Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 OCT. 12, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. Defense Proves Time And Again Freeman's Faith Is Warranted Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman made the controversial decision to run senior quarter- back Riley Leonard up the middle on fourth-and-3 from the Louisville 46-yard line with a 10-point lead in the early fourth quarter. Leonard gained 2. Cardinals football. But Free- man wasn't concerned. "I know the game gets close, but we have a lot of confidence in our defense," Freeman said. "It's why I'm so aggressive as a coach on fourth down. You got a lot of confidence in your defense." And why wouldn't he? That defense has consis- tently risen to the task. After the failed fourth down, Louisville made it to Irish territory but not much further. Graduate student nickel back Jordan Clark (a pass breakup) and junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison (a quar- terback hit that nearly became a sack-fumble- touchdown) both made plays, and Notre Dame forced a 56-yard field goal attempt. The kick went in, but the Irish will take that any day. Some will point to Louisville's 395 total yards. That number would be 437 if not for a botched punt snap. But while Notre Dame often bent, it rarely broke, save for a couple short fields. The Cardinals ended drives of 46 yards (fumble), 48 yards (interception), 60 yards (turnover on downs) and 45 yards (punt) without points. That's what a playmaking defense does. 2. Opening Drive Was Paramount, And Leonard & Co. Crushed It How easily could this game have gone com- pletely off the rails for Notre Dame? After graduate student Devyn Ford fumbled the opening kickoff and Louisville's ensuing touch- down, the Irish absolutely, positively had to put together a successful first drive. They did just that, marching 75 yards on 12 plays. The last six came on sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love's first of two touchdowns in Week 5. In particular, Leonard was extremely sharp. He com- pleted 5 of 6 passes, including a 5-yard sprint-out to senior wide receiver Jayden Thomas on fourth-and-3. Even though Thomas didn't catch another pass, he left his mark on this game. That was a huge play, and he ran one of the best routes any Notre Dame wideout has run all season on a short comeback. "We did a great job on offense of emphasiz- ing and having the urgency to start really fast," Leonard said. 3. Offensive Line Remains Significant Concern Notre Dame stagnated in the second half for a few reasons, not the least of which was the of- fensive line. Holes in the run game were few and far between, as the Irish ran 15 times for 43 yards (2.9 yards per carry). The passing game — aside from a five- play, 75-yard touchdown drive — was exceedingly cautious, because they were leading the whole time and understandably concerned about Ashton Gillotte and company making an impact play and turning the tide. It's hard to score when you're losing the line of scrimmage on offense. When it faces a strong front four like Louisville and Texas A&M, the Irish can expect to lose the line of scrimmage on offense. 4. That Was A Dang Good Team Irish Beat Speaking of which, for Irish fans upset their team didn't win by more, Louisville's No. 15 ranking is justified. The Cardinals are strong in both trenches. They have two terrific senior wide receivers; Ja'Corey Brooks caught 2 touchdowns and Caullin Lacy — in his first game of the season — showed off what he can do with a superb one-handed catch. Both finished with 5 catches for 71 yards. The biggest question about Louisville entering the season was seventh-year quarterback Tyler Shough, and he looked awfully impressive. Shough made some off-platform throws that I was un- aware he had in his bag, and the 1 interception was not his fault. The Cardinals are a legitimate contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference. 5. Need To See Consistency After Bye Week In its first three offensive possessions, all touch- downs, Notre Dame's offense showed its ceiling. Leonard ran wild. So did Love. The line did its job. The receivers made plays; it is impossible to overstate how much the Irish needed to get sophomore Jaden Greathouse going, and it would do wonders for them if he can build on his 4-catch, 61-yard performance. "That's the offense," Freeman said. "That's a perfect drive on offense." Everything was smooth. Everything was in rhythm. And then, in the second half, it ground to a halt. The defense does not get off scot-free here, by the way. At one point, Louisville was averaging 5.6 yards per carry. That included a 42-yard loss on the misfired snap. But mostly for the offense, consistency will be the name of the game during the bye. Figure out what worked and build on it. It's obviously not that simple, but the Irish now have real-life evidence of the offense working as intended. If Notre Dame can harness that on a regular basis, it might have saved its season for a purpose in Week 5. FIVE THOUGHTS BY JACK SOBLE Graduate student defensive tackle Rylie Mills and the Irish defense bent, allowing 395 total yards to Louisville, but didn't break while making several key stops. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER