The NC State-Louisville football series doesn’t have a nickname or a trophy attached to it, but this year’s meeting might well be called the Anxiety Bowl.
Saturday’s matchup, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, features two teams trying to rebuild confidence and get their seasons back on track after a roller coaster opening month.
Louisville is coming off a stunning home loss to Wake Forest that knocked the Cardinals out of the Top 25. NC State survived Appalachian State last week but is still searching for its first win over a Power 4 opponent.
The loser will leave Saturday with two ACC losses and a difficult (impossible?) climb back into the conference race. The winner gets something both programs could use right now: a little momentum with the heart of the conference schedule on deck.
Here is everything you need to know about the matchup, including how to watch and listen, injury updates, series history, stat comparisons and more.
👉 See who else is playing this week across North Carolina: Week 5 schedule, kickoff times and TV information.
🔄 Last Updated: September 29, 2026 5:43 pm
🏟️ How to Watch Louisville at NC State Football
Matchup: Louisville (2-2, 1-1 ACC) at NC State (2-2, 0-1 ACC)
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium (Raleigh, NC)
TV: ACC Network
Broadcast Crew: Justin Kutcher (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst), Madison Fitzpatrick (sideline)
NC State Radio: Flagship station WRAL 101.5 FM and affiliates in the Wolfpack Sports Network
📊Louisville at NC State betting odds
Spread: Louisville -4.5
Over/Under Total: 59.5 points
Moneyline: Louisville -192 | NC State +158
Lines courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds will be refreshed periodically during the week. All lines are subject to change.
🩹 Louisville at NC State Injury & Availability Updates
Official availability reports from the ACC are scheduled to be released starting Wednesday, Sept. 30. Information from those reports will be added here later in the week.
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said Monday in a press conference that starting quarterback Lincoln Kienholz would likely be a game-time decision following an injury sustained in the Wake Forest loss (more below). Kienholz’s status for Saturday will bear watching.
⏪ Last Time Out
Wake Forest 30, No. 16 Louisville 27 (Sept. 26) – The Demon Deacons blocked a field goal in the final seconds to preserve the upset win, knocking the Cardinals out of the Top 25. Lincoln Kienholz threw for 324 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for two scores.
NC State 41, App State 31 (Sept. 26) – The Wolfpack jumped ahead 21-0 and 28-7 before weathering a furious Mountaineers’ comeback in the second half. Duke Scott’s 16-yard touchdown run with 5:08 left and a late Kanoah Vinesett field goal helped the Pack hold off App State down the stretch.
🔍 What to Know About Louisville at NC State
Pivotal conference game for both teams
Both NC State and Louisville enter the game with 2-2 overall records and one ACC loss apiece. Whoever picks up its second league loss will have little, if any, margin for error in the ACC race.
Louisville is looking to bounce back after losing at home as a double-digit favorite to Wake Forest. The defeat knocked them out of the national rankings on week after a win over SMU brought them in.
The Wolfpack defeated Appalachian State 41-31 on Saturday night, but the result left a sour taste in how it happened. After a catastrophic defeat at Vanderbilt the week before, Pack fans were none too happy that leads of 21-0 and 28-7 evaporated and that NC State had to sweat out a victory to an in-state G6 opponent seen as inferior.
NCSU is still looking for its first win of the season against a Power 4 opponent. Wins so far have come against Richmond and App State.
Will Louisville have starting quarterback Lincoln Kienholz?
Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm told media earlier this week that quarterback Lincoln Kienholz suffered an injury at the end of last Saturday’s loss against Wake Forest and would likely be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against NC State.
“He has something. We aren’t going to elaborate. Will probably be a game-time decision,” Brohm said, according to Yahoo Sports.
Kienholz has completed 68.8 percent of his passes thus far through four games for 1,140 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. He’s also been a strong factor in the run game, leading the Cardinals with six rushing TDs.
Davin Wydner, a transfer from West Georgia, is the likely Louisville option if Kienholz can’t go.
Louisville has a lot to fix
The Cardinals had been projected as an ACC and College Football Playoff contender throughout the preseason and even after losing by 3 points to Ole Miss in the opener. A win over a ranked SMU team added to the hype.
But then Wake Forest knocked them off 30-27 last Saturday, blocking a potential game-tying field goal on the final play. Many of the Cardinals’ problems so far have been self-inflicted.
“Over the first month of the season, their problems aren’t new,” Alexis Cubit from the Louisville Courier-Journal wrote this week. “They’ve given up countless big plays on defense, have yet to consistently get their running game going and incurred multiple penalties on both sides of the ball in each game.”
How well Louisville can get a lot of that cleaned up will factor in their chances to get back on the winning track at NC State.
What is NC State’s mental state?
It has been a rough and tumble start to the 2026 season for Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack. After summer chatter about this being a breakthrough season for the Pack, NC State laid an egg in the opener at Virginia.
Doeren’s team blitzed Richmond 73-0 in response and appeared to have a win over an SEC team in hand at Vanderbilt, only to see quarterback CJ Bailey fumble in the end zone on the last play and the Commodores recover to steal the victory.
The Pack beat App State last week, but it wasn’t the convincing response many fans wanted after the Vanderbilt collapse. NC State watched leads of 21-0 and 28-7 disappear before pulling away late. Doeren’s teams have often responded well with their backs against the wall, and the Wolfpack is getting close to that territory again.
📊 Stats and Trends
Louisville Team Highlights (2026 Season)
- Points For: 41.3 points per game
- Points Against: 28.8 points per game
- Passing Offense: 295.8 yards per game
- Rushing Offense: 190.5 yards per game
- Passing Defense: 240.3 yards per game
- Rushing Defense: 165.3 yards per game
Louisville Individual Statistical Leaders
- Passing: Lincoln Kienholz – 1,140 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT
- Rushing: Keyjuan Brown – 279 yards, 2 TDs
- Receiving: Tre Richardson – 328 yards, 1 TD
- Tackles: Stanquan Clark – 28 total tackles
- Interceptions: Kaleb Beasley – 2 interceptions
NC State Team Highlights
- Points For: 38.3 points per game
- Points Against: 25.0 points per game
- Passing Offense: 232.8 passing yards per game.
- Rushing Offense: 219.0 rushing yards per game.
- Passing Defense: 206.3 passing yards per game
- Rushing Defense: 121.5 rushing yards per game.
NC State Individual Statistical Leaders
- Passing: CJ Bailey – 893 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs
- Rushing: Jayden “Duke” Scott – 346 yards, 4 TDs
- Receiving: Keenan Jackson – 295 yards, 4 TDs
- Tackles: Popo Aguirre – 37 tackles
- Interceptions: 3 players with 1 interception each
Notable
- Keenan Jackson has emerged as NC State’s top receiving threat, catching four touchdown passes over the past two games. He leads the Wolfpack with 295 receiving yards and four TD catches this season.
- NC State quarterback Will Wilson continues to be the Pack’s short-yardage specialist. He leads the rushing attack with five touchdowns and has been averaging 5.0 yards per attempt.
- Louisville’s Keyjuan Brown has carried 30 times for 279 yards, an average of 9.3 yards per carry. Teammate Isaac Brown has added 197 yards on the ground and one score. Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz leads the Cards with six rushing TDs.
- Penalties have been a problem for Louisville thus far. The Cardinals are averaging nearly 10 flags per game and giving up an average of 93 penalty yards per contest.
- Louisville only has one turnover on the season – one interception and no fumbles. The Cards are +6 in turnover margin.
- Kicker Kanoah Vinesett leads NC State in scoring with 31 points. Vinesett has hit four field goals and is a perfect 19-of-19 on extra points this season. Vinesett has hit 25 career field goals, including 18 last season, and has only missed one PAT in 98 tries.
📚 Series History
- Louisville leads the all-time series 9-4
- Last Meeting: Louisville 13, NC State 10 (Sept. 29, 2023)
- First Meeting: Louisville 26, NC State 2 (Nov. 2, 1951)
- NC State is 3-6 since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014. The most recent win came in 2021 when the Pack outscored Louisville 21-3 in the fourth quarter and prevailed 28-13.
- The only back-to-back wins for NCSU came in 2017 and 2018. Ryan Finley threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns in the 52-10 triumph at Louisville in 2017.
🔗 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
- NC State Football Schedule
- ACC Standings
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
