So, Louisville rolled into Nashville on September 6, 2026, for the Music City Kickoff, and honestly, everyone was holding their breath for Lincoln Kienholz’s first career start. Dude had all the questions swirling, right? But UofL, man, they showed up with a *plan*. They totally capitalized on some Ole Miss slip-ups and slammed together a legit solid first quarter. The Cards battled those Rebels until the final second, but that early period? It was all about setting the tone for their season.
Kienholz Looked Like a Vet, Not a Rookie
This first play, man, Coach Brohm is a genius. He knew Ole Miss would sell out to stop the run, so what’d he do? A nice, easy throw for Kienholz, getting him out of the pocket on his first ever pass. Giving Linc a clear look at his target? Brilliant. The execution? Flawless. The offensive line totally sold the fake, protecting Kienholz’s backside like their lives depended on it. Linc himself sold the fake perfectly, then whipped his head around to spot his options. Jaleel Skinner ran his route with the *exact* angle it needed, and immediately got upfield, hungry for more yards. Honestly, if Lawayne McCoy spots that trailing defender a bit quicker to throw a block, that’s probably a touchdown right there. What a way to kick things off.
Defense Was Straight Up Electric From the Jump
And don’t even get me started on Louisville’s defense. The energy they brought early? Unbelievable. They seriously set the freaking tone, flying around the field, making plays all over the place. Remember when Ole Miss ran that speed option to the wide side? Stanquan Clark played it nearly perfect. He split the difference between the ball carrier and the pitch man, staying wide but close enough to Trinidad Chambliss to close in if he didn’t pitch it. My only gripe? I wanted Stanquan to run *through* Kewan Lacy instead of biting on that hesitation. He and Kaleb Beasley gotta trust their teammates more if Lacy tries to cut back there. That play should’ve been maybe a yard, max, but Lacy squeezed out five.
Then there’s that short-yardage situation. Man, that’s classic Mark Ivey, straight out of the Bryan Brown and Nate Woody playbook. They’d slant the line one way and then BAM, fill with a linebacker. You saw it, the nose tackle and the defensive end up top slanted down, and Stanquan Clark just *filled* that gap they opened, making the play on the runner. And the defensive line? Holding that point of attack when you’re turned like that? That’s next-level. Huge props to 225-pound Antonio Watts, too, he plugged that hole big time.
Louisville showed some serious grit and smarts in that first quarter. Yeah, they battled to the very end, but seeing Kienholz handle his first start like that, plus the defense bringing the heat? That’s how you build momentum early in a season. It makes you wanna see how they keep this energy going. You gotta believe they’re riding this wave, pushing to refine those little details and turn those near-misses into game-changers.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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