Kienholz's three touchdowns and late stops lift Louisville past Syracuse, 34-26

Louisville stopped Syracuse on fourth down twice in the final four minutes to protect a 34-26 win Saturday night, finishing a game that had shifted from a first-half scoring race to a defensive struggle. Lincoln Kienholz accounted for three touchdowns, and Keyjuan Brown's second rushing score supplied the final margin.

The Cardinals improved to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC with their first road win of the season. Syracuse dropped to 2-4 and remained winless in four conference games despite outgaining Louisville 462-425.

Kienholz threw for 310 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 53 yards and two scores. His biggest run covered 82 yards in the first quarter. By the time he found Isaac Brown for a 46-yard touchdown with 28 seconds left before halftime, Louisville had scored 28 points and taken a five-point lead.

ACC Digital Network's game highlights follow those explosive plays and the late defensive stops:

A turnover gives Louisville its last score

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Syracuse finally cut the lead to 28-26 on Shay Barker's 24-yard field goal with 12:45 left in the fourth, leaving Louisville's defense little room for another mistake.

Cam White's interception gave the Cardinals their opportunity to answer. They drove 56 yards in five plays, with Keyjuan Brown scoring from five yards out at the 7:34 mark. The extra point failed, keeping Syracuse within eight.

The Orange still had two possessions to tie it. Louisville ended the first on downs with 3:04 remaining, then punted the ball back. Syracuse's last attempt also ended on fourth down with 45 seconds left, allowing the Cardinals to finish with the ball.

Syracuse's production stops short

Malachi Nelson completed 26 of 39 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns, but threw two interceptions. Umari Hatcher caught 13 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. Ahmad Miller supplied 123 rushing yards, including a 20-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.

Louisville's defense recorded five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Syracuse converted three of 14 third downs, leaving its late drives dependent on fourth-down plays. The Cardinals' offense produced only 58 yards after halftime, so those stops had to hold up.

Keyjuan Brown finished with 50 rushing yards and two five-yard touchdown runs. Isaac Brown, who had run for 235 yards the previous week, managed 22 on nine carries against Syracuse, but contributed the touchdown catch that put Louisville ahead at halftime.

Kienholz's first-half scores kept the Cardinals moving through an opening half in which the teams combined for 669 yards. After the break, Louisville needed its defense to carry a much larger share of the game. The final two stops delivered its first win in Syracuse since 2016.