Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Louisville Cardinals (1-3, 0-3 ACC) at No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-2, 1-1 ACC)
- Kickoff: Saturday, October 17 at 2:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, In.
- Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy with gusty winds developing during the afternoon. High 62F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Chance of rain 10%.
- How To Watch: NBC
- How To Listen: 790, 840 AM / 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Notre Dame - 16.5
- All-Time Series: Tied 1-1
- Last Meeting: Notre Dame won 35-17 on Sept. 2, 2019 (Cardinal Stadium - Louisville, Ky.)
Game Notes
Louisville:
- The Cardinals dropped their third-straight game for the first time under Scott Satterfield, falling 46-27 at Georgia Tech last Friday. After opening the season with a win over Western Kentucky, the Cardinals have lost their first three ACC games for the first time since 2018.
- Turnovers are killing the Cardinals through the first four games, committing 11 and only creating three. Louisville turned the football over three times in the loss to Georgia Tech on Friday night, which led to 19 points. The 11 UofL miscues have resulted in 29 points for the opposition. In the three-straight losses, the Cardinals have turned the ball over nine times.
- The Cardinals will face one of the top rushing offenses in the country against Notre Dame, which ranks fifth nationally on the ground, averaging 270.7 yards per game. The Cardinals are allowing 156.8 yards per game through the first four contests.
- The Cardinals are allowing 38.7 points per game in their three losses this season, giving up 47 to Miami and 46 in the loss to Georgia Tech on Friday night.
- The Cardinals will play their third ranked opponent this weekend when facing No. 4 Notre Dame. It will be the first game against a team ranked in the top five since dropping a 45-10 decision to No. 3 Clemson last season.
- Quarterback Malik Cunningham accounted for four touchdowns — two on the ground and two through the air — passing for 233 yards and rushing for 50 yards in the loss to the Yellow Jackets.
- Running back Javian Hawkins registered his 10th 100-yard rushing game in only 21 career contests. The redshirt sophomore rushed 26 times for 155 yards — the fourth 150-yard game of his career.
- Tight end Marshon Ford reached new career bests in the loss to Georgia Tech, catching five passes for 89 yards and his 10th career touchdown, which ties him for seventh all-time for a tight end at UofL.
- Wide receiver Tutu Atwell recorded his 18th career touchdown reception to move into a tie for seventh all-time at UofL, tying Deion Branch.
Notre Dame:
- The Notre Dame Fighting Irish make history in 2020 by joining a conference for the first time in the 132-year tenure of the program. The Irish will play as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The South Florida matchup marks the only non-conference game the Irish will play in the regular season.
- So far this season, Notre Dame has played two-consecutive games in which two true freshmen have scored touchdowns. DL Jordan Botelho and RB Chris Tyree scored touchdowns vs. USF, and Tyree and TE Michael Mayer both found the end zone vs. Florida State. Prior to this season, the last time two true freshman scored in the same game for the Irish was in 2015 vs. Air Force (Corey Robinson and Will Fuller).
- QB Ian Book became the first quarterback in Notre Dame history (modern era) to rush for three touchdowns in a half in the first vs. South Florida. It marked the second time in his career in which he has rushed for three touchdowns in a game. The last time he rushed for three touchdowns in a single game was against this week’s opponent, Wake Forest, in 2018).
- RB Kyren Williams (185 rushing yards), RB Chris Tyree (103 rushing yards) and WR Javon McKinley (107 receiving yards) combined to mark the first time the Irish have had two 100- yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver in the same game since 2015 vs. Stanford.
- With the 52-0 shutout of South Florida, Brian Kelly became the first Irish coach to post four or more shutouts in his Notre Dame career since Lou Holtz. The last Irish shutout took place in 2019 vs. Bowling Green (52-0), and Kelly’s first shutout as the Notre Dame head coach came vs. Wake Forest in 2012 (38-0).
- The Irish boast a current win streak of nine games, the longest among Power 5 programs. No other FBS program claims a longer current win streak.
- Notre Dame has won 21-consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium, which sets the modern era record for longest home win streak. Only one Power 5 program can boast a longer streak (Clemson, 26).
- Notre Dame has held 28-of-29 opponents during Clark Lea’s tenure as defensive coordinator to 30 points or less. That includes includes ranked opponents LSU, Michigan, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Clemson, Georgia, Virginia and Navy.
Depth Charts
Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Notre Dame
Uniform Report
Louisville will be wearing red helmets & pants with white jerseys.
Team Captains
Louisville (season): Quarterback Micale Cunningham, wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick, inside linebacker CJ Avery, inside linebacker Dorian Etheridge and tight end Marshon Ford
Notre Dame (season): Quarterback Ian Book, offensive lineman Robert Hainsey, safety Shaun Crawford, defensive linemen Daelin Hayes & Adetokunbo Ogundeji.
Additional Coverage
- Scott Satterfield Recaps Georgia Tech, Previews Notre Dame
- OC Dwayne Ledford, OL Cam DeGeorge Talk Notre Dame
- DC Bryan Brown, ILB Dorian Etheridge Talk Notre Dame
- Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Notre Dame
- Tale of the Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. Notre Dame
(Photo of Tutu Atwell, Jalen Elliott: Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports)
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