Notre Dame Football Gets Huge Program Win Over Louisville

Notre Dame battles to earn the win it had to have over Louisville.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) falls into the end zone for a touchdown during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame 31, Louisville 24

Irish enter off week with playoff dreams intact

This was a win Notre Dame had to have. The practical and perceptual repercussions of a loss would have been catastrophic. Two losses, at home mind you, before the calendar turns to October would be the worst-case scenario.

Notre Dame's players and coaches knew this. They felt this. And they responded with a hard-fought win against a tough team. Was it a thing of beauty?

No. Does the offense run smoothly like a vintage corvette? Not often enough. Are the Irish fairly healthy? Not even close. The team won anyway. This was a hard-fought "program" win. Exactly what Notre Dame needed.

DOWN GOES #15 LOUISVILLE.#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/pIsD3BkFyS

— Notre Dame Fighting Irish (@Insidetheirish) September 28, 2024

Injuries are piling up for Notre Dame

While Notre Dame ultimately won the day on the field, it was a costly battle. Added onto an already long injury list are front-line players like Boubacar Traore and Jordan Faison among others who both hobbled off the field in pain. This is the last thing Notre Dame could afford.

The program will certainly welcome the bye week and it is needed given how banged up the team is. While the squad is still a bit of a week-to-week enigma, it got the job done today against a tough opponent. This was a terrific win.

The next question becomes, coming out of the bye how much better can Notre Dame get? Is such a large amount of injuries insurmountable or can the Irish trend up and get better weekly as the season rolls along into the second half?

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