Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1162458
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 16, 2019 23 LOUISVILLE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE There was no greater question mark for the Fighting Irish entering the season than how the revamped interior and green linebacker corps would respond against the run. Louisville exploited it with stretch runs, jet sweeps, triple option and using quarterback Jawon Pass' mobility to put pressure on the defense. It resulted in 249 rushing yards and 5.3 yards per carry, with running backs Javian Haskins and Hassan Hall combining for 191 yards on 30 carries (6.4 yards per attempt), and Pass adding 67 more for good measure. The good news is the Irish adjusted. After Louisville rushed for 122 yards and 9.4 yards per carry in the first quarter, it dropped to 127 yards and 3.7 yards per carry over the final three quarters. ADVANTAGE: Louisville LOUISVILLE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Limiting Cardinals standout receiver Dez Fitzpatrick to one catch for 10 yards was one of the highlights of the night for the Fighting Irish defense that went toward zone coverage as the game progressed. Moving the pocket for Pass reaped some early benefits, but there was still enough pressure — especially after the first two series — to limit the Louisville air attack to a 42.9 percent completion rate (12 of 28) and a meager 4.8 yards per attempt. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. LOUISVILLE RUN DEFENSE There wasn't much in the way of "middle ground" for the Fighting Irish rush- ing attack, which usually had either a substantial gain — six of the first 15 rush- ing plays gained at least 10 yards — or was stoned by the Cardinals defense. Notre Dame twice failed to convert third-and-one run situations, and two other times gained either zero or minus yardage on third-and-two. The two largest gains came on the game's first play from scrimmage, when the middle was left unguarded on a 37-yard scramble by senior quarterback Ian Book (14 carries for 81 yards), and then on a 35-yard romp by senior running back Tony Jones Jr. on third-and-13 to help set up the touchdown that tied it at 14. Overall, 230 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry and one lost fumble (by Book on a scramble) gives an edge to Notre Dame, which still produced after a first- quarter injury to junior starting running back Jafar Armstrong. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. LOUISVILLE PASS DEFENSE Book did not have his sharpest game, even though the stats (14-of-23 passing for 193 yards with one score) were solid. However, most of the time he did not maintain a pocket presence, bailed perhaps quicker than the staff would have liked and ball placement even on some completions prevented yards after the catch. His best series came in the third quarter when he found senior Chase Clay- pool (five catches for 94 yards) on a crossing route for a 31-yard catch and run, followed by a well-executed seam route to sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble for a 26-yard score and a 28-14 Irish cushion. Tremble's combination of speed and size (6-3½, 235) make him the ideal mismatch across the middle. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Neither team had much, if any, return game. Notre Dame junior Jonathan Doerer with his high kickoffs led to strong coverage, including a tackle at the Louisville 12-yard line — although the Cardinals would go on to march for an 88-yard score. Freshman Jay Bramblett shanked one of his six punts, but the bottom line is Louisville had zero yards in returns. Louisville's Blanton Creque converted the game's lone field goal attempt (42 yards), but this area was not a game changer for either team. ADVANTAGE: Even THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Notre Dame had the edge in percentage (41.7, 5 of 12) versus Louisville (40.0, 6 of 15), but both teams scored two touchdowns with crucial conversions. Offside penalties on Notre Dame helped the Cardinals convert a third-and- seven on its initial touchdown drive, and then a third-and-five on their second possession — with Pass also scoring on a 17-yard run on third-and-one to give Louisville its lone lead (14-7). Notre Dame tied it at 7-7 thanks to a 35-yard run by Jones on third-and-13, and knotted the score again at 14 when Book scampered for a score on third- and-goal from the 11. Notre Dame began 2 of 8 on third down (three times missing on third-and- two or third-and-one), but when Louisville cut it to 28-17 in the fourth quarter, the Irish moved the chains on three straight such situations (third-and-three, third-and-seven and third-and-four) during the touchdown march that sealed the outcome. ADVANTAGE: Even TURNOVERS The Cardinals lost three fumbles to Notre Dame's one, and there were no interceptions. Most devastating to Louisville was that the second lost fumble came the play after the Irish miscue. That set up shop for Notre Dame at the Louisville 20-yard line with 1:03 left until halftime, and the ensuing 11-yard touchdown run by Book on third-and-goal put the Irish ahead for good. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SUMMARY In the first half, Notre Dame did not display the maturity and discipline the coaching staff was anticipating, especially from its veterans. However, after the initial surge by Louisville, the depth of this Fighting Irish began to show while the Cardinals managed only three points in the final 49:08. Better consistency and production from the passing game and shoring up the run defense will be essential for Notre Dame to return to College Football Playoff level performance. ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI Senior wideout Chase Claypool led the Fighting Irish in both receptions (five) and receiving yards (94) versus the Cardinals. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER