SMU Mustangs at Louisville Cardinals

Big plays late push No. 23 Louisville past No. 16 SMU, 41-31

The preseason media picks to finish second (SMU) and third (Louisville) in the Atlantic Coast Conference put on a back-and-forth affair, trading the lead eight times before the Cardinals sealed it on Isaac Brown’s 27-yard touchdown with 5:32 remaining to finish the scoring.

The Cardinals (2-1, 1-0 ACC) then stripped SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings of the ball just before the goal line on the Mustangs’ ensuing drive, turning what would have been a 19-yard touchdown into a touchback as the ball rolled out of the end zone with 2:43 remaining.

“We scrapped, and we played hard to the end and found a way to make more plays than them,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “That shows the toughness and the makeup of the team.”

Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz threw for 177 yards on 14-for-23 passing. He threw for two scores and added another on the ground as Louisville amassed 442 yards of offense.

Trailing 17-14 at halftime, Louisville regained the lead in the opening minute of the third quarter on Keyjuan Brown’s 58-yard run. His 53-yarder with 10:02 left put the Cardinals ahead for good, 35-31.

Kendrick Raphael rushed for a career-best 197 yards and tied a personal high with three scores to lead the Mustangs (2-1, 1-1). His 12-yard touchdown run with 11:33 left put SMU ahead 31-28.

Jennings completed 24 of 35 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw a pair of interceptions, both by Kaleb Beasley.

The takeaway SMU: The Mustangs had 479 yards, ran 20 more plays and held the ball for nearly four minutes longer than Louisville. However, several mistakes cost them dearly. Louisville stopped them twice on fourth downs, and both times the Cardinals countered with touchdowns. SMU also lost the turnover battle 3-0.

“We won everything but the score and the turnover battle, and that’s kind of the story today,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said.

Louisville: The Cardinals’ running game wasn’t nonexistent in their first two games of the season, but it lacked the big-play explosiveness it had shown in recent seasons. That finally emerged Saturday as Louisville finished with 265 yards on 37 carries, with eight plays of at least 12 yards.

Hot, hot, hot The temperature at kickoff in Louisville was 95 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the second hottest Cardinals home game in history behind only the Sept. 1, 2011, contest against Murray State when the temperature reached 98 degrees.

Give and take Penalties continue to be an issue for the Cardinals, who committed 11 for 110 yards, the most yardage they’ve surrendered since losing 121 in a loss at Miami on Nov. 9, 2019. Seven of the flags were for personal fouls, unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness.

On the brighter side, Louisville matched the 2024 squad by starting the season with three turnover-free games.

Rare loss for SMU Before Saturday, SMU was 16-1 in games under Lashlee where it amassed at least 475 yards and outgained its opponent. The only other defeat happened on last Nov. 29 at California.

Up next SMU hosts Missouri State next Saturday.

Louisville hosts Wake Forest next Saturday.

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