Midway during Ole Miss football’s preseason camp talk began to emerge about how good this year’s defense could be. A solid group of returning starters mixed with some talented transfers has drawn comparisons to the elite 2024 defense Pete Golding fielded.
It won’t take long to figure out if those comparisons are warranted or not.
Louisville brings a perfect mix of known and unknown in a way that gives the season-opening opponent not much room for error.
The known is Isaac Brown, one of the most explosive running backs in the ACC. The unknown is Lincoln Kienholz, a first‑time starter with limited film and a skill set that forces extra scouting work. Together, they give Ole Miss two very different problems to solve.
Brown is the easy part to understand. He rushed for 884 yards and seven touchdowns in just nine games last season, averaged 8.8 yards per carry and put up 205 yards on only 14 carries against Boston College. He missed time late in the year, then came back in the Boca Raton Bowl and ran for 102 yards and two scores.
Sharif Denson has seen enough of a similar running back in practice to know exactly what that means.
“Kewan (Lacy), as well as Isaac Brown, is very fast and very good in the open field, making people miss one‑on‑one,” Denson said. “Going against Kewan all camp has definitely sharpened us up and gotten us ready to play against a back like that.”
That is the benefit of spending an offseason tackling a preseason All-American. Ole Miss has already dealt with a back who erases angles and punishes bad leverage. Brown is built from the same mold, and Golding has not been shy about how much respect he has for him.
“This kid is special,” Golding said. “He’s explosive on tape and really good in space. He has the top‑end speed to finish. I think he’s one of the best backs we’ll see all year.”
Golding knows Louisville’s offense runs through Brown. When the game tightens, Brown gets the ball. When the Cardinals need control, Brown gets the ball. When the defense loses leverage, Brown makes them pay.
“Gang tackling, keeping the edges and not losing leverage are going to be critical in the run game,” Golding said.
That is the known. The unknown is Lincoln Kienholz.
Kienholz spent last season as a backup at Ohio State. He has talent, mobility and a strong arm, but there is not much film to study. That makes Week 1 tricky, especially for a defense that is still building communication and consistency.
“It’s a little difficult as far as the quarterback because there isn’t a lot of film on him,” Denson said. “The quarterback is more of a runner, so we have to be on the lookout for that.”
Golding and his staff have spent time this preseason digging through everything they can find. Old tape. High school evaluations. Press clippings. Patterns from Brohm’s past first‑year starters. Anything that helps paint a picture.
“You go back to previous tape where you can actually see him play the game as a dual‑threat guy,” Golding said. “But I think you also go back and look at when Brohm has had a first‑year starter at the position. What does that look like early in the season? Is it the full menu for him? Is it specific things?”
He knows Kienholz is talented. He knows Brohm will protect him early. And he knows athletic quarterbacks can punish defenses that get too aggressive.
“Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for,” Golding said. “You start changing the picture, it isn’t there and then guys start running.”
That is the challenge. Ole Miss has to prepare for Brown, the proven star who drives Louisville’s offense. And it has to prepare for Kienholz, the unknown who could change the game with his legs or his arm.
It is a test for a defense that added talent all over the field this offseason. The mock game showed progress, but it also showed the margin for error.
“There were some explosives in that scrimmage because of a lack of communication,” Golding said. “If you do that this coming Sunday, you aren’t going to win the football game.”
The known vs. unknown matchup will reveal a lot about Ole Miss and it will not take long to find out.
