Louisville, Kentucky: Cardinals Beat Stanford 52-24 as Isaac Brown Scores Four Touchdowns

Louisville beat Stanford 52-24 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday, October 31, scoring 28 straight points in the second half after Stanford had tied the game at 24. Running back Isaac Brown carried the ball only nine times and still finished with 139 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 33 yards and one more touchdown, four touchdowns in all, a career high at Louisville.

Stanford leads twice, then ties it in the third

Stanford scored first. A botched snap in Stanford territory set up a 48 yard field goal by Emmet Kenney for the opening points. The Cardinal led twice in the second quarter behind quarterback Davis Warren, who finished 23 of 37 for 270 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Nico Brown caught six passes for 109 yards and one touchdown, and Aiden Black scored on a 75 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz completed 20 of 28 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for one more score. The Cardinals stayed close through the first half, and their one empty trip was a 40 yard field goal try by Carson Hilbert that hit the right upright. Stanford tied the game at 24 early in the third quarter, and the game turned in a span of about four minutes late in that quarter.

Two turnovers break the game open

Stanford was driving for a possible tying or go ahead score late in the third quarter when Tayon Holloway picked up a botched hook and lateral play and returned the fumble 31 yards for a touchdown. That made it 38-24 with 3:34 left in the third quarter. On Stanford's next possession, Jabari Mack intercepted a Warren pass, and Brown ran 23 yards for a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the quarter, pushing the lead to 45-24.

Brown finished the scoring himself. With 10:01 left in the fourth quarter he broke free for a 75 yard touchdown run, the longest play of his four touchdown day, and the final margin was set at 52-24.

What the numbers say

Louisville outgained Stanford 545 yards to 351. The 545 yards were the Cardinals' best total against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent this season, and the 52 points were a season high against an FBS team and the second 50 point game of the year for Louisville. The Cardinals outscored Stanford 28-7 in the second half and 21-7 in the third quarter alone.

The win was Louisville's first ever over Stanford, and it was the Cardinals' third straight victory. Louisville is now 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Stanford fell to 4-5 and 2-4 in the ACC. The Cardinal have lost 15 straight road games, the longest active road losing streak in the FBS, and they are 0-4 on the road this season. Stanford had arrived on a two game winning streak.

What comes next

Louisville opens the final month of the regular season on the road. The Cardinals play at Georgia Tech on November 7, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Stanford has a bye week, then returns to the road to play at Virginia Tech on November 14.