Not only was last week a loss for the Syracuse football team, but it was also a brutal loss by any measure. This week, the Orange return to the JMA Wireless Dome to take on the Louisville Cardinals. We may not have much clarity on who will be playing quarterback for the Orange this week, but we can get to know the familiar opponent Syracuse will be playing.
We learned in our preseason preview that the Cardinals had high hopes for 2026, so let’s check in on where Louisville stands ahead of their visit to the Dome.
Where is Louisville ranked?
The Cardinals cracked the top 25 earlier this season, but they fell out after losses to Wake Forest and NC State and didn’t garner any votes in the AP or Coaches poll this week.
Where is Louisville in the ACC standings?
Unless you’re Miami, the ACC standings are a bit of a mess. The Cardinals are currently the only team at 2-2 in ACC play, putting them eighth in the conference. For what it’s worth, we had Louisville ranked third in the ACC power rankings released at the beginning of October.
What did Louisville do last week?
On the heels of back-to-back losses, the Cardinals responded in a big way with an emphatic 44-20 win over Florida State on Friday night. Louisville got off to a slow start, trailing 14-0 after the first quarter. But a 97-yard touchdown run by Isaac Brown shifted the momentum. That touchdown was the first of 35 unanswered points the Cardinals scored, allowing them to build a comfortable lead and win easily.
Who is Louisville’s quarterback?
Lincoln Kienholz has been Louisville’s starting quarterback all season. He spent the last three seasons serving as a backup at Ohio State before transferring to Louisville for a chance to be the starter. His numbers have been a little up and down, as he’s thrown for fewer than 180 yards in two of his last four games.
But Kienholz has been efficient, completing nearly 70% of his passes, while throwing nine touchdowns and just one interception. He’s also been surprisingly effective as a runner, totaling 40 or more rushing yards in four of Louisville’s six games. He’s also scored eight rushing touchdowns, which leads the team.
LK3 lead the Cards to their fourth win of the season 👊@LincolnKienholz completed 11 of 15 passes for 140 YDs while adding 40 rushing YDs and 2 TDs on 9 carries@LouisvilleFB | @GoCards | #GoCards | @DrPepper pic.twitter.com/NL0G4omT59
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 10, 2026
Who are Louisville’s other stars?
In large part, Kienholz has been a game manager, with the Louisville rushing attack leading the way. The Cardinals are ranked 11th nationally in rushing yards per game. Isaac Brown has been a big part of that. The 5’9’’ speedster has racked up over 550 rushing yards this year, while gaining 7.5 yards per carry. Backup Keyjuan Brown (no relation) has been even more explosive, averaging 9.7 yards per carry on his 38 carries.
Defensively, the Cardinals have just 12 sacks in six games, which has been part of Louisville’s problem in its losses. But senior Long Island native Clev Lubin has four of those 12 sacks, making him the team’s most dangerous pass rusher. In the secondary, Kaleb Beasley already has four interceptions and four defended passes, as the Tennessee transfer has provided a much-needed boost to a secondary that had some questions before the season.
What is Louisville’s biggest flaw?
Despite getting some takeaways, the secondary and Louisville’s pass defense have been the team’s biggest flaws this season. The Cardinals have mostly been able to contain their opponents on the ground without giving up too many big plays. But they’ve been torched through the air a few times. As mentioned, Louisville has just 12 sacks in six games, so they’ve struggled to disrupt quarterbacks. If only Syracuse had consistent quarterback play or knew consistently from one week to the next who was playing quarterback.
How does Syracuse beat Louisville?
Beating Louisville has to start with containing the run. The Syracuse defense has to sell out to stop the run and force Kienholz to beat them with his arm. The good news is that the Orange cornerbacks should be trusted to defend Louisville’s receivers one-on-one, allowing them to devote more players to stopping the run. Of course, missed tackles have to be kept to a minimum because the speed of Louisville’s backs can turn one missed tackle into a big play.
Fran Brown gives an injury update on quarterbacks Amari Odom, Malachi Nelson, and Steve Angeli. pic.twitter.com/n0LicKpAPv
— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) October 12, 2026
Offensively, Syracuse just needs a healthy quarterback. Unfortunately, there is no assurance that will be the case. But more than anything, the Orange needs to sort out its kicking issues. A clean kicking game likely would have been enough to beat Virginia last week. Against a better opponent this week, Syracuse can’t afford to leave points on the field if an upset of Louisville is in the cards (pun intended).
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