The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels and the No. 24 Louisville Cardinals authored one of the most thrilling games in Week 1 of the 2026 college football season, thanks in large part to their quarterbacks, Lincoln Kienholz and Trinidad Chambliss, respectively.
When it was all said and done in the game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Chambliss and the Rebels found themselves on top, 41-38. While the Cardinals suffered a loss, Kienholz turned lots of heads, including that of his counterpart.
“He is a solid quarterback,” Chambliss said of Kienholz after the game, via The Rebel Walk. “That was his first start. He played his butt off. “
Despite the Cardinals’ loss, Kienholz put together a memorable performance, historic even. A transfer from the Ohio State Buckeyes, Kienholz became just the first Louisville quarterback ever to pass for at least 300 yards in his debut for the school, according to ESPN Insights.
In addition, he was the first one since Lamar Jackson in 2017 to rack up at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in a game for Louisville against a ranked opponent.
Ole Miss had a 14-point lead after a Chambliss passing touchdown with under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Kienholz tied the game at 38-38 after finding Lawayne McCoy for a touchdown before rushing for one himself with 1:28 remaining in regulation.
All told, Kienholz went 18/29 for 307 passing yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions to go with 69 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Still, Kienholz’s effort was not enough to get Louisville past Chambliss and the Rebels.
Ole Miss punctuated an eight-play game-winning drive with a Lucas Carneiro walk-off field goal from 48 yards away.
As for Chambliss, he fueled his early-season Heisman hype by passing for 336 yards and three touchdowns with an interception on 21/36 completions.
