By Harrison Plank

The Cardinals will host Villanova in their first home game of the 2026-27 season Friday, September 11, at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Following a loss to No. 9 Ole Miss last week, Louisville looks to get right before their next ranked matchup against No. 17 SMU.

Friday night lights

After facing arguably their toughest matchup of the season just a week ago, the Cards take on their easiest opponent in Villanova. Louisville comes into this game as 36.5-point favorites, but if last week’s Michigan game taught college football fans anything, it’s that no win comes free.

Villanova comes into this game 1-1, choking their season opener 35-32 to William and Mary and squeaking out a 17-16 win last week over Bucknell.

Against William and Mary, Villanova lost a 10 point lead with less than a minute to go, with no one to blame but themselves. William and Mary kicked a field goal, recovered an onside kick, scored a game tying touchdown then picked off Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide before kicking a 45-yard game winning field goal.

After making it to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs, the Wildcats made a big move this offseason. They switched from the Coastal Atlantic Association to the Patriot League, where they were projected to finish first this preseason.

Despite losing many standout players to the portal in the offseason, starting quarterback Pat McQuaide returns to the Wildcats after being granted another year of eligibility. Last season, McQuaide threw for 3,092 yards and 24 touchdowns.

McQuaide, along with a dynamic backfield tandem of Isaiah Ragland and Ja’Briel Mace, makes for an offense that will be no slouch.

Much like last week, Louisville’s defensive line will have to be intentional about containing the run and getting to the quarterback whenever possible. Despite getting 17 pressures on Trinidad Chambliss, no sacks were recorded. Expect Clev Lubin to carry that chip on his shoulder and become a game wrecker early in this contest.

Offensively, the Cards should be able to take care of business against an FCS defense. Running back Isaac Brown was almost a non-factor last week while quarterback Lincoln Kienholz showed that he is a more than capable runner. Against Ole Miss, Kienholz rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Lincoln Kienholz runs the ball during the season opener against Ole Miss on September 6, 2026 at Nissan Stadium during the Music City Kickoff event. (Photo by Adam Mouchrani / The Louisville Cardinal)

Villanova’s three-down lineman defensive scheme can work hard to limit explosive plays out of the backfield, but the pressure they apply will be significantly less than that of Ole Miss. Both Brown and Kienholz should get back to the standard and have good running games, but do not expect them to play all four quarters.

It is a very real possibility that Louisville’s starters may only play the first half. Coach Jeff Brohm has a history of not running up the score on weaker opponents. If Louisville gets ahead early, it would not be unreasonable for him to make some substitutions. Quarterbacks David Wydner and Briggs Cherry could get their first snaps of the season and for Cherry, the first snaps of his career.

This game gives a good opportunity to test things out, fix mistakes and ensure that the team is right after the loss last week. Pointless mishaps and penalties were Louisville’s downfall against Ole Miss. In spite a stellar offensive performance, they defeated themselves before the Rebels could.

A missed wide-open deep ball, a snap going over the punter’s head, delay-of-game penalties, and a roughing-the-kicker penalty for good measure sealed the loss for Louisville. I do not expect mistakes of this magnitude to be made against Villanova, but any issues will have to be cleaned up before conference play gets started next week against No. 17 SMU.

Expect a clean, dominant win out of the Cardinals.

Feature Photo by Adam Mouchrani / The Louisville Cardinal