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Notre Dame Football

Game Thread | No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 25 Louisville

October 7, 2023
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No. 10 Notre Dame (5-1) at No. 25 Louisville (5-0)

Cardinal Stadium | 7:30 PM ET | ABC | Line: Notre Dame -6.5 | O/U: 53.5

Game Week Articles | Roster | Depth Chart Schedule | 


Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III
Cross just had a dominant performance against Duke and he's been playing well all season. He's going to be a handful for Louisville's interior offensive line to block and at this point another disruptive performance from him should be an expectation.

Louisville WR Jamari Thrash
Thrash is averaging over 20 yards per reception and is one of the best receivers after the catch in the country. NC State was able to limit him to only three catches and everyone should expect that Notre Dame will give him extra attention in coverage other than the occasional one on one vs Benjamin Morrison.

Notre Dame WR Rico Flores Jr.
Flores played more because of injuries at receiver last week, but he's likely to keep playing more because he keeps proving himself in big situations. Even with Jaden Greathouse and Jayden Thomas back, Flores should continue to see an expanded role in Notre Dame's offense.

Louisville DE Ashton Gillotte
Gillote is a problem off the edge and consistently gets pressure. He has five sacks on the season. Louisville has another very good edge rusher in Stephon Herron and with that in mind, expect Notre Dame to keep these two off-balance by mixing in more quick game.

Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
Watts made a great play on his second interception of the season last week and he should be heavily involved this week with the amount of play-action Louisville runs. Notre Dame's safeties are going to be critically important in limiting an offense that has done most of its damage with big plays in the passing game.


Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman:
“We’re always trying to improve as a tackling team. There’s no perfect tackling team in the country. One missed tackle is too much. How do we continue to work on the fundamentals of tackling? Is it a tracking issue? Are we tracking in the right way? Is it a footwork issue? Is it a leverage issue? All those different things we see in a game, we have to continue to attack in practice and continue to work on it.” 

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker:
“That's why I love our staff. I think there's so much trust within our staff. And it starts with everybody, because everybody has a role here that's important in our game planning and how we execute and how we coach our rooms. I don't want to micromanage that. We have gifted people around us that are great at their jobs. My job is just to help support them and make them feel great about being here at Notre Dame and us having a work environment that allows that. And I think it's awesome. And that's what I've always wanted. I think when somebody knows their voice matters, it makes their work matter more. And I think it's where we're at.” 

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden:
”I think we have a veteran group. We've definitely made some changes internally, not really worth sharing. I think the guys know it was unacceptable, and I think they’ve responded to the challenge. I think they're doing a really good job of taking the game plan to the field, and I think the staff does a great job. I really do. I think the staff has done a great job and, again, I hate talking about this stuff midweek. We’ve got a long way to go, and we're going to get challenged Saturday in the red [zone]. And we better be good.”  

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love:
”I have to really focus on the small things," said Love. "Details matter. When I’m in, I actually have to know what I'm doing. Coach says clarity equals velocity. If you know what you're doing, you'll be able to play faster and perform better.” 

Notre Dame OL Blake Fisher:
”I would say offensively for us, it’s just making sure we got the right snap counts and we’re hearing the right things. We’re all five playing as one. The offense goes as we go. It’s about making sure us as leaders are kind of taking control and making sure everyone is dialed into the task at hand.” 

Notre Dame DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste:
” I’m used to playing at noon. But it is what it is. I’d just say that when it comes to playing night games, you’ve just got to be able to control your fire. You can’t let your energy be wasted too early in the day and you’ve just got to relax and make sure that you’re able to go when the time comes.”

Notre Dame LB Marist Liufau:
”It’s definitely been an emotional rollercoaster the past two weeks. It always feels good to win. Obviously, this past week felt great for us. It was just a huge boost for us. I think we’re rolling into this week with that win. It’s been a great service for us in our mindset going into this next week.” 


TEAM STATS

STAT NOTRE DAME LOUISVILLE
Total Yards 461.2 494.8
Passing  269.0 301.0
Rushing 192.2 193.8
Yards Allowed 271.0 327.8
Passing Allowed 146.8 218.2
Rushing Allowed 124.2 109.6

For Your Nerves 


PRESSERS

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Game Thread | No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 25 Louisville

246,157 Views | 1402 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by Robert Morris
blairkiel
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Wiggs4Irish said:

D has been really good if we're honest.
They give up so many yards, first downs
And rarely have a play that ends in a loss

They don't give up a ton of points, but it's brutal to watch
Mike Frank
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Staff
I keep saying it because it's true. It's the run play design. You cannot expect to run well when you put so many players in the box. That then puts their entire defense in the box and there is literally nowhere to run. And the crazy thing is, they NEVER run outside when they have these formations. If everyone is in the box, there is room to make plays outside.

It's a terrible design, and even a D as average at Louisville can shut it down if you don't do anything to counter it.

Just terrible!

Mike
Brucealeg
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Sgt Hulka said:

Auream said:

3 straight games the offense is utterly pathetic… I really like Hartman, but there's a reason he's a 6th year

Our WRs are slow… O line is weak… and OC is just putrid


Tough to play QB when he has no WR's to throw to, a line that's a sieve, and an OC who's clueless
Agreed, let's calling it like it is. When the line and WR play is good, he light it up. Without it, he's keeping us in it. Get a smidge or protection / production and this course corrects.
MattPaulND
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blairkiel said:

Wiggs4Irish said:

D has been really good if we're honest.
They give up so many yards, first downs
And rarely have a play that ends in a loss

They don't give up a ton of points, but it's brutal to watch


Cause of many ulcers.
What do I know?
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Having watched Diggs play today for LSU, he would definitely be a valuable addition to this team.
Brucealeg
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Mike Frank said:

I keep saying it because it's true. It's the run play design. You cannot expect to run well when you put so many players in the box. That then puts their entire defense in the box and there is literally nowhere to run. And the crazy thing is, they NEVER run outside when they have these formations. If everyone is in the box, there is room to make plays outside.

It's a terrible design, and even a D as average at Louisville can shut it down if you don't do anything to counter it.

Just terrible!

Mike
Agreed and ND was called out by the announcers tonight. 9 men in the box and we run right at it. Get 2 RB in the backfield and have both go wide, hit open man.
geckovip
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Mike Frank said:

I keep saying it because it's true. It's the run play design. You cannot expect to run well when you put so many players in the box. That then puts their entire defense in the box and there is literally nowhere to run. And the crazy thing is, they NEVER run outside when they have these formations. If everyone is in the box, there is room to make plays outside.

It's a terrible design, and even a D as average at Louisville can shut it down if you don't do anything to counter it.

Just terrible!

Mike


I never played the game and I can see that. Why can't Freeman?
TripperHarrison
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Online looks tired. Not having an early bye week is a killer.
irishdane20
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java said:

Not off the Freeman bandwagon yet but I am edging my way towards the exit. This team is getting very "Weis" like


I don't want Freeman fired. I want to know why the saddle him with Rees, then sabotage the Ludwig-OL Coach fiasco. Give your low hanging fruit Swar***** special hire everything he needs to succeed.
Mike Frank
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Staff
I've seen enough. I cracked a beer!

Mike
java
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Brucealeg said:

Sgt Hulka said:

Auream said:

3 straight games the offense is utterly pathetic… I really like Hartman, but there's a reason he's a 6th year

Our WRs are slow… O line is weak… and OC is just putrid


Tough to play QB when he has no WR's to throw to, a line that's a sieve, and an OC who's clueless
Agreed, let's calling it like it is. When the line and WR play is good, he light it up. Without it, he's keeping us in it. Get a smidge or protection / production and this course corrects.

If you want to call it like it is... he's really good when playing really bad competition. He's pretty bad when playing good competition
theoriginalndmom
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Maybe Sam should just call the plays!
Sgt Hulka
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Ding, ding, ding!!!!
rmirish
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Mike Frank said:

I keep saying it because it's true. It's the run play design. You cannot expect to run well when you put so many players in the box. That then puts their entire defense in the box and there is literally nowhere to run. And the crazy thing is, they NEVER run outside when they have these formations. If everyone is in the box, there is room to make plays outside.

It's a terrible design, and even a D as average at Louisville can shut it down if you don't do anything to counter it.

Just terrible!

Mike
Could you please send this to the coaches for us?
geckovip
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Meanwhile I want to slap the Golden Bachelor silly.
Brucealeg
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java said:

Brucealeg said:

Sgt Hulka said:

Auream said:

3 straight games the offense is utterly pathetic… I really like Hartman, but there's a reason he's a 6th year

Our WRs are slow… O line is weak… and OC is just putrid


Tough to play QB when he has no WR's to throw to, a line that's a sieve, and an OC who's clueless
Agreed, let's calling it like it is. When the line and WR play is good, he light it up. Without it, he's keeping us in it. Get a smidge or protection / production and this course corrects.

If you want to call it like it is... he's really good when playing really bad competition. He's pretty bad when playing good competition
That's crap. He cant throw and catch the ball.
leofitz
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theoriginalndmom said:

Maybe Sam should just call the plays!
Can he even audible?
rmirish
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java said:

Brucealeg said:

Sgt Hulka said:

Auream said:

3 straight games the offense is utterly pathetic… I really like Hartman, but there's a reason he's a 6th year

Our WRs are slow… O line is weak… and OC is just putrid


Tough to play QB when he has no WR's to throw to, a line that's a sieve, and an OC who's clueless
Agreed, let's calling it like it is. When the line and WR play is good, he light it up. Without it, he's keeping us in it. Get a smidge or protection / production and this course corrects.

If you want to call it like it is... he's really good when playing really bad competition. He's pretty bad when playing good competition
Goes for the whole offense
Brucealeg
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Can we start with why the line is regressing?
MattPaulND
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Brucealeg said:

Mike Frank said:

I keep saying it because it's true. It's the run play design. You cannot expect to run well when you put so many players in the box. That then puts their entire defense in the box and there is literally nowhere to run. And the crazy thing is, they NEVER run outside when they have these formations. If everyone is in the box, there is room to make plays outside.

It's a terrible design, and even a D as average at Louisville can shut it down if you don't do anything to counter it.

Just terrible!

Mike
Agreed and ND was called out by the announcers tonight. 9 men in the box and we run right at it. Get 2 RB in the backfield and have both go wide, hit open man.


I think Stevie Wonder just made a similar comment.
donahue
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Mike Frank said:

I keep saying it because it's true. It's the run play design. You cannot expect to run well when you put so many players in the box. That then puts their entire defense in the box and there is literally nowhere to run. And the crazy thing is, they NEVER run outside when they have these formations. If everyone is in the box, there is room to make plays outside.

It's a terrible design, and even a D as average at Louisville can shut it down if you don't do anything to counter it.

Just terrible!

Mike


I just don't understand why if this is the problem how can guys who get paid a lot of money fail to recognize it? Is there something we're missing or is it just this obvious?
goldendomer21103
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Mike Frank said:

I've seen enough. I cracked a beer!

Mike


You held off way longer than me…
donahue
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Mike Frank said:

I've seen enough. I cracked a beer!

Mike


A beer or a Coors Light?
Ryan_ATL
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Switch out Hartman for the previously available options and ND might well be 3-3 right now. Much more of this line play and play calling and I'm afraid he'll start missing the slow mesh
syens1
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What ever happen to sweeps. Totally.correct Mike
Mike Frank
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Staff
If you're going to call games like this, I don't know why you don't go with a check with me offense. Sam is veteran enough to run it easily.

Get to the LOS, look at the situation, then make the call. We hate watching it, but with a QB like Sam, he's the first guy since Book I think could get you in the right situations.

I just don't understand it. If you can only score 7 points against this Louisville D, what you're doing is not effective.

Mike
davemc
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Louisville has ZERO respect for our receivers or getting hurt by anything deep. They are loading the box and playing physical football and just saying beat me if you can. Our O-line looks totally disjointed, but six are not going to be able to block seven or eight.
Brucealeg
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Ryan_ATL said:

Switch out Hartman for the previously available options and ND might well be 3-3 right now. Much more of this line play and play calling and I'm afraid he'll start missing the slow mesh
I would never take Hartman out. This is so fixable its driving the fans insane.
java
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Brucealeg said:

java said:

Brucealeg said:

Sgt Hulka said:

Auream said:

3 straight games the offense is utterly pathetic… I really like Hartman, but there's a reason he's a 6th year

Our WRs are slow… O line is weak… and OC is just putrid


Tough to play QB when he has no WR's to throw to, a line that's a sieve, and an OC who's clueless
Agreed, let's calling it like it is. When the line and WR play is good, he light it up. Without it, he's keeping us in it. Get a smidge or protection / production and this course corrects.

If you want to call it like it is... he's really good when playing really bad competition. He's pretty bad when playing good competition
That's crap. He cant throw and catch the ball.


Teams are playing cover 0 because they know Hartman does not see the short field well and struggles making quick decisions. I tried to tell people they were expecting waaaaaaaay to much of Hartman.

Not sure how much more proof you need, he's been below average the last 3 games.
What do I know?
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java said:

Brucealeg said:

Sgt Hulka said:

Auream said:

3 straight games the offense is utterly pathetic… I really like Hartman, but there's a reason he's a 6th year

Our WRs are slow… O line is weak… and OC is just putrid


Tough to play QB when he has no WR's to throw to, a line that's a sieve, and an OC who's clueless
Agreed, let's calling it like it is. When the line and WR play is good, he light it up. Without it, he's keeping us in it. Get a smidge or protection / production and this course corrects.

If you want to call it like it is... he's really good when playing really bad competition. He's pretty bad when playing good competition
I was always hesitant to embrace the Hartman move because you were basically going all in for one year for a QB who had put up numbers on awful teams, never really won, and who the NFL had deemed not elite. And the talent on this offense was nowhere near what it needs to be a playoff team - the WR room is just not good enough

If they were going to go with a transfer, I think they should have gone with someone who could have provided a two year window to give the QB time to grow with the young WRs. Where else do you see basically the entire skill position players as 1st and 2nd year players? At some point the windows to compete for a title didnt really line up.

Also, I never again want to hear about ND's elite offensive line. Maybe they get players drafted, but I have yet to see a unit where all 5 players work in concert to move the defense with authority.
theoriginalndmom
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I never drink whiskey and I'm drinking peach crown on the rocks.
Mike Frank
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Staff
donahue said:

Mike Frank said:

I've seen enough. I cracked a beer!

Mike


A beer or a Coors Light?
Both...they are one and the same!

Mike
SHAMROCK
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Watching Wyoming smartly carve up Fresno and picking up 6 pass rushers over and over.

Simple game plan and better OL blocking.

24-7 cowboys
TheIrishLegion
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I think it's more at some point you're so committed to your scheme, offense etc that until the Bye week it's hard to rearrange everything.

I hope they use the bye to get something done. ND may only be 6-2 going into the bye so that should get them a chance to do something.
irishdane20
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Can we get Wyoming's OC & OL coach? Kidding, mostly. Love that offense. Not crazy about brown & yellow.
 
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