coaching career in just three games.

Kienholz is tied for fifth nationally among quarterbacks with four rushing touchdowns this season, and joined Lamar Jackson (2016) and Malik Cunningham (2021) as the only Louisville quarterbacks to rush for a touchdown in each of the team’s first three games.

KEYJUAN BROWN CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY IN STYLE

Running back Keyjuan Brown spent his 22nd birthday on the gridiron going up against No. 16 SMU. The Anniston, Ala., native celebrated by turning in a career day on the ground.

Brown busted out a career-best 163 yards on just 10 carries, breaking off a pair of touchdown runs over 50 yards. The senior broke loose for a 59-yard score on the second play of the third quarter to give the Cards the lead. He then scampered into the end zone from 53 yards out in the fourth quarter for what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown.

Brown is averaging 12.8 yards per carry, ranking first in the FBS among running backs with at least 10 carries.

LOUISVILLE DOMINATING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

Winning the turnover battle is often a precursor to determining wins and losses. The turnover battle has been heavily in Louisville’s favor through the first quarter of the regular season, thanks in large part to the fact it hasn’t committed a turnover to this point.

The Cardinals are one of six FBS programs yet to commit a turnover during the 2026 season – Maryland, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Penn State, South Alabama. This marks just the second time that Louisville has been turnover-free through the first three games of a season, having also done so in Jeff Brohm’s second season in 2024.

Louisville is 19-1 under Jeff Brohm when it wins the turnover battle. The lone loss was this year’s season opener against Ole Miss.

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