Kienholz leads as No. 24 Louisville routs Villanova 59-13 for first victory

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Lincoln Kienholz threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores to help No. 24 Louisville beat Villanova 59-13 on Friday night for its first victory of the season.

Kienholz missed on his first two passes, then little else, as he led the Cardinals (1-1) to an easy victory over their Football Championship Subdivision guests. The Ohio State transfer completed 16 of 21 passes and gained 42 yards on six carries before exiting the game after three quarters with Louisville up 45-13.

Louisville had 635 yards of offense and held the Wildcats (1-2) to 253, with just 126 coming after the first minute of the second quarter.

Kienholz put Louisville up for good with his 19-yard touchdown run with 4:33 left in the opening quarter, making it 10-3. He added a 69-yard pass to Jaleel Skinner with 14 seconds left in the period. Lawayne McCoy caught three passes for 102 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown strike from Kienholz with 13:24 left in the first half.

“The more he runs and gets in the flow and gets hit, he gets better,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “I thought after (the first two incompletions) he was really sharp.”

Pat McQuaide completed 18 of 31 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats, but connected on just four of his last 14 attempts.

Villanova: The Wildcats, ranked No. 18 in the Football Championship Subdivision coaches’ poll, hung with the Cardinals early, trailing just 17-10 just seconds into the second quarter. However, Louisville’s speed and size were too much for 60 minutes.

Louisville: The Cardinals dominated but still committed some of the same mistakes that cost them last weekend against Ole Miss. A defensive breakdown led to a 65-yard touchdown pass, and five of their seven penalties were 15-yarders.

Kienholz became the 12th Louisville quarterback to throw for 300 or more yards in consecutive games, joining a group that includes Tyler Shough, Lamar Jackson, Teddy Bridgewater and Brohm. He is also the first Cardinals signal-caller to accomplish that in his first two games.

While penalties and defensive breakdowns remain an issue, one area where the Cardinals have been clean is keeping the ball. Louisville’s offense did not commit a turnover Friday, and the Cardinals have yet to throw an interception or lose a fumble in their first two games for only the second time in program history.

The other instance was two years ago in Brohm’s second season at his alma mater.

Villanova: At Long Island next Saturday.

Louisville: Hosts SMU next Saturday.

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