Da Windy City
Fansided

Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff Dream Crushed By Louisville 33-20

By Richard Almeyda

Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan scored on a 21 yard run in the fourth quarter as the Louisville Cardinals defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 33-20 on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023
Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan scored on a 21 yard run in the fourth quarter as the Louisville Cardinals defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 33-20 on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 /
facebooktwitterreddit

Coming off a comeback win against Duke, Notre Dame seemed fired up as the game started against Louisville. The undefeated Cardinals had a full house packed stadium and the atmosphere was electric. Unfortunately, Notre Dame came up short losing 33-20.

The Sam Hartman-led offense could not get it together. It felt like Louisville wanted the win more. On the first drive, Hartman threw his first interception of the season. At that moment, it looked like the confidence of the Irish had just sunk.

There were a couple of questionable moments during this game where I feel Notre Dame should have been more aggressive, especially on the road.

Although Notre Dame has a weapon at kicker, the use of Spencer Shrader in the 3rd quarter down 1 possession could have been saved later in the game. Down 17-10, after getting stuffed at 3rd in 3, Notre Dame needed to go for it on 4th. Having trust in your players will help them believe and build confidence. It felt like this was a desperation call just to get points.

Notre Dame no longer appears to have a viable path to the College Football Playoffs after their upset loss against Louisville on Saturday.

The conservative play did not help the Irish throughout the game After this, the Irish could not come back.

There were various penalties that were called against the Irish that also should not have happened. This led to some scores by the Cardinals to seal the deal.

For Hartman, this was supposed to be his breakout season and possible Heisman nomination. He went 22-38 for 254 Yards, 2 Touchdowns and 3 Interceptions. A terrible ending to an almost promising season.

As for Audric Estime, he kept getting stuffed by the Louisville defense. He only carried the ball 10 times and gained only 20 yards.

The look-ahead next week to USC will not be as exciting since the Irish playoff hopes are diminished. With 2 losses, it’s time for the Irish to consider if Freeman is the guy. The talent is definitely there, but the way the game was coached essentially lost the season.

Home/Notre Dame