Louisville, Ky – October 7, 2023 – Matthew Hudson
The Louisville Cardinals returned to L&N Stadium after their narrow victory over NC State and ranked #25 in the nation. The Cards had their toughest test of the year waiting on them with the #10 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish coming to town. Louisville stepped up to the challenge and delivered what felt like a statement win for their program. The doubts about whether the 5-0 Cardinals were really a contender in the ACC seemed to have been answered.
A record crowd of 59,801 was on hand to witness on of the best victories in recent history for Louisville Football. The 1st half was a back-and-forth dogfight with neither team being able to get the upper hand. The 1st half ended in a 7-7 tie and had everyone ready for a tough game. The beginning of the 2nd half couldn’t have started any worse for Louisville with a Jamari Thrash fumble on the first play. After that the Cards seemed to figure their offense out and outscored the Irish 26-13 in the 2nd half.
Jack Plummer didn’t have his best day of the year but was in good control of the offense and took care of the ball. Plummer finished the day 17-24 with 145 yards and 1 TD.
Jawhar Jordan shows once again that he is one of the best running backs in the nation. With 21 carries for 143 yards and 2 TDs he led the way to the big victory over ND.
The Louisville defense was the true star of the night for the Cardinals. Interceptions, Fumble Recoveries, Sacks; the Cards defense did it all. Led by TJ Quinn with 10 tackles, Mason Reiger with 2 sacks, and Devin Neal with 2 INTs.
1st Quarter
After the big Interception by Quincy Riley the Louisville Cardinal Offense marches down the field on the back of Jawhar Jordan. Drive is capped off with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Jack Plummer to Jamari Thrash.
For the 7th straight game, the Louisville Defense shows up early and shuts out the opposing offense, Notre Dame Offense with only 56 yards in the 1st quarter.
2nd Quarter
Notre Dame was finally able to sustain a drive. Going 88 yards on 11 plays and converting on 3rd down 3 times on the drive the Irish were able to get on the scoreboard with a 36-yard TD pass from Sam Hartman to Jordan Faison.
It was a defensive slugfest in Louisville, minus the 2 long TD drives neither team was able to get any type of rhythm or momentum going.
3rd Quarter
The 2nd half doesn’t start off the way the Cards would have wanted. A fumble by Jamari Thrash on the 1st play of the half leads to a quick score by the Irish. 53-yard FG made by Spencer Shrader.
Louisville was able to bounce back and put a good drive together. While the drive did stall out at the ND 34-yard line Brock Travelstead is able to tie it up with a 44-yard FG.
Louisville started to figure some things out. Cards strike quick with a 2 play 64 yard drive and an electric 45-yard TD run by Jawhar Jordan.
Notre Dame gets another FG. This time from 54 yards. Spencer Shrader was making the 50+ yard field goals look easy.
4th Quarter
Louisville continues to have a strong 2nd half. Another long drive put the Cardinals up by 11 and in control of the game with only 11:12 remaining in the 4th quarter. Jawhar Jordan comes up big again for the Cards with a 21-yard TD run.
A turnover on downs by ND left the Cardinals with great field position. Louisville wasn’t able to move the ball far from the turnover spot but were still able to come away with another FG. Brock Travelstead with a 45-yard FG to push the lead to 14.
Another turnover by ND, this time an Interception by Devin Neal returned all the way to the ND 10-yard line. Louisville runs the ball 3 straight times and while they didn’t get the TD they are able to remove 3 crucial minutes off of the clock and still get 3 points. Brock Travelstead with a 32-yard FG. Louisville now up by 17.
A frantic end to the game continues as another turnover leads to another quick field goal by Brock Travelstead. 35-yard FG pushes the lead out to 20. Louisville 33 – Notre Dame 13.
Notre Dame was able to get a late TD to make the score look a little less lopsided. Sam Hartman connects with Mitchell Evans for a 6-yard TD. Final score Louisville 33 – Notre Dame 20.
