By Harrison Plank

Louisville football opens up conference play this Saturday, Sept. 19, at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

This weekend, the nation will watch Lane Kiffins’ return to Oxford, Mississippi as LSU faces Ole Miss, but an equally important matchup will go down in Derby City.

Louisville’s tough front-loaded schedule continues with their second-ranked matchup of the season. After falling to No. 9 Ole Miss in the opener, the Cards can get a quality win by defeating No. 16 SMU.

Bigger in Texas

SMU has been a thorn in Louisville’s side for the last couple of seasons. In 2024, the Mustangs knocked off the Cards in a tough 34-27 finish. The year after, a beaten-up Louisville squad got smoked in Dallas, losing 38-6. Quarterback Kevin Jennings led both of those previous SMU teams and remains their starting quarterback.

Jennings controls their high-tempo offense, where speed and efficiency are priorities. He has a 98.9 Quarterback Rating, which is second in the nation. Additionally, Jennings leads FBS in total offense with 402.5 yards per game; he regularly generates explosive plays.

Louisville’s defense will need to batten down the hatches to contain Jennings. That starts with the defensive line and players like Clev Lubin, Jerod Smith II and AJ Green disrupting the line of scrimmage. Jennings doesn’t always provide the most running upside at quarterback, but he can extend plays and escape a broken pocket. Much like Louisville’s attempts to limit Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, stopping a mobile quarterback requires constant effort and an exceptional game plan.

After Jennings, Louisville’s top defensive priority should be limiting explosive plays. The Cardinals gave up a pair of deep, one-play touchdowns against Ole Miss and a third against Villanova. Giving up big plays against exceptional opponents is not desirable, but it is understandable. Against Villanova, however, it is inexcusable. SMU has a talented receiver core, and with Jennings throwing the ball, they are more than capable of burning Louisville over the top. It is key in this game to keep chunk plays to a minimum.

Giddy up, Cardinals

The other side of the ball tells a similar story. Louisville enters this game with the No. 10-ranked offense in the nation; a key part of that success falls on the shoulders of Lincoln Kienholz. After transferring to Louisville, Kienholz has broken out, leading the team in most major passing and rushing statistics. Kienholz falls just two spots under Jennings in QBR, with 91.7.

All signs point to this game being a barn burner, with both offenses lighting up the scoreboard as much as they usually do. Two high-flying passing offenses should be able to put up an absurd point total.

Louisville may catch SMU off guard if Isaac Brown performs at the standard he set for himself last year. The Cardinals’ running game currently relies on the legs of Kienholz and Keyjuan Brown, but Isaac Brown’s explosive speed can push the ground game to a new level.

Discussing Isaac Brown’s slow start in a press conference Monday, Coach Jeff Brohm said, “He can break plays; we just haven’t found a way to create the open space, so he’s got to keep working through it.” Even without Brown’s star power, Louisville’s deep running back room of Marquis Davis, Keyjuan Brown and Braxton Jennings can keep the ball moving.

Louisville’s main concern ahead of this matchup is cleaner play. Penalties, mainly 15-yard flags after the play, have killed offensive drives and given opponents more chances of scoring. Brohm has enforced a stricter policy on these penalties.

“There has to be consequences when you do those things,” he said. “Whether it’s coming out of the game, or whether it’s punishment that we can do after the game. We just got to stress that every little detail matters. The 15-yarders, we cannot tolerate. We got to get better. We can’t have any of them.”

This is the Cardinals’ last big test this season; they must make the most of it to maintain their hopes of the College Football Playoffs.

Feature Photo by Adam Mouchrani / The Louisville Cardinal