The Birds Eye View – S2F3

Season Two of the Weekly Newsletter covering the Cards most recent contest. Double clicking on the newsletter will allow for full screen viewing and zoom functionality on mobile device.

As a parent of school age kids the free Saturdays to sit back, relax, and enjoy uninterrupted college football are hard to come by anymore. While I would not choose to follow along with one of the biggest games of the year on my phone in a local establishments parking lot, nor would I chose to follow that up with a school event scheduled back to back, the tradeoff is that some casual bystanders got to see a grown man yell in his car when Keyjuan broke that big run to start the second half, and maybe a few of my sons classmates saw a big first pump when Kienholz hit Tre over the top late. I watched, I paused, I watched, I paused…but unlike me, this offense was full throttle most of the afternoon. The “slow starts” in 2026 are nowhere near the “slow starts” of seasons past, posting up digits again in the first quarter (14) and cracking 38 or more for the third straight contest. SMU had been a pain the proverbial (horses) behind the last few seasons, so to see the Cards get over the hump and lasso the Mustangs early this year was a big win for the program, but also a big win for Brohm. There was a legitimate fear in August from yours truly that if Kienholz started off slow, this team could be staring 1-2 in the face and most of the goals for the year were likely already off the table or difficult to overcome. Instead, they sit at 2-1, and the lone loss, a tight one against a Top 10 team, was not a ding to their perception nationally at all. It’s a one game season, and Wake forest is next, but I agree with Linc…this team has the possibility to be ‘super special’.

OFFENSE

OFFENSE If there were any doubts about the depth at running back coming off the Villanova game, I’m not sure where they would have stemmed from, but the ‘Barclay Boys’ did nothing but add to the narrative for me that this is one of the deepest rooms in the country. With ‘Bama’ Brown getting the start on his birthday, it didn’t take long for him to string together some quality runs before stiff-arming a poor soul back to Dallas on his 58 yard touchdown. The ground attack was there for the taking, so Brohm kept taking it, first with Bama, then with Lincoln, and finally with Isaac, getting his first TD of the year on a long run that showed shades of seasons past with a nice foot in the ground and burst. While Kienholz didn’t have a huge passing game, he made plays in and outside of the pocket all afternoon to keep drives alive or find open receivers downfield. The drop in the bucket late to Richardson after getting behind the chains early in a huge possession, yes, but the scramble and throw to McCoy for the touchdown, while skirting the blitzing corner….might be one of the best plays I’ve ever seen at Cardinal Stadium. This offense, after one half of football to start 2026, has not slowed down much. In the ten quarters played since coming out at halftime in Nashville, Louisville has scored 13 pts or more in nine of those quarters, and they show no signs of letting up anytime soon.

DEFENSE

DEFENSE When you look up at the scoreboard and see your opponent hung thirty-one points on you, and the opposing running back went for over 190 yards, I think it’s safe to say there are some things to work on. The defense has shown it is susceptible to the deep ball, so I feel as if Ivey and Ellis decided enough was enough and they were not going to let Jennings kill them downfield. Guarding the ‘over the top’ throws and forcing the ends to keep contain on Jennings in the pocket, resulted in some wide open spaces for Raphael to run through, so big he could have brought his turtle friends along for the ride (Cowabunga, dude). But once again, when it seemed like the Cards needed it the most, defensive stop after defensive stop on fourth down flipped the field quick and let the offense get back to work. Even when the game was nearly ‘full blown clinch factor’ late, a massive forced fumble at the goal line and a late interception were the reasons the Cards could get into a victory formation early and not sweat out a late onside kick or hail mary attempt. I liked this defensive unit during the offseason, and frankly it’s a bit surprising we haven’t seen then meet those expectations so far, but we still have time for the new DC combo to make some adjustments and get these guys playing like it’s 2025. If we can figure some things out on defense, and get some pressure, look out.

SPECIAL TEAMS

SPECIAL TEAMS As much as I blow a fuse here and there on the special teams’ units, its only right to give them a slow clap when they play nearly error free ball most of the game. No major bonehead mistakes, no major penalties, and no major head scratching moments…..until the end. While still soaking in the joy of the first Isaac Brown touchdown this year they flash up to the live game play and….Hilbert shanks the extra point. So close boys. Hayes did a good job settling in after a couple tough snaps, and Voth did what he was supposed to do back there on returns, as in, not drop the ball, and don’t try and be a hero in a contest where your offense is gashing the opponent. Next week I’ve love to see another relatively clean performance and build on some of the momentum from this game. I believe in you.