Lincoln Kienholz threw for 154 yards and a touchdown to guide Louisville to a 16-14 victory over North Carolina on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Cardinals (7-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) secured their fifth straight win when Jabari Mack snagged a game-sealing interception on fourth down in the final minute.
The offensive stars for Louisville were Keyjuan Brown and Isaac Brown, who combined for 137 rushing yards on 23 attempts. Kienholz completed 23 of 31 pass attempts against the Tar Heels (5-5, 2-4).
North Carolina's Billy Edwards Jr. was 10 of 14 for 120 yards before leaving with an undisclosed injury. Freshman Travis Burgess went 6 of 11 for 59 yards in relief in his collegiate debut, as both quarterbacks relied on Benjamin Hall (10 carries, 48 yards, two touchdowns).
It appeared that a high-scoring affair might be in store, as the teams scored on the first three possessions of the game.
Louisville's Carson Hilbert opened the scoring with a 46-yard field goal. North Carolina made three third-down conversions on its opening possession, which ended with Hall's 11-yard TD run.
The Cardinals countered with another long drive, this one ending in Hilbert's 32-yard boot. The Louisville defense then forced a fumble on the Tar Heels' first play from scrimmage after the ensuing kickoff, leading to Kienholz's 3-yard TD pass to a wide-open Jaleel Skinner.
The early scores, however, did not turn out to be a harbinger of things to come.
The final seven possessions of the second quarter ended in five punts, a missed field-goal attempt and a kneel-down. The third quarter featured three punts and a missed field goal. The key play of the period was T.J. Capers' sack of Edwards that sidelined the Tar Heels quarterback for the remainder of the game.
Burgess misfired on a fourth-down pass early in the fourth quarter and North Carolina turned it over on downs. Louisville capitalized, driving for a 36-yard field goal by Hilbert with 7:28 remaining to go ahead 16-7.
The hosts finally got going on offense at that point, as Burgess led the team on a nine-play, 75-yard drive that Hall capped with a 6-yard TD run, making it 16-14 with 3:43 left.
The Tar Heels had one final possession, but a first-down sack, two incompletions and Mack's interception on fourth down sealed their third loss in four games.
--Field Level Media