Lincoln Kienholz’s Historic Debut Raised Louisville’s Ceiling

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lincoln Kienholz’s Historic Debut Raised Louisville’s Ceiling

Originally posted on TWSN | By Marissa Myers | Last updated Sep 7, 2026 9:53 AM ET

While Louisville started their 2026 college football season with a loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, they were able to get a major takeaway from the game.

That is, Lincoln Kienholz is ready to lead Louisville to be contenders in the ACC this season.

Lincoln Kienholz Looked Ready to Lead the Team

While facing the ninth-ranked team in the country, Kienholz played up to the task and helped the Cardinals push Ole Miss till the very end of the game.

Kienholz went on to complete 18 of his 29 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown. This was Kienholz’s first college start after he spent three seasons at Ohio State buried in their quarterback room.

Lincoln Kienholz becomes the first Louisville QB to throw for 300+ in his debut pic.twitter.com/6l6JMX3uK3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 7, 2026

To go on, lead the offense with command, produce touchdown drives in must-score situations, and completely show that he wasn’t letting the pressure of facing a College Football Playoff contender impact him; it is clear that Louisville has the right quarterback under center for this season.

It might’ve been a loss, but Kienholz showed that as long as the Cardinals clean up the special teams mistakes and penalties, he has the talent to turn Louisville into a top contending team in the ACC.

This article first appeared on TWSN and was syndicated with permission.

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