Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Notre Dame

Here are the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Louisville football's matchup at Notre Dame:

Notre Dame's Sam Hartman gets ready to take the snap against Louisville at L&N Stadium. / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has a massive showdown on tap for this weekend. The Cardinals are hitting the road for the first time this season, and will be taking on Notre Dame in South Bend for a ranked showdown.

Here are some of the more notable storylines heading into Saturday's game:

Injury Report

In football, injuries are an unfortunate inevitability. For both Louisville and Notre Dame, the collective availability report ahead of their matchup is quite a lenghthy one.

For Louisville, they will be without wide receiver Jadon Thompson after he suffered a season-ending knee injury vs. Georgia Tech. Starting running back Maurice Turner is unlikely to play as well due to a foot injury, and star cornerback Quincy Riley is a game-time decision as well for the same reason.

There is some potentially good injury news though. Wide receiver Caullin Lacy has been out since the end of fall camp due to a broken collarbone, but was fully dressed in pre-game vs. the Yellow Jackets and went through warm-ups.

As for Notre Dame, they have arguably been bit even harder by the injury bug than Louisville has.

Projected starting left tackle Charles Jagusah suffered a season-ending injury in fall camp, starting center Ashton Craig suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Purdue game, plus starting right guard Billy Schrauth is likely out after suffering an ankle injury against the Boilermakers - and that's just on the offensive line.

Starting edge rusher Jordan Bothelo hurt his right knee in the Purdue game and is out for the year, starting tight end Cooper Flanagan (ankle) is out, and backup defensive lineman Joshua Burnham (ankle) is questionable. Additionally, backup cornerback Jaden Mickey announced his intention to redshirt and transfer earlier this week.

Louisville Excited for Opportunity to Prove Itself Against Notre Dame

It's early in the season, but the matchup between No. 15/17 Louisville and No. 16/14 Notre Dame has potentially massive implications when it comes to the College Football Playoff. For Louisville 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.”

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, there's also the revenge factor for the Cardinals' 33-20 win over the Irish last season.

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."

Penalties Arise in Louisville's First Matchup Against Power Competition

With Louisville having an extremely light start to their 2024 season, there were still a lot of questions as to what the Cardinals could be capable of when they face their first team with a pulse. Against Georgia Tech, some questions were answered and a few strengths were validated, but some concerns came up as well.

One of the biggest concerns was how sloppy at times the Cardinals looked against the Yellow Jackets, primarily in the form of penalties. Louisville committed seven penalties, with three of them negating offensive gains of 20-plus yards. Two of their penalties came on defense, with one helping assist the Yellow Jackets on their touchdown drive that came right before halftime.

But if you ask head coach Jeff Brohm, he's not overly concerned with the penalties in Louisville's ACC opener, and believe they can be corrected in their week of practice prior to the Notre Dame game.

"They were kind of unique penalties that we can get fixed," he said. "One was a screen that we're supposed to get the line of scrimmage, the nose tackle kind of didn't rush, so we had to get in the second window, and he went up field a yard. The other one was an unfortunate block below the waist that we can't have, on a little bit of a trick play. Then a couple untimely holding calls.

"I just think, for the most part, this year we've been pretty good. We just got to make sure to clean it up as much as we can, because, yes, it took away some big momentum swings for us."

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard Excelling as a Runner, Struggling as a Passer

One of the biggest matchups to watch this weekend is how well Louisville can defend Notre Dame dual threat quarterback Riley Leonard. The former Duke signal caller transferred in this past offseason, and so far, Leonard has been one of the best running quarterbacks in the FBS. In four games, he has ran for 322 yards and six touchdowns. Among non-service academy FBS quarterbacks, Leonard's yardage total ranks third, while his touchdown total is tied for the national lead.

This matchup is intriguing because, On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Louisville has had some trouble when it comes to defending a running quarterback. In the Cardinals' game against Jacksonville State, Tyler Huff was able to run for 101 yards plus a touchdown. Last week against Georgia Tech, Haynes King compiled a team-best 58 yards and a score of his own on the ground.

"We work hard at it, but I wouldn't say we've been great at it," Brohm said about his team's ability to defend a dual threat QB. "Jacksonville State's quarterback ran for a lot of yards on us. Georgia Tech's quarterback ran for some yards on us. We've got to get better at it.

Conversely, Leonard has been severely lacking when it comes to actually throwing the football. In four games, he has completed 63.1 percent of his passes, but thrown for just 587 yards, one touchdown and thrown two interceptions as well. He has also shown almost zero capability and interest in stretching the ball vertically down field as well.

According to Pro Football Focus, of the 45 power conference quarterbacks (Notre Dame included) with at least 100 drop backs, Leonard has: the sixth-worst NFL QBR at 72.9, the fifth-lowest average depth of target at 7.0 yards, and is tied for the fewest "big time throws" at two.

LouisvilleTransfer QB Tyler Shough Performing Well to Start Season

When it comes to recruiting out of the transfer portal (or really, recruiting in general), nothing is a guarantee. This is especially the case when it comes to the quarterback position.

Across the college football landscape, we've seen handful of transfer signal caller not pan out so far this season. Some of the most noteworthy examples are Florida State's D.J. Uiagalelei, NC State's Grayson McCall and Kentucky's Brock Vandagriff.

But on the other end of the spectrum, a handful of transfer quarterbacks have done very well at their new home. One of the most notable examples is that of Louisville's Tyler Shough.

“Well there are risks involved without question,"Brohm said in regards to portla recruiting. "It’s not like you can go and fully scout them and get to know them. Things have to happen fast, and you need to do your research. and you’ve got to trust what you see, but also get to know the individual as fast as you can, because that position is very important.

"Luckily for us. Tyler has come in and done a great job and really led this football team really well through three games. Of course we've got many tough games ahead of us, but to this point. he’s played very well and has been a great addition for us.” 

In three games, Shough has completed 68.5 percent of his throws for 850 yards and eight touchdowns with zero interceptions. His is 283.3 passing yards per game is 18th in the FBS, and third among quarterbacks who have yet to throw an interception. In fact, he's the first Louisville quarterback to throw for at least eight touchdowns in the first three games of a season with no interceptions.

(Photo via Scott Utterback: Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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