Heading into the game, Notre Dame’s Week Five matchup with the Louisville Cardinals felt eerily similar to last year’s. The Irish entered both bouts against the Cardinals with a disappointing loss under their belt (albeit disappointing for completely different reasons) and College Football Playoff hopes on the line. A loss would eliminate all postseason hope while a win would keep that dream alive. Though the piercing talons of the fierce Cardinals defense ripped out Notre Dame’s heart last season, this battle-tested Irish squad overcame early adversity to triumph over their avian foe. Perhaps this victory can be attributed to the revenge factor or home field advantage generated by an “Irish Wear Green” game at Notre Dame Stadium.
But most likely, it comes down to the quarterback play. In last year’s game, Sam Hartman held onto the ball for too long, taking five sacks, losing two fumbles and tossing three interceptions. In the offensive line’s worst performance of the season, senior quarterback Riley Leonard relied on his athleticism to evade pressure, consistently climbing the pocket and rolling out past the tackles before delivering a strike down the field or taking off for a big run. Leonard’s breakthrough performance in the first half combined with defensive dominance in the second half carried the day for the Irish. Five key moments capture the spirit of Notre Dame’s victory and instill confidence that this team will continue to grind out wins the rest of the season, no matter the means, stakes or opponent.
Special teams struggles continue
A few specks of red in a sea of green, Cardinals fans were swallowed up by the roaring, verdant wave at Notre Dame Stadium minutes before kickoff. Louisville kicker Brock Travelstead booted the ball 55 yards to start Notre Dame’s biggest home game of the year. Graduate running back Devyn Ford received the kickoff at the 10-yard line and took off, weaving from the right to the left side of the field. At the 24-yard line, Louisville linebacker T.J. Capers upended Ford, jarring the ball loose and allowing defensive back Tamarion McDonald to recover the fumble.
Notre Dame special teams has struggled with muffed punts, blocked field goals and costly holding penalties throughout the season, but no mistake had the potential to take the Irish out of the game like this fumble on the opening kickoff. Quarterback Tyler Shough followed a 15-yard dart to wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce with a 10-yard passing touchdown to running back Isaac Brown. This perfectly-placed lob found the soft spot of the Irish zone in the back left corner of the end zone, splitting sophomore vyper Boubacar Traore, graduate will linebacker Jack Kiser and graduate safety Jordan Clark. Now, the fans in red drowned out those wearing green. Such a drastic shift in momentum sapped the crowd and sidelines of all energy and had the potential to derail the rest of the game for the Irish, necessitating a convincing response from Notre Dame’s offense.
Riley Leonard commands offense with confidence
“You worry about [the fumble on the opening kickoff], but you don’t worry about it too much,” Leonard said after the game. “We had the urgency to start fast on offense, but that urgency starts every single day in practice.”
On Notre Dame’s opening drive, Leonard continued to build on his success from last week against Miami (Ohio), leading the Irish to their most complete, balanced drive all season. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock called an early screen to sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison and a designed quarterback run for Leonard to help his senior signal caller feel comfortable. Though he has struggled with deep passes most of the season, on second-and-5, Leonard stepped up in the pocket to avoid the edge rush while keeping his eyes down field and delivered a 19-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse.
Though a bad drop by graduate receiver Beaux Collins on third-and-3 threatened to halt Notre Dame’s growing momentum, Leonard rewarded Freeman’s confidence in the offense by converting on fourth down the next play. On a designed rollout to his left, the offensive line provided Leonard with ample time to square his shoulders, set his feet and find senior wide receiver Jayden Thomas for a 5-yard reception and a first down. This play served as Leonard’s redemption for missing two consecutive sprint-out passes against the RedHawks last week. Having already shown off his arm, Leonard relied on his legs to set up first-and-goal after a 12-yard rush. On the very next play, sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love kept his legs churning after first contact to plow into the end zone and even the score. This crucial drive reenergized the crowd and shifted momentum back in Notre Dame’s favor.
Turnovers cause chaos throughout first half
On the kickoff after Love’s touchdown, Brown fumbled after a huge hit from sophomore linebacker Drayk Bowen, though the Cardinals jumped on the loose ball and retained possession. On the following play, freshman cornerback Leonard Moore stripped Shough on a 46-yard rush off the read option. This blessing from the football gods sent the surging Irish offense back on the field, where Leonard continued to put together his best game of the season. His patience stood out most of all on this drive, waiting for running lanes and passing plays to develop before pulling the trigger. Greathouse used his elite combination of speed and route-running to generate significant separation and an easy 34-yard touchdown pass from Leonard.
Highlighted by a big hit from graduate safety Jordan Clark and a deflection by junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison, the stout Irish defense forced a quick punt. A high snap over punter Brady Hodges’ head gave Faison time to speed past the outside blocker and punch the ball out when the Louisville punter tried to scoop it up. Faison proceeded to celebrate the success of his first snap on the punt block unit with his lacrosse teammates on the sideline, who were there to receive recognition for their second consecutive national championship. On the very next play, Leonard punched it in for six on a 4-yard rush.
Not every turnover worked in Notre Dame’s favor, however. At the start of the second quarter, junior running back Jadarian Price fumbled on his own 9-yard line. Though the Irish defense kept Louisville out of the end zone on the first two plays, the Cardinals broke through on third down with a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks.
After graduate kicker Mitch Jeter extended the Irish lead to 10 on a 48-yard field goal, Louisville quickly drove down the field with hopes of cutting its deficit to single digits heading into halftime. Deep in Irish territory, Louisville chose to forgo a 32-yard field goal and handed the ball off to running back Donald Chaney Jr. on fourth-and-1. Chaney stretched his run off tackle all the way to the sideline before graduate safety Xavier Watts and junior defensive lineman Donovan Hinish forced him out of bounds for no gain and a turnover on downs to keep the score at 24-14 in Notre Dame’s favor.
Defense dominates third quarter after halftime adjustments
Notre Dame and Louisville struggled to move the ball in the second half, giving the punters ample opportunity to stretch their legs. Combining for two punts in the first half, both teams punted four times in the third quarter alone. The Irish and Cardinals averaged well over 5 yards per play through the first two quarters but saw this drop in the third period of play to 3.1 and 4.2 yards per play respectively. Strong performances in the secondary kept this quarter scoreless, though the Irish linebackers, led by Bowen and sophomore Jaiden Ausberry after Kiser’s injury, stepped up to limit Louisville’s running the football. Freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa punctuated his position group’s masterclass with a 6-yard sack of Shough that pushed the Cardinals out of field goal range.
Irish 12th man frazzles Louisville offense
A three-and-out from the Irish offense after Shough’s perfect 24-yard back shoulder touchdown to Brooks gave Louisville the chance to tie the game with two minutes and 44 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Three runs between the tackles set up fourth-and-1 for the Cardinals on the Irish 46-yard line. With the game on the line, thousands of Irish fans rose from the cold, wet bleachers to sacrifice their vocal cords for the sake of the team. Though often criticized for not having the roaring, intimidating atmosphere of other top college football programs, Notre Dame Stadium proved overwhelming for Shough and the Cardinal offense. Unable to communicate with his linemen, Shough failed to snap the ball before the play clock expired. What started as the perfect opportunity for a quarterback sneak now became an obvious passing situation on fourth-and-6 following the delay of game penalty. The Irish secondary locked down every receiver, forcing Shough to throw up a prayer to wide receiver Caullin Lacy. Watts flew in to break up the pass at the Notre Dame 10-yard line, forcing another turnover on downs and allowing the Irish to run out the clock in victory formation.
