Notre Dame's Win Over Louisville Is Bigger Than You Think

This huge Irish win over Louisville will fly under the radar in the grand scheme of things

Notre Dame celebrates winning a NCAA college football game 31-24 against 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 gets revenge against Louisville in hard-fought battle

Notre Dame got revenge on Louisville in a hard-fought battle in South Bend Saturday afternoon. This game was not pretty, it was not a work of art, it will not be remembered as some instant classic, but it was a critically important game for Freeman and Notre Dame.

The implications of a loss against the Cardinals would have been catastrophic. It would've likely ended Notre Dame's playoff hopes and handed Freeman his second loss at home in September of his 3rd year at the helm.

This would've been a nightmare scenario. And it was avoided. This is a major credit to the Irish program that was feeling the pressure entering this critical week.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) breaks free from a tackle on his way to score 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

This win was critical to keeping the season's dreams alive

While the Northern Illinois loss certainly lives on, Notre Dame also now has 2 top 25 ranked wins in the early part of the 2024 season, and that's something to lean on.

The Irish can now focus on health and getting better over the 2-week break heading into a string of what should be very winnable games starting the second half of the schedule.

With so many injuries piling up, it's going to be really interesting to see how Notre Dame navigates the second half of this schedule. Can depth players and freshmen pick up the slack and play winning football week to week? This is a tough task but may be what is needed to call 2024 a success in any form or fashion.

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