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
Never miss the latest news from Irish Sports Daily!
That was an insanely infuriating and unnecessary three and out.
Ugh.
Ian Book is total garbage. How can you be a captain and play like a such a pansy? He should he completely embarrassed. At least after this loss we can jettison him tot the bench for the sake of the future. Even though PJ is probably way worse.
1st and 10, easy catch and then he breaks the tackle and all he has to do is move forward and he gets the first. Instead he cuts back and it's 9 instead.
Second play, Book fumbles a first down and turns it into a 3rd and 1.
Then our OL gets absolutely owned up front by an insanely undersized front.
That was an insanely infuriating and unnecessary three and out.
Ugh.
Ian Book is total garbage. How can you be a captain and play like a such a pansy? He should he completely embarrassed. At least after this loss we can jettison him tot the bench for the sake of the future. Even though PJ is probably way worse.
That was an insanely infuriating and unnecessary three and out.
Ugh.
Ian Book is total garbage. How can you be a captain and play like a such a pansy? He should he completely embarrassed. At least after this loss we can jettison him tot the bench for the sake of the future. Even though PJ is probably way worse.
Wow. Our 3rd down play calling has done absolutely zero to pressure the L'vile defense. It's like watching us call plays on 3rd down in slow motion. So unaggressive. We must have 3rd down plays on the call sheet. Right?
This team seems to have traits that have been problems for years. Slow start. Can't run on 3rd and short. Regression for 2nd year QB. Poor recruiting leading to spots teams can expose (this year is LB). I kept my mouth shut until I saw the product on the field. Book can't handle the blitz. It's 8-4 folks. The Georgia game is going to be unwatchable. Oh well last year was a lot of fun!
BLG
Yes, reminds me of the Miami game from a couple years ago. At least they're getting it out of the way early this time around.