Notre Dame’s offense apparently doesn’t like late nights. It prefers to go to bed early. When the sun sets, the world No. 10 Irishman prefers to call it a day.
For the third week in a row, Notre Dame (6-1) suffered a blowout loss in prime time, and No. 25 Louisville (6-0) will have to wait for the Irish defense to hold out long enough for the offense to find a way. I couldn’t do it. The Cardinals used two big-play touchdowns and multiple short fields to defeat Notre Dame 33-20 on Saturday night in front of the largest crowd in Louisville football history.
In retrospect, the Irish’s future struggles may have been evident from the first drive of the game. Sixth-year quarterback Sam Hartman threw an interception on the fourth snap of the game, trying to give his receivers a chance to make a play despite being under. pressure. Freshman Rico Flores Jr. may not have known the jump ball was coming his way. He came on the route earlier than expected and showed his inexperience in not recognizing the situation when Cardinals cornerback Quincy Riley went to pick up the pass.
Louisville turned that into a touchdown and put together a sustained touchdown drive. It was the only touchdown drive of the night, a rarity for Jeff Brohm’s offense.
That pressure didn’t isolate Hartman for long. The Cardinals piled up five sacks and troubled Hartman even more, forcing three interceptions in the same ballpark where Hartman threw three picks a year ago while still at Wake Forest.
“That’s why we won the game,” Brohm said. ABC Immediately after the win, he was surrounded by Louisville fans on the field. “Whenever we win the turnover battle, that’s why we win. … We got to the quarterback and affected him the way we wanted to. That’s why we get into the game. We won.”
Hartman wore a plain gold helmet this time rather than one with the interlocking “WF” letters and played against a different coaching staff, but otherwise the result at L&N Stadium was too much for him. It must have felt familiar.
He gained 254 yards on Saturday, and his only competitive touchdown pass was surprisingly to reserve freshman receiver Jordan Faison, who is well known for his potential exploits in lacrosse. Sent. Hartman’s second touchdown, Notre Dame’s second, came when they were already down three possessions.
This was superficial, as all three of the Cardinals’ field goals in the fourth quarter also came without a first down on the series, and were within blessed field goal range by the Irish offense. Louisville’s offense didn’t have to move the ball. I just had to make sure I didn’t flip it over. Notre Dame’s offense set the stage for the rest of the game.
Some might say Notre Dame was tired tonight. Maybe it’s true.
But the offensive game plan is not dependent on fatigue. And tonight it was strange.— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) October 8, 2023
Scoring overview
1st quarter
6:05 — Louisville Touchdown. Jamari Thrush’s 9-yard pass from Jack Plummer. It’s located after Pong in Block Travelstead. Louisville 7, Notre Dame 0 (12 plays, 70 yards, 7:06)
Second quarter
6:58 — Notre Dame touchdown. Jordan Faison’s 36-yard pass from Sam Hartman. After Spencer Schrader Point. Louisville 7, Notre Dame 7 (11 plays, 88 yards, 5:45)
3rd quarter
13:18 — Notre Dame field goal. Schrader 53 yards. Notre Dame 10, Louisville 7 (4 plays, 4 yards, 1:35)
8:24 — Louisville field goal. Travelstead 44 yards. Notre Dame 10, Louisville 10 (9 plays, 48 yards, 4:54)
5:45 — Louisville Touchdown. Jawar Jordan 45 yard run. After Travelstead Point. Louisville 17, Notre Dame 10 (2 plays, 64 yards, 0:43)
1:06 — Notre Dame field goal. Schrader 54 yards. Louisville 17, Notre Dame 13 (7 plays, 27 yards, 4:39)
4th quarter
11:12 — Louisville Touchdown. Jordan rushes for 21 yards. After Travelstead Point. Louisville 24, Notre Dame 13 (11 plays, 75 yards, 4:54)
7:31 — Louisville field goal. Travelstead 45 yards. Louisville 27, Notre Dame 13 (4 plays, 7 yards, 2:18)
5:02 — Louisville field goal. Travelstead 32 yards. Louisville 30, Notre Dame 13 (4 plays, -4 yards, 2:18)
3:12 — Louisville field goal. Travelstead 35 yards. Louisville 33, Notre Dame 13 (4 plays, 8 yards, 0:22)
1:35 — Notre Dame touchdown. Mitchell Evans, 6-yard pass from Hartman. Louisville 33, Notre Dame 20 (7 plays, 75 yards, 1:37)