With back-to-back wins against overmatched opponents the last two weeks, No. 16 Notre Dame (3-1) plays host to undefeated 15th-ranked Louisville (3-0) from the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday. The intriguing Week 5 matchup in South Bend is a revenge game for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame lost to Louisville 20-33 in a hard-fought contest on the road last season, dashing the Irish’s hopes to make the 2023 playoffs. Saturday’s marquee game between Notre Dame and Louisville is one of four this weekend between ranked opponents. It marks the fifth meeting between the two programs. The all-time series is tied 2-2.
To keep their slim College Football Playoff aspirations alive, the Irish have little room for error. Because of the surprising loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, the Irish face must-win situations on the schedule the rest of the way. Saturday is no exception. Following last Saturday’s less-than-spectacular, workman-like victory over Miami (Ohio), Notre Dame jumped two spots to No. 16 on the newest Associated Press poll. Louisville, meanwhile, under second-year head coach Jeff Brohm, is coming off a convincing 31-19 win over Georgia Tech in its ACC opener.
“We did some really good things as a team on Saturday,” said Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman of his squad’s win over Miami (Ohio) in his opening statement at Monday’s press conference. “As you evaluate the film, there’s some things obviously that you have to clean up. I mean, it goes with every game that you play. But offensively, we didn’t start the way we wanted to, but I thought we did a great job of responding after the first couple of drives and then picking up momentum as the game progressed. Defensively, played really well. Did a great job in the red zone. They had a couple of schemed runs that went for more yardage than we would like, but all correctable things that we’ll attack in practice.”
Scouting Louisville
In his first season at his alma mater in 2023, Brohm led the Cardinals to a 10-4 season and a berth in the ACC Championship game. The offensive-minded Brohm has a new quarterback under center this year. Seventh-year quarterback Tyler Shough transferred to Louisville from Texas Tech. He replaces Jack Plummer who started all 13 games for Louisville a year ago and is currently with the Carolina Panthers in the NFL.
Shough has a strong arm and is effective in throwing the ball downfield. In leading the Cardinals over Georgia Tech, Shough completed 13-of-19 passes for 269 yards (68.4%) and two touchdowns. Through three games this year, Shough has connected on 52-of-76 attempts for 850 yards (11.2 average). He has thrown eight touchdowns and zero interceptions for an offense averaging 47.3 points per game.
Louisville’s leading wide receiver is Ja’Corey Brooks. The senior out of Bradenton, FL., boasts 17 receptions for 297 yards (17.5 average) and a pair of touchdowns. He snagged four catches for 125 yards and a touchdown against Georgia Tech. Freshman Isaac Brown paces Louisville’s running game. Hailing from Homestead, FL., Brown has rushed for 173 yards on 16 carries and has scored once.
Andrew Ivins of 247Sports said of Brown, “A new-age scatback that has also proven to be one of the top return men in the 2024 cycle with multiple special teams touchdowns on the highlight reel. Naturally low center of gravity combined with elite bursts makes it extremely difficult for defenders to get him on the ground. Rather elusive when he gets to the second level and has shown that he can make cuts at full speed without really having to gear down.”
Best Foot Forward
Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard is the only Power 4 quarterback this season to rush for 100-plus yards in multiple games. In last week’s win, Leonard carried the ball 12 times for 143 yards (11.9 average) and two touchdowns. He rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries against Purdue, scoring three touchdowns on the ground two weeks ago.
While Leonard has proved his effectiveness running the ball, he has yet to look confident in the pocket. Leonard went 16-of-25 last week for 154 yards (6.2 average) and a touchdown against Miami (Ohio), his first scoring throw of the season. He threw two costly interceptions in the loss to NIU. Leonard’s favorite target is wide receiver Beaux Collins. The Clemson transfer caught Leonard’s lone touchdown pass last week. Collins has 16 receptions this year for 176 yards. Jeremiyah Love is the leading rusher on the team. Sharing backfield chores with the equally dynamic Jadarian Price, Love has gained 339 yards on 46 carries, scoring four touchdowns.
Leonard’s throwing prowess will be tested against the Louisville defense. The Cardinals feature a formidable defense that forces opponents to grind for every yard. This season, Louisville’s defense is allowing just 11 points per game and 268.7 yards per game. Their stingy play highlights the unit’s ability to limit big plays and keep opposing offenses in check. Louisville’s defense, however, has shown vulnerability against efficient passing attacks. Opposing quarterbacks averaged 10.5 yards per completion against the Cardinals this season.
Wear Green Game Vs. Louisville
At his Monday press conference, Freeman reflected on last year’s loss to Louisville. He is urging his team to use last year’s defeat as a catalyst for growth.
“Saturday will be the Irish Wear Green Game versus Louisville, a 3-0 team playing at a really high level right now,” Freeman said. “As you watch film, they’re good in all three phases. So, it’ll be a great challenge for our team.
“I think as you think back to last year, it’s not going to be a lack of motivation,” Freeman added. “They’ll be motivated. I think it’s an opportunity for guys that weren’t in this program last year to be able to reflect and understand that we lost to this team last year. But there’s a lot of great learning opportunities from that game and that’s what I’m going to preach to our team is that I’m not revisiting last year to motivate you. I’m revisiting last year to learn from those things that we have to learn from that that game presented.”
“It’s a lot like therapy,” he continued. “Sometimes you’ve got to revisit those dark places to kind of get out of it what you need to. So, we’re definitely going to revisit last year but my intentions are to make sure we gain the wisdom and the learning opportunities that the film of last year will truly tell us.”
A Must-Win for Notre Dame
As Notre Dame prepares to face Louisville, the Fighting Irish know that a victory is crucial for their playoff hopes. The Irish must establish a consistent passing attack, maintain their defensive tenacity, and avoid another sluggish start. If they can execute on those three fronts, Notre Dame will be well-positioned to secure a win, avenge last year’s loss, and stay in the hunt for the postseason. A loss on Saturday, on the other hand, would all but silence any postseason hopes for a team that entered the season with sky-high expectations.
