LOUISVILLE, Ky. – October 6, 2023
The University of Louisville hosts No. 10 Notre Dame Saturday night on ABC. The Cardinals are looking to go 6-0 for the first time since 2013 and are trying to knock off a ranked opponent for the second year in a row.
Louisville is 1-2 all-time against the Irish and are looking for its first win at home over the traditional power.
Here are some of the key storylines for Saturday’s game:
Cards Host Nationally Ranked Notre Dame: The University of Louisville hosts its first nationally ranked opponent in 2023 when No. 10 Notre Dame travels to L&N Stadium for a Saturday night game that will be televised on ABC. It’s the first game that will be broadcast on the network since 2020 when No. 18 Louisville and No. 17 Miami faced off in a match-up of nationally ranked teams.
5-0 for the First Time in 10 Years: The Cardinals moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2013 with a 13-10 win over NC State on Friday night. Louisville’s 3-0 conference record is the best since 2012 when the Cards were members of the Big East Conference. With the win, the Cardinals are 3-0 in the ACC for the first time in school history. Paced by its defense, the Cardinals allowed just 201 yards of offense and limited NC State to 3-of-15 on third down to grind out its sixth-straight win dating back to last season.
Jeff Brohm is the Second: Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm is the second UofL head football coach to begin his coaching stint with a 5-0 record, joining Tom King who won his first 10 games coaching the Cardinals in 1925 and 1926.
Home Winning Streak: The Cardinals bring a seven-game home winning streak into Saturday’s game versus the Fighting Irish. Louisville won five-straight home contests after losing its home opener 35-31 to Florida State. The seven-game streak is tied for the 11th longest in school history and the best since UofL won eight during the 2000-01 season.
New School Record: Placekicker Brock Travelstead sent the Cardinals to their sixth-straight win dating back to last season with a school record 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put the Cards ahead 13-10 with 5:32 to play. The field goal breaks the old mark of 52 yards set by Wilbur Summers, Ron Bell, Klaus Wilsmeyer, Nate Smith, and Chris PKey Storylines
The Cardinals look to go 6-0 overall for the first time since 2013 when they opened the season at 6-0 before dropping a 38-35 decision at home to UCF. Louisville’s best start came in 2012 when they opened the year at 9-0 before suffering a loss at Syracuse.
The Cardinals host nationally ranked Notre Dame on Saturday night on ABC — the first broadcast on ABC since the 2020 season against Miami. The Cardinals are hosting a ranked opponent for the first time since a 48-21 win over No. 10 Wake Forest last season. Louisville is 3-2 in match-ups against AP ranked opponents at home. It will be the first match-up when both schools are ranked since 2020 when No. 17 Louisville and No. 18 Miami faced off.
This is the second time Notre Dame is coming to L&N Stadium as top-10 opponent, defeating the Cards 35-17 in the 2019 season opener. Louisville is 7-27-1 against top-10 foes, but did defeat No. 18 Wake Forest 48-21 last season at L&N Stadium.
After rushing for over 180 yards in the first four games, the Cardinals were held to 20 yards on 29 carries and went without a rushing touchdown for the first time in 11 games — since a 24-10 win over Pitt on Oct. 22 last year. Louisville won for just the third time in program history when being held to 20 yards rushing or less. The last win came in 2014 when the Cards rushed for just 12 yards in a 3-43 victory over FIU. Louisville is 3-39-1 when rushing for less than 20 yards in a game.
Quarterback Jack Plummer tossed his 11th touchdown pass of the season, throwing a touchdown in his seventh-straight game dating back to his last season at Cal. Plummer tossed a 39-yard pass to Chris Bell in the third quarter.
Louisville has won 27-straight games when shutting out its opponent for at least one half last losing such a game 14-7 at North Carolina in 2011.
Louisville’s 13-10 win at NC State was the fewest points in a road win since a 13-10 victory over Kentucky in 1995. The win represented the lowest point total in a victory since a 10-9 win over Syracuse at L&N Stadium in 2009.
The Cardinals have outscored the opposition 34-0 in the first quarter this season. They have held opponents scoreless in the first quarter for six-straight games, the longest streak since doing so for seven consecutive game in 1973.
Entering the NC State game, the Cardinals were 2-9 in their last 11 games in contests decided by seven points or less. In the first five games of 2023, head coach Jeff Brohm is 3-0 in decisions of seven points or less and 2-0 in games decided by five or fewer points. Prior to the 13-10 win over NC State, the Cardinals had lost six-straight games that were decided by five or less points. The last win was a 62-59 win at No. 19 Wake Forest in 2019.
The Cardinals have won three of its first five games by five or fewer points for just the third time in school history. The first time coming in 2012 when they beat North Carolina 39-34, FIU 28-21 and Southern Mississippi 21-17. The other time came in 1925.
Louisville held NC State to 201 yards of total offense, its lowest total since a 198-yard performance against Notre Dame in 2016. The Wolfpack had 13 drives in the game and six ended in three-and-outs.
