Recap: Notre Dame outlasts Louisville
Louisville football showed plenty of fight against ninth-ranked Notre Dame, but the Irish defeated the Cardinals 28-17 in the season opener Sept. 2 at Cardinal Stadium. The Cardinals were outscored by 18 points after the first quarter in Scott Satterfield’s debut as Louisville’s head coach.
Jawon Pass completed 12 of 27 passes for 134 yards while rushing for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Javian Hawkins rushed for 122 yards on 19 carries for Louisville.
Ian Book completed 14 of 23 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. Tony Jones Jr. rushed for 110 yards for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame made things look easy on its first drive. The Irish went 75 yards in six plays to take a 7-0 less than three minutes into the game. Jahmir Smith scored from three yards on an Irish drive that utilized three run plays against a team that had one of the worst ranked run defenses in the country last season.
The Cardinals quickly answered. Seth Hawkins had a one-handed catch for an 18-yard reception to help kickstart a drive that relied primarily on running the football. Pass had carries for 11 and 13 yards while Javian Hawkins had a 15-yard run to bring Louisville into the red zone.
Pass scored from eight yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:27 left in the first quarter.
Jawon Pass rushed for two touchdowns against Notre Dame.
After the Cardinal defense forced a three-and-out on Notre Dame’s second drive, Louisville took its first lead of the season.
Hawkins had a 44-yard run on third-and-5 to bring the ball to the 30-yard-line. Three plays later, Pass scored from 17 yards to give Louisville a 14-7 lead with 4:08 left in the first quarter.
Notre Dame returned to the run game on its next drive without any issues. The Irish went 75 yards, including a 35-yard run by Tony Jones Jr. on third-and-13 from the 45-yard line. Jones scored from 11 yards to even the score.
The Irish ended the first quarter averaging 10 yards per carry.
Both defenses firmed up in the second quarter, but Notre Dame took the lead following a wild sequence to end the first half.
Pass fumbled on a third-and-10 with 1:17 left in the second quarter that allowed Notre Dame to recover on the Louisville 26-yard line. One play later, Book fumbled on a run, which was recovered by Dorian Etheridge.
The momentum swings continued to go back-and-forth as Pass fumbled the snap and Notre Dame recovered.
Notre Dame converted on the great field position a second time around. Book scored from 11 yards on third-and-goal with 17 seconds left before halftime to give Notre Dame a 21-14 advantage.
Louisville’s opening drive of the second half had some potential, but ended in a lost fumble. Hawkins gained the first 18 yards on three carries while Hassan Hall rushed for 16 yards on a third-and-2 from the Notre Dame 40-yard line.
Pass fumbled for the third time to return the ball to Notre Dame on the 22-yard line with 11:34 left in the third quarter. Louisville’s defense forced a three-and-out following the turnover, but couldn’t picked up a first down on its ensuing drive.
Notre Dame capitalized on good position, going 57 yards in two plays, both passes, as Tommy Tremble hauled in a 26-yard touchdown catch to give Notre Dame a 28-14 lead with 8:06 left in the third quarter.
After disappointing drives in the third quarter, Louisville put points on the board early in the fourth quarter. Marshon Ford hauled in a 37-yard reception on third-and-5 on the final play of the third quarter to take the ball to the Notre Dame 26-yard line.
Louisville’s drive stalled, but Blanton Creque made a 42-yard field goal with 13:25 left to cut Louisville’s deficit to 28-17.
If the game wasn’t already over, Notre Dame put it away with a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Smith for a 35-17 lead with 8:15 left in the fourth quarter.
