Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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injuries]," head coach Brian Kelly said. "They battled as best they could. We're getting everything out of them. They played with great effort — they just made some mistakes. "On zone read, we have great cover- age and we've got two guys playing the wrong coverage — we just made mistakes. When we were lined up properly and in our right fits and do- ing the right things, we did a pretty good job. "We battled. We played with ef- fort and great attitude, and we had a chance with the ball in our own hands with a minute to go and a chance to win. We've got to cash that in and score. That's how I see it." In the 31-28 loss, Notre Dame sur- rendered 30-plus points for the sixth consecutive game, dating back to the 50-43 win over North Carolina Oct. 11. Sophomore cornerback Cole Luke did a fine job limiting projected first- round pick DeVante Parker most of the game, although one of the few times sophomore Devin Butler cov- ered the wide receiver, it resulted in a Louisville score to take a lead it would not relinquish. "[Parker] is going to make his plays; we're going to make ours," Luke said. "You need a short memory or it will affect you the rest of the game." Bonnafon completed only 8 of 21 pass attempts, but threw for 180 yards and displayed his athleticism by rush- ing for a pair of touchdowns. Notre Dame also achieved a rare positive outcome on sudden-change defense in the loss. Following senior quarterback Everett Golson's inter- • Sophomore linebacker Jaylon Smith wore a number different from his customary No. 9 for the second consecutive Senior Day. A year ago, Smith recognized Danny Spond by sporting his No. 13. Spond missed the 2013 season after in- juries forced him to retire before the season. This year, Smith honored senior linebacker Joe Schmidt by wearing his No. 38. "How much Joe has meant, not only to the team but to me, being the heart and soul of our de- fense," Smith said. "I felt like Senior Day, acknowl- edging the fact that it's not about me. It's not about anybody but the seniors this week." Schmidt is expected to return for a fifth year at Notre Dame, though all fourth- and fifth-year seniors partook in the Senior Day festivities. "Next year I'm looking forward to having Joe lit- erally out there with us on Senior Day," Smith said. Freshman defensive lineman Andrew Trum- betti also altered his number. Instead of his usual No. 98, Trumbetti wore No. 69 in honor of senior Tony Springmann who retired before this season due to injuries. • Former Notre Dame quarterback and 1956 Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung partook in the pregame coin toss. Hornung is originally from Louisville. • Sophomore wide receiver Will Fuller notched his 14th touchdown catch of the season, put- ting him one behind the Irish record held by Jeff Samardzija (2005), Rhema McKnight (2006) and Golden Tate (2009). • Freshman Greg Bryant's 61-yard punt return was the longest for Notre Dame under head coach Brian Kelly. • Freshman safety Drue Tranquill recorded his first career interception in the waning seconds of the first half. • Sophomore defensive lineman Jacob Matuska got his first sack of his career. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES