Jeff Brohm, Louisville 'Excited' for Opportunity to Face Notre Dame

The Cardinals will face the Fighting Irish in a ranked matchup in South Bend.

Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm walks through the card march ahead of their game on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For every single college football team, each season, there are always a few games that mean just a little bit more. Whether they be rivalry games, ranked matchups or ones with significant conference title race implications, these are the game that you circle on the calendar whenever the schedule gets released.

For the Louisville football program, their first game circled on the calendar is finally here.

After starting the 2024 season with a 3-0 record, that undefeated mark is getting put to the test this weekend. The Cardinals will not only be hitting the road for the first time this weekend, they will heading up north for a ranked showdown with one of the most recognizable brands in football: Notre Dame.

While this showdown has no repercussions on Louisville's race to get back to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game, the game between the No. 15/17 Cardinals and No. 16/14 Fighting Irish has potentially massive implications when it comes to the College Football Playoff. For UofL head coach Jeff Brohm, he's excited for the opportunity for his team to prove their worth on a national stage against a national brand.

"Definitely excited about this weekend and the opportunity ahead for our football team," he said. "It will be a great chance to test and see exactly how we stack up against one of the nation’s best. I know our team is looking forward to having a great week of practice and trying to get better each and every day and going out there and trying to play our best on Saturday.”

Ironically, Brohm's first major statement made as the head coach of his alma mater came against the Fighting Irish last season. In a top-25 matchup last October between No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 25 Louisville, the latter was able to pull off the upset at L&N Stadium, winning 33-20 to continue their undefeated start to the 2023 season and effectively derail ND's chances at making the College Football Playoff.

While this matchup is heading north to Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., there are some similar storylines from last season. Notre Dame (3-1) has already dropped one game, a disastrous home loss to NIU, and will be looking to earn a ranked win to potentially get back in the CFP mix. Meanwhile, Louisville (3-0, 1-0 ACC) is looking to continue an unblemished start to their season, and prove to the college football world that they can potentially be a factor in the CFP race.

Of course, long term repercussions aside, Brohm is fully aware that Notre Dame will certainly be wanting to seek revenge for how last season's matchup played out.

"Well because the game didn’t go the way they wanted to last year, we expect their best," he said. "They will be ready to play, and they will be fired up to win this football game. So that’s why we have to worry about ourselves, have a great week of practice, and come ready to play. We can’t have a lot of mistakes and there’s things we have to correct from this past week that we can’t do again, in order to keep this game close as long as can and figure out a way to win in the end. So, without question we expect their best and they will be ready to play.”

Additionally, even in this age of college football where rosters can flip on their head over the course of a single offseason, there are some similarities to last year's Notre Dame team. The Irish still boast one of the top defenses in the country, allowing just 268.7 yards per game for the 22nd-ranked unit in the country. It's a defense bolstered by All-American candidates Xavier Watts, Benjamin Morrison and Howard Cross III, all of whom are returning from last year.

While there's a few more new faces on offense, there's still an element of familiarity here. Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, whom Louisville faced and defeated 23-0 last season at L&N Stadium, entered the transfer portal and is now the man under center for Notre Dame. Add in a prolific ground game, and the Irish post the 14th-ranked offense in the FBS at 502.3 yards per game.

"On defense, they’re really good," Brohm said. "They’re well coached and they understand the package and they challenge you, they get after the quarterback and they hit him a lot. Really good up front, two outstanding defensive tackles that are really highly ranked. My old teammate, Roman Oben, his son [RJ Oben] is a defensive end transfer who’s done a good job. Their linebackers have played for a long time, they’re really good. The secondary, two outstanding players - corner and safety - and the others that are really good. So we’ll have to play well and we’ll have to be sharp in all aspects.

"And of course on offense, they pride themselves on running the ball and, with this quarterback [Riley Leonard], it presents more challenges. He can run the ball and he can throw it as well, but he will use his feet, they will have designated runs for him, they will make you account for him and all the plays and formations they have, which is challenging. We have to prevent him from getting yards in the running game and that will be a challenge for us and they’ve been really good at it.” 

While it will undoubtedly be a challenge to knock off Notre Dame in South Bend, both Brohm and the team as a whole know what a potential win over the Irish could mean for the program. Not only could it give them a sense of validation that they do belong amoung the sport's top teams, but a win could serve as a springboard to bigger and better things for the rest of the season.

"This is a huge stage for our team," Brohm said. "To go up there and play in this atmosphere against a really good opponent can be a huge momentum swing in our direction if we can find a way to win, without question. It gives your team credibility and definitely elevates your program, so this is one of those games that you’ve got to take advantage of.

"You’ve got to come ready to play, you’ve got to give it everything you’ve got, you’ve got to lay it on the line, you’ve got to be aggressive and take some shots, and you’ve got to try to win. So, our team hopefully will prepare well this week. I think we understand what this game means. It’s important like every game, but this is just a great opponent, in their venue, and that can be special if we find a way to win.” 

Kickoff between Louisville and Notre Dame is set for Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Clare Grant - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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