defense
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Wake Forest at No. 16 Louisville football preview
- The Wake Forest-Louisville preview says Louisville has allowed 4.5 rushing yards on first down and 4.2 on second after Ole Miss and SMU found ground success. These are observed early-down defensive vulnerabilities, not a forecast of Wake Forest's rushing output.
- Against SMU, Louisville left tackle Anwar O'Neal struggled with hand placement, center Lance Robinson with interior pressure, and right tackle Cason Henry with RPOs despite better true-pass sets, according to the preview. These are observed protection issues, not an announced lineup change or Wake Forest sack forecast.
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- Injury: INBOX: Louisville linebacker/safety Antonio Watts will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
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ESPN September surprises: Our unexpected all-portal team
- Pick/market: September surprises: Our unexpected all-portal team LINK QB: Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville Transferred from: Ohio State Jeff Brohm has taken a transfer quarterback every year at Louisville and hasn't missed yet.
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Early injury report wake
- Injury: Gotcha, you’ve clearly been paying more attention in-game than me.
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5 takeaways from Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm's pre-Wake Forest press conference
- Jeff Brohm confirmed that Anwar O'Neal returned at left tackle and Cason Henry at right tackle against SMU, while Lance Robinson moved inside to center. O'Neal handled a significant workload after missing two games; Robinson's limited center experience leaves snapping to improve. Louisville ran for 265 yards and allowed no sacks, but the report does not guarantee a permanent lineup.
- Through three 2026 games, Louisville has no turnovers and a plus-two turnover margin. Brohm credited Lincoln Kienholz with using his legs rather than forcing throws into traffic and said the team devotes five to 10 minutes daily to individual ball-security drills; these are current results and practice habits, not a guarantee against Wake Forest.
- Louisville has 27 penalties for 282 yards through three games, averaging nine flags per game. Brohm said several unnecessary penalties came on defense and that costly 15-yard fouls remain a major emphasis despite prior practice, film work and consequences; he did not say the problem was fixed.
- Brohm said Louisville uses starters on special teams and has received solid work from kickoff specialist Nick Keller, field-goal kicker Carson Hilbert and punter Niall Hayes. Hilbert missed the final extra point against SMU, while the return game improved field position; no kicking-role change was announced.
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- RB/DB: ACC Running Back, Offensive Lineman & Defensive Back of the Week #GoCards
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Ron English
- Injury: I thought the way our secondary was deployed on most of the plays was odd.
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HALFTIME: No. 16 SMU Leads No. 23 Louisville 17-14
- At halftime, SMU led Louisville 17-14. Kevin Jennings had 132 passing yards, one TD and one interception; Kendrick Raphael had 81 rushing yards on 11 carries and a TD, including four carries for 55 yards on SMU's opening drive. These are first-half figures, not final totals.
- Louisville's opening scoring drive featured five Keyjuan Brown carries for 44 yards and Lincoln Kienholz's one-yard sneak. A fourth-and-2 stop in SMU territory then set up Kienholz's 33-yard TD pass to Lawayne McCoy; Kienholz had 89 total yards and two touchdowns at halftime.
- The halftime report faults Louisville's late possession for using only 35 seconds before returning the ball to SMU with 1:14 left. SMU then moved 21 yards in five plays and made a 46-yard field goal for its halftime lead; the sequence highlights possession management rather than a final-game outcome.
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- DB: Lincoln Kienholz was one safety away from breaking off an 80ish yard run
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