Saturday, September 26
LOUISVILLE, KY
12:00 p.m.
University of Louisville
vs
Wake Forest
Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics
Cardinals Host Wake Forest Looking for Third Straight Win
September 25, 2026 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville football team wraps up a three-game homestand against Wake Forest on Saturday at noon ET at L&N Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN with radio coverage available on 93.9 The Ville and 970 WGTK.
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 Cardinals notched a ranked win last Saturday, securing a 41-31 victory over No. 16 SMU. Keyjuan Brown rushed for 163 yards and two scores, while Kaleb Beasley picked off a pair of passes to lead the Cardinals to victory.
Louisville racked up 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 the third and fourth contests of the 2022 season.
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 earlier this season.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
12.8 – Keyjuan Brown is averaging 12.8 yards per carry this season, the most among all FBS players with at least 10 carries.
0 – Louisville has not committed a turnover through its first three games for just the second time in program history (2024).
6 – The Cardinals have six touchdowns of 50 yards or more this season, two in each game and the most of any team in FBS.
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 Louisville offense is averaging 46.0 points per game through three games.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Louisville and Wake Forest square off for the 11th all-time meeting on Saturday at L&N Stadium.
The two sides met for the first time in the 2007 Orange Bowl, a 24-13 victory for the Cardinals in their first ever BCS Bowl.
Louisville has won three of the last four meetings with the Demon Deacons, but the two sides have not met since Jeff Brohm was hired at Louisville.
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.
In the 2022 contest, the Cardinals set a program record with six turnovers forced in a single quarter and forced eight turnovers in a game for the first time in nearly 40 years.
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-ACC selection and still ranks ninth all-time in ACC history in career rushing yards. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Football 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 wide receiver Antonio Meeks transferred to Wake Forest for the 2026 season. Meeks played 17 games over two seasons at UofL, tallying 20 receptions for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
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 considered by many to be a quarterback guru. The list of quarterbacks who put up big numbers in college under his tutelage before moving onto the next level is extensive.
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.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE FOOTBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville football on X, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleFB.
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 Cardinals notched a ranked win last Saturday, securing a 41-31 victory over No. 16 SMU. Keyjuan Brown rushed for 163 yards and two scores, while Kaleb Beasley picked off a pair of passes to lead the Cardinals to victory.
Louisville racked up 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 the third and fourth contests of the 2022 season.
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 earlier this season.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
12.8 – Keyjuan Brown is averaging 12.8 yards per carry this season, the most among all FBS players with at least 10 carries.
0 – Louisville has not committed a turnover through its first three games for just the second time in program history (2024).
6 – The Cardinals have six touchdowns of 50 yards or more this season, two in each game and the most of any team in FBS.
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 Louisville offense is averaging 46.0 points per game through three games.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Louisville and Wake Forest square off for the 11th all-time meeting on Saturday at L&N Stadium.
The two sides met for the first time in the 2007 Orange Bowl, a 24-13 victory for the Cardinals in their first ever BCS Bowl.
Louisville has won three of the last four meetings with the Demon Deacons, but the two sides have not met since Jeff Brohm was hired at Louisville.
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.
In the 2022 contest, the Cardinals set a program record with six turnovers forced in a single quarter and forced eight turnovers in a game for the first time in nearly 40 years.
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-ACC selection and still ranks ninth all-time in ACC history in career rushing yards. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Football 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 wide receiver Antonio Meeks transferred to Wake Forest for the 2026 season. Meeks played 17 games over two seasons at UofL, tallying 20 receptions for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
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 considered by many to be a quarterback guru. The list of quarterbacks who put up big numbers in college under his tutelage before moving onto the next level is extensive.
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.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE FOOTBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville football on X, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleFB.
Players Mentioned
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