Game Thread | No. 9 Notre Dame at Louisville

No. 9 Notre Dame at Louisville 

Cardinal Stadium |8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN

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And So it Begins 

It’s here. Notre Dame had to wait a few extra days, but football season is officially here for the Fighting Irish. First-year Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield will make his debut and he’ll likely have his hands full on Monday night as the Irish enter the game as the far superior team. 

Louisville has 18 players who started at least five games last season, so the Cardinals are experienced, but it is the same players who gave up in the middle of the 2018 season. 

Notre Dame simply needs to execute and stay out of their own way to leave Louisville with a victory. If the Irish can build good habits, it would be a positive as Notre Dame is looking to get back to the College Football Playoff. 

Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame WR Chase Claypool
He had a dominant fall camp after a terrific spring. Now we get to see if it translates to the games. Look for him to win consistently on the 50/50 balls. He should have a big day on his way to a monster senior season.

Louisville LB Rodjay Burns
Burns started nine games at cornerback last season, but struggled like most players on Louisville's defense did. He moved to linebacker and is playing their version of the Rover. Can he cover a slot like Lawrence Keys? Expect to see Burns blitzing quite a bit.

Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton
How much will Hamilton play? We don't know, but everyone is excited to find out. No one will be shocked if he ends up making an impact play or two even if he's only sees limited action in his first action in college football.

Louisville WR Tutu Atwell
The smallest player on Louisville's roster is probably the fastest. If they are going to have a chance in this matchup, they need someone like Atwell to produce an explosive play. 

Notre Dame LB Drew White
All eyes will be on the linebacker position and White in his first start. He has big shoes to fill at Mike linebacker and must play well to keep his spot. It will be interesting to see how many snaps he plays compared to others who will play at inside linebacker.

By The Numbers 

1 - Notre Dame will be playing its first game ever on Labor Day Monday.

2 - Monday will be the second meeting between Notre Dame and Louisville. 

11 - Notre Dame has won 11 consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium. It's the third-longest winning streak at home for the Irish since the stadium opened in 1930. 

77 - Notre Dame 13-4 (.765) all-time in season-opening prime time games.

200 - Notre Dame is the only FBS program with three different 200-yard rushers in the last two seasons. 

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame QB Ian Book:
“I feel like every game at Notre Dame is a statement game. We have a big target on our back. There are a lot of haters and doubters. There is a lot of talk about not being in a conference and winning every game.
 
“We know that. We try to treat every game like a playoff game. We definitely want to go 1-0. That’s what we’re thinking about and focused on.”

Notre Dame S Alohi Gilman:
“We’re not sitting back on Monday night. This game doesn’t have to be close.”
 
Notre Dame DE Khalid Kareem:
“We were right there. We tasted it. We were a game away from a National Championship. We’re hungry and ready. This group of guys is a very talented group of people. We can go out and show the world what we can do.” 

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly:
“I'll just leave it at this. One guy that we haven't talked much about, and I will just say that he's had his best camp since he's been here is Daelin Hayes. I think that says a lot about what we can do when we haven't talked about a guy like that.”

For Your Nerves