Lincoln Kienholz's Louisville debut, by the numbers

The scoreboard in Nashville said Ole Miss 41, Louisville 38. The tape said something more useful: Louisville has a quarterback.

In his first start in red, Lincoln Kienholz, the Pierre, South Dakota native who came over from Ohio State, put up a line that belongs in the program record book against the No. 9 team in the country.

The numbers

• 18 of 29 passing
• 307 passing yards
• 2 passing touchdowns
• 14 carries, 69 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown

And the one that matters for the history books: according to UofL Athletics, Kienholz is the first quarterback in Louisville history to throw for more than 300 yards in a season opener.

Why it matters

Louisville trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter and tied it at 38 before Ole Miss won it on a 48-yard field goal. Losing a one-score game to a top-10 SEC team at a neutral site stings, but the Cards didn't fold. The quarterback is the reason why.

The national noise noticed, too. Sam Block (@theblockspot) said no college quarterback impressed him more in Week 1.

What to watch against Villanova

The home opener is Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Against an FCS opponent, look for three things: clean operation early, whether the deep shots to Tre Richardson and Lawayne McCoy keep landing, and how quickly Louisville gets its backups real snaps.

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Sources: UofL Athletics recap; ESPN box score and recap.