Louisville football must pick up the pieces from its stunning Wake Forest loss. But faces needing to overcome it without quarterback Lincoln Kienholz before facing North Carolina State.

Kienholz landed on the injury report Wednesday, which ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel unveiled. The quarterback is the biggest name on the injury list for the Cardinals.

The dual-threat shredded the Demon Deacons with 324 passing yards and a touchdown, while also crossing the end zone twice on running plays. Yet his efforts weren't enough to topple Wake Forest.

Gio Lopez ended up producing the winning team in that Atlantic Coast Conference showdown. The ex-North Carolina starter threw for 225 yards, but turned Carlos Hernandez into a 194-yard wideout in that 30-27 WF victory. But that Cardinals loss knocked them out of their No. 16 ranking in the top 25.

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Now Louisville enters Saturday with no more top 25 ranking. All the more reason why this ACC showdown is pivotal for them to catapult back into the conference title game conversation. Louisville already has absorbed two losses this season, starting with the opening defeat at the hands of Ole Miss.

The Cards are now the eighth-best team in the ACC, placing them in the middle of the pack. Fortunately for Louisville the schedule lightens up from here starting with NC State. Only No. 24 Kentucky is the last nationally-ranked foe the Cardinals must face, which isn't until Nov. 28. UL still has contests against teams with a nebulous coaching future: Florida State, Syracuse and North Carolina.

But again, head coach Jeff Brohm and the Cards must rebound quick against the Wolfpack before their season folds.