LOUISVILLE (Interstat) — Louisville used a balanced offense, timely defense and a pair of late rushing touchdowns to defeat SMU 41-31 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. A crowd of 50,199 watched the visiting Mustangs fall to 2-1, while the Cardinals also moved to 2-1. The game featured swings throughout, with SMU leaning on quarterback Kevin Jennings and running back Kendrick Raphael and Louisville countering behind quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and running backs Keyjuan Brown and Isaac Brown.

SMU entered the game after a 56-10 home win over UC Davis on Sept. 12 and a 27-24 victory at Florida State on Sept. 7. Louisville had beaten Villanova 59-13 on Sept. 11 after opening with a 41-38 loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 6. In the Cardinals’ previous game, Kienholz completed 16 of 21 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns and rushed six times for 42 yards and two more scores.

SMU struck first with 11:35 remaining in the opening quarter when Raphael capped an early drive with a 2-yard run up the middle. Nick Reed added the extra point. Louisville answered at 5:19 when Kienholz scored on a 1-yard rush, and then took the lead with 1:38 left in the quarter when Kienholz threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Lawayne McCoy down the right side. Carson Hilbert converted both extra points, giving the Cardinals a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. The Mustangs responded with 13:12 left before halftime when Jennings found Yamir Knight on a 19-yard scoring pass. Reed then connected on a 46-yard field goal with four seconds remaining, sending SMU into halftime with a 17-14 advantage.

Louisville reclaimed the lead at 14:17 in the third quarter when Keyjuan Brown broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run. SMU answered at 6:12 with Raphael, who scored on a 25-yard run. Kienholz then guided the Cardinals back ahead at 2:41 with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jaleel Skinner. The back-and-forth continued with 11:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Raphael scored again on a 12-yard run to put SMU ahead. Keyjuan Brown answered with a 53-yard touchdown run at 10:02, and Isaac Brown added a 27-yard scoring run with 5:32 left to seal the outcome. Hilbert made the extra point after Keyjuan Brown’s score, while his attempt after Isaac Brown’s touchdown failed.

Kienholz was Louisville’s top star, completing 14 of 23 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 12 times for 42 yards and another score. He also directed an offense that produced big plays on the ground. Keyjuan Brown finished with 10 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Isaac Brown added 10 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown, plus one reception for minus-2 yards. Tre Richardson contributed four receptions for 62 yards and one run for 14 yards. McCoy had four receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. Jaleel Skinner caught three passes for 29 yards and a score. Justyn Reid had one reception for 15 yards, TreyShun Hurry one for 11 yards, and Jackson Voth returned one punt 16 yards. Niall Hayes punted six times for 223 yards.

SMU’s Jennings completed 24 of 35 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown and rushed nine times for 35 yards. Raphael powered the Mustangs with 24 carries for 197 yards and three touchdowns, along with two receptions for 11 yards. Yamir Knight caught seven passes for 70 yards and a touchdown and returned one punt 5 yards. Yannick Smith had three receptions for 50 yards. Theo Melin Ohrstrom added five receptions for 43 yards. Randy Pittman Jr. had one run for 1 yard and four receptions for 26 yards. Jalen Hale had one run for 1 yard and one reception for 11 yards. Dramekco Green carried nine times for 23 yards and caught one pass for 4 yards. Jalen Cooper had one reception for 7 yards. Wade McSparron punted three times for 119 yards.

Defensively, Louisville’s Kaleb Beasley recorded 10 tackles and two interceptions. TJ Banks added nine tackles, Stanquan Clark had eight, T.J. Capers had seven, and Koen Entringer finished with six. Micah Carter made five tackles, while Clev Lubin had five tackles, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries. Benjamin Perry recorded four tackles. For SMU, Tyren Polley Jr. led the way with eight tackles. Alexander Kilgore and Jimmy Wyrick each had five tackles. Jarvis Lee and Christian Davis each made four tackles. Marcellus Barnes Jr., Woo Spencer and Brandon Miyazono each recorded three tackles. Marques White had two tackles and one quarterback hurry, and Aakil Washington added a quarterback hurry. La’Modrick Spencer and Brandon Booker each had two tackles, while Jayvon Thomas, Jaden Milliner-Jones, Jamal Anderson, Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder and Morgan Tribbett each recorded one.

Louisville’s defense helped offset SMU’s production, while the Cardinals’ ground game delivered when needed. The Mustangs gained yards through Raphael and Jennings, but Louisville answered each key SMU score. The Cardinals’ final two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter after SMU had taken a brief lead. Louisville then held on as the clock wound down. The result left both teams at 2-1.

SMU is scheduled to host Missouri State on Sept. 26 before hosting Boston College on Oct. 3. Louisville is set to host Wake Forest on Sept. 26 before traveling to North Carolina State on Oct. 3.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Louisville 35, SMU 24. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Louisville with a 55.2 percent probability to win. SMU had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus 1.5. The total score of 72 surpassed the over/under line of 58.5.