FARGO — Emmet Kenney III delivered in the clutch Saturday night with a career-best effort.

The Fargo Shanley graduate hit a 52-yard field goal as time expired to lift Stanford to a dramatic 38-35 home victory against No. 22-ranked Louisville in ACC football on senior night at Stanford Stadium.

“Once I looked and saw the ball was going down the middle I was thrilled," said Kenney, who graduated from Shanley in 2021.

For the senior kicker, that was his career-long field goal at Stanford. Kenney ranked the game-winner as the top moment of his football career.

“It has to be No. 1 as of now," said Kenney, who plans to play another college season.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Kenney also hit field goals of 41 and 24 yards earlier in the game against Louisville. His clutch kick helped the Cardinal (3-7, 2-5 ACC) snap a six-game losing streak.

“It meant a lot," Kenney said. “I was really happy that I was able to get it done.”

His parents, Emmet Jr. and Diane, were both at Saturday's game to see the big kick in person. That added to the moment for Kenney.

“They’ve been to every single game this year," Kenney said.

Al Chang / Stanford Athletics

Kenney also hit another walk-off winner earlier this season. His 39-yard field goal as time expired lifted Stanford to a 26-24 road victory Sept. 20 at Syracuse.

“I’m really happy that I’ve had two chances," Kenney said. “In both cases, the offense did their job to help me out.”

Kenney emerged as Stanford's top kicker this season after learning behind standout Joshua Karty the past few seasons. Karty now kicks for the Los Angeles Rams.

“I really tried to use that as valuable time to learn from him," Kenney said. "This thing has been anything I could imagine it could have been and more.”

Shanley head coach Troy Mattern, who coached Kenney in high school, wasn't surprised to see his former player deliver in the clutch.

“We’re super proud of him and not a lot of us are surprised with what he’s doing at this level," Mattern said. “You could tell he was going to be a really good kicker at the Power Four level, even from a young age because of the way he prepared and worked at it.”

Kenney has made 87% (13 of 15) of his field goals this season and also has hit 25 of 25 extra points. His previous long field goal for the Cardinal was a 51-yarder during the Syracuse game.

“It’s been a huge change of pace," said Kenney, who didn't attempt a field goal during his first three seasons at Stanford.

Stanford has two games remaining in the regular season, including Saturday's rivalry game at Cal, which is dubbed the "Big Game." What could top his game-winner against Louisville?

“Something like what happened Saturday in the 'Big Game' against Cal," Kenney said.