Louisville football news: Lincoln Kienholz believes Cardinals are 'leveling up'

Louisville football 's season-opening loss to Ole Miss could have become a setback that lingered. However, Lincoln Kienholz believes it instead sparked a rapid transformation . The Cardinals fell 41-38 to the Rebels in Nashville despite a spectacular debut from Kienholz. He threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns while adding 69 rushing yards and a score. Since then, Louisville has responded exactly as its quarterback envisioned . They have won back-to-back games and most recently knocked off No. 16 SMU, 41-31, in its ACC opener.

Kienholz summed up the mindset on College GameDay: "We never wanna lose in our home stadium… Each week we're leveling up and getting ready to play more big time ball."

That mentality was evident against SMU. Kienholz accounted for three touchdowns, and Louisville repeatedly answered the Mustangs' challenges. The Cardinals have now moved from recovering from an early defeat to establishing themselves as a legitimate ACC contender. Kienholz provides the catalyst. If that week-to-week progression continues, Louisville's ceiling could be considerably higher than many expected entering the season.

Kienholz arrived at Louisville football after spending his a couple of seasons at Ohio State. That's where he developed behind an established quarterback room and was part of a national championship roster. He then transferred to Louisville seeking his opportunity to lead an offense and has quickly made the most of it. Through three games, he has thrown for 816 yards and six touchdowns. He has also added 153 rushing yards and four rushing scores. His dual-threat ability has given Jeff Brohm another dangerous weapon. Now, Louisville has a quarterback who genuinely believes the Cardinals are only getting better.