Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1158434
80 PRESEASON 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI J ust because one is a neighbor doesn't mean there is a close connection. That is particularly evident when it comes to the University of Notre Dame football program and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Al- though the two are neighbors as bor- der states, this year's Sept. 2 season opener at Louisville — the largest city in Kentucky — will mark the first time ever a Fighting Irish foot- ball team will compete in the Blue- grass State. Louisville's visit to Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 21, 2014 — a 31-28 victory by the Cardinals — marked the first and lone meeting Notre Dame has had against any school from Kentucky. Among the 14 Southeastern Con- ference schools, the University of Kentucky surprisingly is one of four that has never played Notre Dame. The others are Arkansas — which will visit Notre Dame in 2020, fol- lowed by the Razorbacks hosting the Irish in 2025 — Auburn and Missis- sippi State. South Bend actually is about a 424- mile and five-hour drive from Lou- isville, so the proximity factor can be a tad overrated. However, Ken- tucky has not come anywhere close to Ohio, Illinois and Michigan at pro- ducing the quantity and quality of football talent for the Fighting Irish as those bordering states. Similar to Indiana, Kentucky is and always will be labeled a "basketball state," although Indiana has been highly productive for Notre Dame on the gridiron as well. Much like Indiana University in the Big Ten, though, Kentucky will never be con- sidered a viable contender for the SEC title in football, with its lone titles occurring in 1950 under head coach Bear Bryant and then sharing it in 1977 when it was on probation and banned from bowl participation. The University of Louisville has had far more football success, espe- cially the past 30 years, than Ken- tucky. It was in 1972 that the 9-1 Cardi- nals had their first-ever finish in the Associated Press poll (No. 18) — and head coach Lee Corso parlayed that into being named the head coach at Indiana University the following year. It wasn't until 1990 under Howard Schnellenberger that Louisville fin- ished in the final rankings again (No. 14), and then in 2004 the 11-1 Cardi- nals under Bobby Petrino placed in the final AP top 10 (No. 6) for the first time. Petrino and Co. did it again in 2006 with a 12-1 finish (No. 6), which helped him move on to the Univer- sity of Arkansas. In 2012, head coach Charlie Strong's Cardinals upset Florida in the Sugar Bowl to finish 11-2 and No. 13. That was followed by 12-1 and No. 15 in 2013 — and those out- comes propelled Strong to the head coaching position at the University of Texas the next year. Petrino's second act at Louisville (2014-18) was highlighted by quarter- back Lamar Jackson winning the Heis- man Trophy in 2016, but the regime collapsed last season with a 2-10 ledger that resulted in Petrino's ouster. A DEBUT TOUR The opener at Louisville will be Notre Dame's first football appearance in the state of Kentucky Freshman nose guard Jacob Lacey from South Warren High School in Bowling Green, Ky., will be the next player from the Bluegrass State to see action at Notre Dame. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER