Former Ohio State QB1 Contender Nearly Pulls Off BIGGEST Upset in College Football Week 1
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Former Ohio State QB1 contender Lincoln Kienholz nearly led the biggest upset in Week 1 of the new 2026 college football season, and further showed how good of a quarterback Julian Sayin is.
Last year, following Ohio State’s latest championship win, it was unclear who would be quarterback Will Howard’s replacement. The program had two highly touted recruits in Sayin and Kienholz. So the pair of youngsters would get the summer to battle it out and decide who would be the starting QB for the defending champs.
While Sayin’s arm talent was undeniable, word out of training camp noted Kienholz’s leadership and having an X-factor. After weeks of competition, the former would win the job to be the Buckeyes QB1. In hindsight, it looks like Ryan Day made the right choice after Sayin was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2025. However, after serving as a backup last year, Kienholz is getting the chance to prove he may be just as good in 2026.
In the spring, the one-time OSU QB entered the transfer portal and took his talents to Louisville. In his first start since his days as a star at Theodore F. Riggs High School, he got a national spotlight in Week 1 as the Cardinals took on No. 9 Ole Miss. Unfortunately for Kienholz, he was rusty in the first half as he hit on 7-of-14 passes for only 46 yards. However, he built a whole bunch of momentum in the second half.
Lincoln Kienholz nearly leads stunning upset over Ole Miss in Week 1
In the third and fourth quarters, Kienholz went 11-for-15 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. The last came on the ground as he led a late fourth-quarter comeback from 14 down to tie the game with under two minutes left. The former Buckeyes QB looked sensational as he extended plays and threw several beautiful passes on the run.
The only bad news for Kienholz was that he left enough time on the clock for Heisman contender Trinidad Chambliss to get his team in range for Lucas Carneiro’s big leg. The kicker would go on to nail a 40-yard field goal with zeros on the clock to help Ole Miss avoid an upset loss to No. 24 Louisville.
Despite the loss, the QB sent a major statement to the nation that while he didn’t get an opportunity at Ohio State, Kienholz is a legit dangerous signal caller in the ACC. It also sent another message that Sayin is pretty darn good if he was able to beat that guy out for a starting job last year.
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