A motivated Notre Dame squad recorded a marquee win on Saturday, handing No. 15 Louisville (3-1) its first loss of the season. Led by quarterback Riley Leonard and running back Jeremiyah Love, the 16th-ranked Fighting Irish (4-1) defeated the Cardinals 31-24 on a rainy afternoon in South Bend. The pivotal victory over a ranked team keeps Notre Dame’s playoff aspirations alive entering a bye week. Saturday’s win avenged a 20-33 loss to Louisville last season. It also marked the ninth win over a ranked team (second this season) in the Marcus Freeman era. Only Frank Leahy earned more ranked victories (10) in his first three years as Irish head coach.
“Great win,” Freeman said in his post-game presser. “Obviously wasn’t perfect as everybody saw, our players saw. Defense had to go out there and prevent them from scoring that last drive. I know the game gets close, but we have a lot of confidence in our defense. It’s why I’m so aggressive as a coach on fourth down.
“You know, I ‘m proud of them,” Freeman continued. “Proud of the coaching staff. Proud of the players in terms of how we learned hopefully from the lessons this year taught us. At the end of the day, we are evaluated win or not. Did you get it done? We found a way. We’ll go back. We’ll clean it up as we go into the bye week, look at the areas of improvement, have a plan, and attack them.”
Louisville Starts Strong
The Irish fell behind Jeff Brohm’s Louisville Cardinals early. In another rocky start for Notre Dame, Devyn Ford fumbled the opening kickoff when the ball was knocked loose by Louisville’s T.J. Capers and recovered by Tamarion McDonald. The Cardinals capitalized. The costly miscue led to an early Louisville touchdown. Seventh-year quarterback Tyler Shough found Isaac Brown at the back pylon of the end zone for a 10-yard scoring pass that put the Cardinals up 7-0 within minutes. The touchdown pass capped off a three-play, 24-yard drive.
Louisville’s offense moved the ball throughout the game against a usually stubborn Irish defense. But turnovers and a litany of mistakes proved Louisville’s undoing. Shough finished the day 24-of-41 for 264 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted (by Xavier Watts) and lost a fumble. His favorite targets were Ja’Corey Brooks and Caullin Lacy. Brooks caught five passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Lacy, in his Louisville debut, also amassed 71 receiving yards on five catches. Brown led the run game for the Cardinals, carrying 13 times for 72 yards.
Notre Dame’s Offensive Onslaught
Notre Dame answered Louisville’s opening drive touchdown by scoring three touchdowns in a little more than five minutes to secure a 21-7 advantage. The first one came courtesy of Love who bullied his way into the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown to cap a 75-yard, 12-play drive.
Leonard was effective on the ground and through the air. For the day, Leonard went 17-of-23 for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 52 yards on 13 carries and scored a touchdown on the ground.
“Yeah, we played lights out in the first half,” Freeman said after the game. “We were aggressive, threw some deep balls, and had success in the run game and passing game. Second half we weren’t as successful.”
Love was mostly held in check by an aggressive Louisville front. Love still made game-changing plays. He compiled 61 yards from scrimmage and scored a pair of touchdowns—one through the air and another on the ground. The 34-yard touchdown pass from Leonard in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty. Love caught a short pass behind a convoy of Irish blockers who paved his way to the end zone. It was a crucial score to put the game away for the Irish.
Jaden Greathouse led all receivers for the Irish. He had four receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown, the fifth of his career. Wide open in the middle of the field in the first quarter, Greathouse hauled in a 34-yard strike from Leonard that put the Irish up 14-7.
Notre Dame’s Defense Hit By Injury Bug
Notre Dame’s injury woes continued Saturday. Defensive end Boubacar Traore, a rising star filling in for the injured Jordan Botelho, was forced out of the game with a knee injury. Additionally, defensive back Benjamin Morrison was shaken up and missed plays against Louisville. While Christian Gray did not play against Louisville. Wide receiver Jordan Faison left the game after suffering an injury. With a week off before hosting Stanford on Oct. 12, the Irish have an opportunity to heal and recover.
The Irish defense seemed stretched against a potent Louisville offense. The unit made key stops all game, though, holding the Cardinals to 8-of-22 on third and fourth downs and forcing three turnovers. Notre Dame allowed Louisville to rush for 131 yards and gave up 264 yards through the air. Louisville had 19 first downs compared to 11 for the Irish. Watts’ interception in the second quarter was his second of the season and ninth of his career. Watts led the country in interceptions last year with seven. Leonard Moore flashed for the Irish, recording a team-high seven tackles.
Takeaways
In a game plagued by turnovers—Louisville had three (resulting in 10 points) and Notre Dame had two (resulting in 7 points)—the Irish showed poise and patience. All told, Notre Dame was outgained 395 to 280 in total yardage. They also lost the time of possession battle. Louisville had the ball for 32:10. Notre Dame’s time of possession was 27:50.
Leonard remains a work in progress. He continues to prove that he is an elusive and dynamic runner with a nose for the end zone. Against Louisville, he looked like a more confident passer. Leonard proved effective on rollouts against a swarming defense and experienced success sticking to mostly high-percentage throws. Notre Dame has plenty to clean up in its first of two bye weeks. But with its second win this season over a ranked opponent, Notre Dame should move up the rankings on the next Associated Press poll.
“We know we’ve got to improve,” Freeman said in his post-game press conference. “Seven guaranteed games I told them. We’re going to need everybody. Have to continue to get better, but it’s a great feeling going into the bye week with a big win over a good Louisville team.”
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