No. 10 Notre Dame (5-1) wil meet its seventh straight unbeaten opponent at No. 25 Louisville (5-0) on Saturday night at 7:30 ET on ABC. Much of that is a scheduling coincidence; two of those unbeaten opponents had not yet played. The ACC scheduled two of the worst conference teams in the first third of the Cardinals’ schedule, with No. 19 Duke and No. 17 Miami yet awaiting.
But Louisville has shown enough offensive potency to be an Irish worry this week.
“It doesn’t take long to watch film to see why they’re 5-0,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Monday. “It’s another night game and will be a great atmosphere and opportunity. They have an explosive offense and an experienced quarterback. They have speed at the skill (positions).”
To get a better idea about an offense averaging 37 points per game and how first-year Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm has kickstarted his alma mater, let’s turn to Alexis Cubit of the Courier-Journal.
DF: The Cardinals are off to a hyped start. A 5-0 start while averaging 37 points per game warrants some notice, particularly while it is all orchestrated by favorite son Jeff Brohm. Louisville long wanted him as head coach, and now it has him. Coming into the season, did he even attempt to dampen expectations? He could have been walking into a buzzsaw of a letdown if the season did not start off excellently.
AC: When he was hired, one of the things Brohm emphasized was a desire to win now. It’s one of the things that players have said was appealing for them. At the same time, he never quantified that but just explained what he brought to the table to establish that winning culture.
To be clear, it nearly did start off less than excellently. The Cardinals trailed Georgia Tech 28-13 at halftime in the season opener, were outgained in total and scored touchdowns on only half of their quality possessions. Kicking field goals on half your red-zone possessions is not a path to long-term success. How much of those mistakes could simply be chalked up to the growing pains of implementing an entirely new offense?
I would say a lot of it has to do with implementing a new offense while another part has to do with new players learning each other. The offense not only has a new quarterback in Jack Plummer but essentially a new wide receiver room with numerous additions to the offensive line.
During the offseason, Louisville brought in almost 30 transfers. The only schools to have more were Colorado, Arizona State and SMU. Of those, the Cardinals are the only remaining undefeated squad. How the newcomers have helped Louisville to a 5-0 start.https://t.co/qVvqEpGoCd
— Alexis Cubit (@Alexis_Cubit) October 3, 2023
It is an entirely new offensive scheme, as well, and it has found explosive success against porous defenses. Ten big-play touchdowns in four games against FBS foes have kept Louisville undefeated. They have concentrated among three players, senior running back Jawhar Jordan (4), senior receiver Jamari Thrash (2) and junior receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (2). Are they ripping off these 74-yard rushes and 85-yard catches (the two longest) via pure speed? Scheme? How is Brohm pulling the rabbit out of the hat multiple times each week?
It’s a little bit of everything. Brohm inherited players like running backs Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner and wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce while using the transfer portal to get players like wide receivers Jamari Thrash and Kevin Coleman as well as running back Isaac Guerendo. Brohm has been able to take what the players are good at and highlight it within his scheme. It’s a pro-style offense that definitely benefits the guys playing in it.
Well, not always multiple times last week, the only big-play score coming on a 39-yard pass to sophomore receiver Chris Bell. North Carolina State shut down the Cardinals offense, holding it to 306 yards and 4.8 yards per play. How did the Wolfpack manage that, aside from being the first worthwhile defense Louisville has faced?
Yes, N.C. State was the best defense Louisville faced up to this point. The Wolfpack gave the Cardinals a ton of good looks and brought a lot of pressure. It’s a blitz-heavy defense with a talented cast.
There is no exaggeration there, saying North Carolina State was the best defense on the Cardinals schedule, one that then held Louisville to 13 points. The first three FBS opponents had defenses ranked Nos. 86, 87 and 101 by SP+, respectively, whereas the Wolfpack is No. 33. Enter Notre Dame and the No. 7 defense in the country, per SP+. How do you expect the Cardinals to score against the Irish, particularly since Notre Dame has the No. 15 pass defense per expected points added per dropback against?
I think the experience within Louisville’s offensive line is going to have to step up and do a better job at protecting Plummer. I can definitely see Brohm pulling out some more trickeration to get the ball to his playmakers. I also think this is where Louisville’s balance on offense can shine. The Cardinals have talented running backs and have shown they can win with them. If Notre Dame takes away the pass, Louisville will have to go to the ground and let the backs take over with their speed.
Louisville’s defense doesn’t draw as much attention. Maybe that is because Brohm is known for his offense. Maybe it is because of the absurdity that the Irish are about to play Plummer for the third time in three years … on a third different team. What should I know about the Cardinals defense? It is better against the rush than the pass, but its opponents so far do not give me an idea of how much to trust that assessment.
Louisville returns quite a few players from a defense last season that ranked top 5 in multiple statistical categories, starting with defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte. Of course, the group is playing in a new system this season and added personnel from the transfer portal. One of the biggest surges has been among the linebackers. Louisville lost the bulk of its production from the room but has seen TJ Quinn, the team’s leading tackler, and Jaylin Alderman emerge.
Most QB pressures this season💪 pic.twitter.com/mi7iOWLRJw
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 4, 2023
The Cardinals have been able to get a lot of pressure on opposing offenses this year but it hasn’t quite manifested on the stat sheet as much as last year. They did make a positive stride in that process last week against N.C. State but have another big challenge against Notre Dame’s offense.
What or who have I missed in these few questions that I should be sure Notre Dame fans are aware of before Saturday night?
Special teams! Kicker Brock Travelstead has gone 6-for-8 on field goals this season and set a program record with the game-winning 53-yard field goal against N.C. State. Kevin Coleman also had some good punt returns to get Louisville decent field position on a couple different series.
The polls do not matter, but Louisville reaching No. 25 this week makes it a bit of an easier game to hype. At 5-0 and hosting a top-10 opponent, how strongly has the university leaned into this primetime game? I can cast plenty of dispersions about the legitimacy of the Cardinals’ résumé thus far, but the fact of the matter is they are 5-0 and have the opportunity to pull off a high-profile upset this weekend.
With the excitement surrounding Jeff Brohm and Louisville off to its first 5-0 start in a decade, it didn’t take much to get people on board. The game was announced as a sellout last Wednesday. But it’s definitely been a topic of conversation and great opportunity for Louisville on the national stage.
With Jeff Brohm leading the way, Louisville is 5-0, season ticket sales are up and the excitement around the program is high as the Cardinals prepare to play Notre Dame in front of what’s expected to be a record crowd on Saturday. https://t.co/r0n7SJro3l
— Alexis Cubit (@Alexis_Cubit) October 4, 2023
It would not be too massive an upset, given Notre Dame is only a 6-point favorite. What do you expect Saturday night?
I think that’s a fair assessment. Both teams are coming off low-scoring, last-second wins and I think you can expect that again. Even though Jeff Brohm is known for his offense, the Cardinals’ defense has come up big and made the necessary stops and turnovers in three of their wins that have come by a touchdown or less. I expect the team whose defense can make the most momentum-swinging plays to win this one.