SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Lincoln Kienholz ran for two scores and passed for another, Keyjuan Brown rushed for two, and Louisville defeated Syracuse 34-26 Saturday.
The teams combined for 669 yards in the first half alone, the most in the ACC since 2022, but just 218 in the second half. Louisville amassed just 58 yards after intermission after gaining 367 in the first half.
"It was kind a tale of two halves," Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. "I thought the first half our defense was not playing well. Gave up a lot of easy plays and then they got into a rhythm — got some confidence."
Added Brohm: "The flip side, our offense kept us in the game. Made some big plays again and found a way to get a lead at the half. That was big. The second half was totally different."
The Cardinals intercepted Nelson twice in the second half and forced Nelson to fumble for a third turnover.
Kienholz went 82 yards on a quarterback counter to put Louisville (4-3, 3-2 ACC) ahead 14-10 late in the first quarter and plowed in from one yard out to give the Cardinals a 21-16 lead with nine minutes to go in the first half. He connected with Isaac Brown for a 46-yard score with 28 seconds to go before halftime giving the Cardinals a 28-23 lead at the break.
"I love to run," Kienholz said. "I feel like that's something I'm pretty good at. The more we incorporate that in our offense the more it just opens more things up. I take pride in it. I try to run hard, don't run scared."
Both of Keyjuan Brown's scores came from the 5. An interception by Cameron White set up Brown's score with 7:34 left for the final margin.
Syracuse (2-4, 0-4) has now lost 11 consecutive ACC games, 12 straight against Power 4 opponents and has been outscored 78-36 in the second half this season.
"I'm not happy about the loss," Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. "Lots of things we have to clean up, but we're a young football team. I'm happy about the push at the end, the fight that they had, they wanted to compete. ... that means a lot."
Kienholz has 10 rushing touchdowns for the season, second behind Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels. He was 14-of-26 passing for 310 yards and gained 53 more on the ground.
Lawayne McCoy had five catches for 93 yards for the Cardinals.
Nelson, making his second start for the Orange, was 26-of-39 for 315 yards. He threw for two touchdowns, one to Umari Hatcher, his ACC-leading seventh, and the other to Calvin Russell III. Nelson also had two interceptions, the one to White that sealed the Orange's fate.
Ahmad Miller led Syracuse with 123 yards rushing.
Hatcher led Syracuse with career highs in receptions and yardage with 13 catches for 224 yards, his fourth game this season with more than 100 yards.
Syracuse, who leads the country in penalties, was plagued with three unsportsmanlike penalties in the first half and eight penalties in the game for 75 yards.
What Brown can do for you
Syracuse held Isaac Brown in check. Coming off a 235-yard game last week, Brown gained just 22 yards on nine carries.
Best game yet
Freshman receiver Calvin Russell III, who tore his Achilles in March, had his best game for the Orange, catching six passes for 53 yards and his first touchdown. An unsportsmanlike penalty after his touchdown put a sour note on the play.
The takeaway
Louisville: The Cardinals are gaining some momentum heading into the second half of the season. The Orange defense reduced Isaac Brown but others picked up the slack. Louisville has scored at least 28 points in all its games.
Syracuse: The Orange could be hard pressed to win another game this season. Malachi Nelson limped off the field, and with Steve Angeli and Amari Odom already out, the quarterback situation is dire.
Up next
Louisville: Bye week then hosts Stanford Oct. 31.
Syracuse: Visits North Carolina Oct. 24.
