Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Sophomore running back Tarean Folston (18 carries for 134 yards and a score) provided a con- sistency to the attack, although neither a surge at the point of attack nor Golson keeping on the zone read were factors. ADVANTAGE: Even NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. LOUISVILLE DEFENSE Irish receivers made numerous remarkable grabs, from junior Chris Brown climbing high for a 25-yard catch to sophomore Will Fuller finding a deflection in the end zone falling into his hands for a 28-yard score. For the most part, Golson — who completed 16 of 24 throws for 236 yards with two scores and an interception — took a sack or threw the ball away when he had to, but also made a few outstand- ing plays with his maneuverability. Averaging 9.8 yards per attempt is outstanding any day. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Despite the missed 32-yard field goal attempt by senior kicker Kyle Brindza with 51 seconds left in the game, this was one of Notre Dame's better days on special teams. The Irish totaled 212 yards on seven kick and punt returns — highlighted by sophomore running back Greg Bryant's 61-yard punt return — compared to Louisville's 58 yards on three attempts. Prior to Brindza's miss, Louisville also missed on a 37-yard field goal attempt. Brindza did convert his previous two tries from 28 and 37 yards. ADVANTAGE: Notre Dame THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS Louisville was 6 of 14 (42.9 percent) while Notre Dame was 4 of 11 (36.4 percent). More relevant is that on their opening possession the Cardinals converted third-and-14 from their 21 with a 21- yard scamper by running back Michael Dyer on a basic off-tackle play to set up the first touchdown. On third-and-16 the next series, Cardinals quar- terback Reggie Bonnafon found wideout Kai De La Cruz on a 52-yard pass play for another TD drive. In its first 10 games, Notre Dame had limited its opposition to a 4 of 39 (10.3 percent) effort on third downs of 10 or longer yards. The Irish did counter with a seven-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Corey Robinson on third-and-goal (almost a replica of the negated touchdown at Florida State). Also, on third-and-13 from the Louisville 28, sophomore wideout Will Fuller caught a ricochet in the end zone that bounced off Cardinals corner Terell Ford. ADVANTAGE: Even TURNOVERS Both teams had one (an interception on each side), but Louisville's was more meaningful. The Irish interception by freshman safety Drue Tran- quill to end the first half was negligible, with half- time eight seconds away. Conversely, Louisville's interception of an Everett Golson pass that was returned to Notre Dame's 11 set up a 26-yard field goal to give the Cardinals a 17-6 advantage in the second quarter. That ended up to be the point differential in the game. ADVANTAGE: Louisville SUMMARY Notre Dame's defense is in such a precarious state — a combination of attrition with an over- abundance of youth that has been having dif- ficulty grasping a complex scheme — that it 's become understood that the Irish need to score at least 35 points just to give themselves a fighting chance to win. So to emerge with only two touch- downs in five red-zone possessions (and no points on the fifth one) is squandering opportunity. After an abysmal first quarter, the Irish defense allowed only 17 points over the final three quar- ters, and even special teams provided a boost with the return game. The team make-up is that the offense has to carry a greater share of the load, but it has not been up to the task. ✦ ON PAPER REVISITED BY LOU SOMOGYI