By Vinny Porco

Louisville football dropped their first away game of the season 31-28 Saturday afternoon against NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Cardinals are now 2-3 on the year.

Swiss cheese

Isaac Brown made his presence known early, breaking off for 24 yards on the second play from scrimmage. But the opportunity was short-lived. A low snap on second down had to be recovered by Lincoln Kienholz to bring up third-and-10. Niall Hayes punted a play later.

NC State picked up yards early in the drive thanks to running back Duke Scott. Quarterback CJ Bailey then found tight end Hunter Provience down the middle for a 24-yard gain. 

Another 16-yard reception, this time to Preston Douglas, found the Wolfpack on the cusp of the redzone. But Louisville’s defense held them to three off the foot of Kanoah Vinesett.

Keyjuan Brown celebrates a touchdown during an ACC matchup against SMU at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026. (Photo by Adam Mouchrani / The Louisville Cardinal)

The Cards opened the following drive with a 20-yard rush up the middle by Keyjuan Brown. They immediately found the redzone thanks to a connection between Kienholz and Treyshun Hurry for 12 yards, and a subsequent Tre Richardson catch-and-run for 28.

The momentum hit a wall, however, as linebacker Popo Aguirre recovered a Keyjuan Brown fumble for Wolfpack possession. The rain would continue to plague Louisville’s handling of the ball.

Bailey followed up an early first down with an 18-yard pass to Keenan Jackson, then found Jojo Trader for another 17 on a crucial third-and-nine. Yet another first down by NC State receiver Victor Snow placed them at the Louisville 25-yard line to end the quarter. The Wolfpack led 3-0.

Not enough

Bailey attempted a fade to Trader in the corner of the endzone on the opening play of the second quarter, but the slippery ball went through his hands. NC State made up for it just one play later though, as Bailey found Jackson open down the middle for a 19-yard touchdown.

Louisville’s subsequent drive looked doomed after two dud plays, but Richardson went 14 yards on a screen pass to give it new life. A hold on Brody Foley lost 10 yards, but a penalty on NC State defensive back Brian Nelson II for a block below the waist gave the Cardinals 15 back and a first.

Defensive lineman AJ Prim then forced an Isaac Brown fumble that was barely recovered by the offense. On the next play, a tipped pass to Lawayne McCoy was nearly intercepted.

Kienholz took matters into his own hands, breaking off for a 23-yard rush to enter the redzone. But on fourth-and-one, another Kienholz keeper fell short to give NC State the ball back. 

The Wolfpack drive deep in Louisville territory went nowhere, and the Cardinals soon found themselves back in possession. Emboldened by the stop, Kienholz connected with McCoy down the right side for a 33-yard touchdown on the third play of the sequence.

NC State answered with poise. Bailey dumped it off to Douglas, who took off for 35. Backup quarterback Will Wilson approached the goal line on a handful of rushes, but a false start on center Daniel Cruz backed things up. Louisville’s defense sacked Bailey on third down, and the Wolfpack settled for another field goal.

With less than two minutes left, Kienholz hit Richardson and Hurry for 15 and 13-yard gains. That was about all, however, as Chase Bond sacked Kienholz for a loss of nine on third-and-five.

The Wolfpack got possession deep in their own territory from a Louisville punt, and clocked it down to the half. They led 13-7 going into the locker room.

Rain over Raleigh

Defensive standout Clev Lubin powered past his blocker to open the half with a sack. However, Bailey earned back the yards and more with a 24-yard pass to Snow. The Wolfpack passing offense continued to shine, converting on fourth-and-two. On the next play, Bailey hit Tyran Warren open in the endzone for a 34-yard touchdown.

Down two scores, the Cards had to create. A 20-yard rush by Isaac Brown set them up well, and Kienholz levied some short gains into another first. Richardson then took a short pass down the right side 33 yards for a touchdown.

Tre Richardson advances the ball during a Sept. 11, 2026 Louisville football game against Villanova at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Adam Mouchrani / The Louisville Cardinal)

An 11-yard reception by Trader moved the chains to open the subsequent Wolfpack drive. However, the punting team came out soon after when an open Trader dropped a would-be first down on third-and-seven.

But on the second play of Louisville’s drive, Ke’Von Carter stripped Kienholz. Aguirre recovered it, and the Wolfpack got back to work in Louisville territory.

A facemask on backup defensive lineman Tommy Ziesmer further improved NC State’s field position, and a pair of solid gains set up Wilson for a 1-yard touchdown run. Bailey passed to backup running back Davion Gause for a two-point conversion to go up two touchdowns.

In dire need of points, the offense started the following drive strong. Big gains from Keyjuan Brown, Justyn Reid and Kienholz were complimented by an NC State hands-to-the-face penalty. 

On a big third-and-seven, Kienholz tucked it yet again for 12 and a first down. Two plays later, Keyjuan Brown found the endzone. NC State received the ball up 28-21 going into the final quarter.

Fourth time around

Bailey opened the fourth with a 46-yard bomb to Trader down the right side, and a 12-yard rush up the middle by Gause got NC State in the redzone. But just as it seemed the Wolfpack would widen the gap, Kaleb Beasley picked off Bailey in the endzone to recover possession.

Immediately, Isaac Brown showed former flashes, going untouched up the middle for a 70-yard touchdown rush to tie the game. The defense then held NC State to a three-and-out, and the Cards got the ball back on a Jackson Waller punt.

Louisville had all of the momentum, but a Harvey Dyson III strip and recovery on a would-be Keyjuan Brown 44-yard rush gave the Wolfpack possession. 

A personal foul on Tyler Thompson then gave them another 15 for good measure, and a Gause took a screen pass for 36 yards into Cardinal territory right after. Thankfully for Louisville, the defense held in the redzone and limited the Wolfpack to three.

On offense, the Cardinals quickly found themselves at third-and-nine. A Dyson III sack on Kienholz made it fourth-and-20, and Louisville punted it away with four minutes to go.

Just like that, the Cardinals wouldn’t get another chance at the game. The defense burned all of their timeouts, then Bailey found Snow for a nine-yard gain and a first down. To add insult to injury, referees overturned a Wilson fumble recovered by the Cards, giving the Wolfpack the final first down needed to run out the clock.

NC State beat Louisville 31-28.

Analysis

The Louisville Cardinals are now a losing football team. Going 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC so far, any modicum of confidence for this season’s possibilities has been smothered by yellow flags.

But that’s just it. Louisville actually cleaned up the penalties this week. The Cardinals logged only three flags for 40 yards. If only the team didn’t make nearly every other type of mistake possible.

First and foremost, the Cards just couldn’t hold on to the football in the wet rainy mess that was Raleigh. The team logged five fumbles, and lost three of them. All three lost fumbles resulted in NC State scores, with the first two becoming touchdowns.

Louisville football Head Coach Jeff Brohm yells at referees during a Sept. 6, 2026 season opener against Ole Miss at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Harrison Plank / The Louisville Cardinal)

What also lost Louisville the game was yet another poor performance from the secondary. CJ Bailey racked up a career-high 373 passing yards while the Cards missed secondary-starter Koen Entringer for the second week in a row. Fans now have more reason to wonder if first-year Defensive Coordinator Mark Ivey is the answer on that side of the ball.

Barring chaos in the ACC, Louisville football is unlikely to make the conference championship game. However, winning the games ahead is still the only way to maintain a puncher’s chance.

Moving ahead, the Cards must come out of the tunnel awake and alert. The team has trailed at halftime in every game of the season except against Villanova. It’s possible that avoiding a scoreless first quarter may have been enough in a tight game like this.

Will the Cardinals continue to drop winnable games to inferior teams? Find out at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 against the Florida State Seminoles back at home.

Feature Photo by Adam Mouchrani / The Louisville Cardinal