Week Twelve

Week twelve of the Fighting Irish season saw the #23 ranked Navy Midshipmen travel to South Bend. This would be the Ninetieth meeting all-time between the Irish and the Midshipmen. The series being dominated by the Fighting Irish with 76 wins compared to 13 by the Midshipmen with the two tying 1 time. Notre Dame has won the previous two meetings between the universities. Navy came into the game with a record of 7-1 coming off a dominant 56-10 win against the University of Connecticut. The Irish came in with a record of 7-2 coming off a 38-7 win against Duke University. Both the Irish and the Midshipmen are already bowl eligible.

The first quarter saw the Irish score on both offensive possessions they had, and the Midshipmen turn the ball over twice both times the Irish scored after the turnovers. The first Notre Dame touchdown was on a 7-yard touchdown reception to Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool from Senior quarterback Ian Book. The next score was also and Irish touchdown on a 47-yard pass from Ian Book to Chase Claypool for his second touchdown reception of the game. The first quarter ended with the Fighting Irish leading 14-0.

The second quarter saw more of the same with Notre Dame dominating both sides of the ball. The first score was a 3-yard touchdown to Chase Claypool his third of the first half from a pass by Ian Book. The Irish offense would not stop there after a Navy punt the next play would be a 70-yard touchdown reception by Sophomore wide receiver Braden Lenzy on a pass by Ian Book which made the score 28-0. The Irish would get a 32-yard field goal on the next offensive drive by Junior kicker Jonathan Doerer. Notre Dame would score a touchdown on their next drive on a 2-yard run by Senior running back Tony Jones Jr. The Midshipmen would finally get on the scoreboard at the end of the half on a 27-yard field goal by Freshman kicker Bijan Nichols. The score at halftime would be the Fighting Irish leading 38-3.

The second half would start with the Midshipmen getting the ball first and having to punt the ball. The Irish would get the ball and take 7 plays and 78-yards to score on the fourth touchdown reception by Chase Claypool this one a 20-yard reception on a pass by Ian Book. This would tie Chase Claypool for the most receiving touchdowns in a single game by an Irish receiver. Navy would respond two drives later on a 43-yard touchdown reception by Sophomore wide receiver Mychal Cooper on a pass by Freshman quarterback Perry Olsen.

The fourth quarter Notre Dame would score off a fumble recovery on the next Navy drive the 27-yard scoop and score by Sophomore linebacker Paul Moala. Navy would respond the next drive on a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Perry Olsen. The Midshipmen would make a field goal with just over a minute left in the fourth. The field goal would be a 36-yard field goal by Bijan Nichols it would be the last points of the game with the final score being a 52-10 Fighting Irish win.

The leading stats would be Ian Book throwing for 284 yards going 14-20 passing and throwing for 5 touchdowns. Book would also be the leading Irish rusher carrying the ball 5 times for 35 yards. The leading receiver would be Chase Claypool who caught 7 passes for 117 yards and 4 touchdowns tying a Notre Dame record for single game touchdown receptions.

The next Fighting Irish game is on November 23rd which is the final home game of the season against Boston College at 2:30 pm.

Week Eleven

Week eleven of the Fighting Irish season saw the team travel to Durham, NC for a primetime matchup against the Duke Blue Devils. This would be the sixth all-time meeting between the two Universities with the Irish winning 3 of the five previous meetings. The Irish came into the game beating Virginia Tech in a tight hard-fought matchup 21-20. The Blue Devils come in off of a close game against their bitter rival UNC losing 20-17. The Irish have a record of 6-2 coming into the game and Duke has a 4-4 record. The previous matchup between the two schools was in 2016 and it was a Duke win in South Bend 38-35 coming into that game Duke was a three-touchdown underdog with current New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones coming from 14-0 down to beat the Irish. This time the odds were a little more favorable to Duke being only a 7-point underdog.

The game would start the same way as the game in 2016 with the Irish getting the first two touchdowns of the game. This time however the Blue Devils could not respond. The Irish defense would hold the Blue Devils to 7 points the whole game. The first touchdown was an 18-yard reception by Graduate Student wide receiver Chris Finke on a pass from Senior quarterback Ian Book. The second was a 7-yard touchdown pass to Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool. The first quarter would end 14-0.

In the second quarter, the Irish started the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run by Sophomore running back C’Bo Flemister. The Blue Devils would then score their only points of the game on a 29-yard touchdown reception by Redshirt Senior wide receiver Aaron Young on a pass from another Redshirt Senior quarterback Quentin Harris. The halftime score was the Irish leading 21-7.

The second half was dominated even more by the Irish with them adding two touchdowns and a field goal to the score. The Irish scored a touchdown in the third then a field goal and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to wrap up the game. The third-quarter touchdown was a 6-yard reception by Chris Finke on a pass from Ian Book. The field goal was a 34-yard field goal by Junior Kicker Jonathan Doerer. The last touchdown was a 2-yard reception by Sophomore tight end George Takacs from Ian Book. The final score was 38-7 with the Irish redeeming themselves from the defeat to the Blue Devils 3 years prior.

The Irish were led in passing yards by Ian Book who completed 18 of his 32 attempts for 181 yard and 4 touchdowns. The leading rusher was also Ian Book who probably had his best ever game rushing the ball for the Irish with 12 carries for 139 yards. The leading receiver was Chase Claypool who had 5 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.

The #16 ranked Fighting Irish next play the #23 ranked Navy Midshipmen in South Bend on November 16th at 2:30 pm. The game will be shown on NBC.

Week Nine

This week the Irish welcomed the Hokies of Virginia Tech to South Bend. This would be the third game between these two universities. The first two games were won by the road team with the Hokies winning 34-31 in 2016 at Notre Dame and the Irish winning 45-23 last year. The Irish come in trying to not lose back to back games for the first time this year. The Hokies come in trying to get one win closer to securing a bowl appearance for the 27th straight season. The Irish last game was a thrashing by Michigan in a game the Irish would most likely want to forget losing 14-45. The Hokies coming in off of a game versus UNC in which they won after 6 overtimes with a score of 43-41. This game would be a hard-fought game between the two teams with some late-game heroics and a last-second go-ahead touchdown.

The first quarter saw both of the teams score a touchdown. The first to score would be the Irish on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Senior quarterback Ian Book to Junior tight end Cole Kmet. The Hokies would then respond with an 8 play, 45-yard drive ending in an 8-yard touchdown pass to redshirt Junior wide receiver Damon Hazelton from redshirt quarterback Quincy Patterson II. Those would be the only scoring plays of the first quarter.

The second quarter would again see both teams score. The Irish would score first on an 11 play, 77-yard drive which started in the first quarter and ends in the second with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble from Ian Book. The Hokies would score with nine seconds to go in the first half on a 98-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Redshirt Junior defensive back Divine Deablo which tied the score heading to halftime.

The second half saw the defenses dominate as the third quarter only saw 3 points scored. The 3 points were scored on a Hokies 44 yard field goal by Redshirt Junior kicker Brian Johnson. That would be the only offense of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw both teams score during the quarter. The Hokies started the scoring on a 25-yard field goal by Brian Johnson. Which expanded the Hokies lead to 6 with a score of 20-14. The Irish would miss a field goal on the next drive keeping the score the same. The next Notre Dame drive would come with a little over 3 minutes left in the game. The drive would start on their own 13-yard line. It took the Irish almost 2 minutes to get past midfield and with the clock winding down after two failed attempts on 1st and 2nd goal on the Hokies 7 yard line the Irish lined up for 3rd and goal with 29 seconds left Ian Book took the snap and ran the ball 7 yards for the game leading touchdown. The game would end after the Hokies threw an interception with two seconds left on the clock. Leaving the only thing left to do was to take the snap and kneel the ball to run out the last two seconds. The Irish winning the game 21-20 on a last-minute touchdown.

The Irish record after the game would move to 6-2. While the Hokies would fall to 5-3.

The next Irish game would be on November 9th against ACC opponent Duke University who are currently 4-4. The game will be at 7:30 pm on the ACC Network.

Week Eight

This week the Irish traveled to Ann Arbor to visit one of the University’s biggest rivals the Michigan Wolverines who were ranked number 19 in the nation while the Irish would be ranked number 8 in the nation going into the game. A game which would be the last time we would see these two universities play until the rivalry resumes in 2033. The overall series is led by Michigan with the Wolverines winning 25 times out of the 43 times the two teams have played and the Irish winning 17 and the two teams tied once in 1992 which is the only tie in the rivalry. The series between the two teams has been pretty even through the past decade with the Wolverines winning 6 and the Irish winning 4 with one of the Irish victories having to be vacated.

The game was a primetime game on Saturday night hosted at “The Big House” Michigan Stadium. It was a sloppy rainy night in Michigan with the two teams going back and forth in the first quarter with the only points coming on a 21-yard field goal by Sophomore kicker Jake Moody. That would be all the two offenses could muster in the first quarter.

The second quarter was better scoring-wise with the Wolverines scoring two touchdowns in the quarter, however, the Irish would not score in the first half of the game. The two Michigan touchdowns would come on the ground. The first of which would be a 7-yard run by Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet, and the second also by Zach would be a 1 yard run making the score 17-0 Michigan going into halftime. The Irish would have a lot to do in order to comeback against a tough Michigan team.

The second half would see the Irish finally get on the board, but the lead would stay the same after the third quarter thanks to the Wolverines also scoring in the quarter. The Irish scored a touchdown with just over 5 minutes left in the third quarter which would be their first points of the game on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Senior quarterback Ian Book to Junior tight end Cole Kmet. The Wolverines would respond less than 3 minutes later on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Senior quarterback Shea Petterson to Junior wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. The Wolverines would be leading 24-7 after the third quarter making it almost impossible for Notre Dame to come back.

The fourth quarter saw the Wolverines score three times and the Irish only scoring once in the quarter. The Wolverines would score three straight touchdowns on three straight drives. The first being a 16-yard touchdown pass from Shea Petterson to Junior wide receiver Nico Collins. The second Michigan touchdown would be a 27-yard run by Senior running back Tru Wilson. The third would be a 26-yard touchdown reception by Freshman wide receiver Mike Sainristil from Junior quarterback Dylan McCaffrey if that last name sounds familiar, he is the brother of Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey. The only Notre Dame touchdown of the fourth quarter would be a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sophomore quarterback Phil Jurkovec to Senior wide receiver Javon McKinley. The final score would be the Wolverines winning 45-14. The final margin of victory is the third-highest ever between the two universities.

The Irish next game is a home game on November 2nd against the Virginia Tech Hokies at 2:30 pm.

Week Five

Week five saw the Bowling Green Falcons visit South Bend for a match-up with the Irish. This would be the first time these two universities would play against each other. Notre Dame coming off of a 35-20 win versus the University of Virginia, and Bowling Green coming off of a 62-20 loss to Kent State. The Irish would come into the game as huge favorites, and they would play like it. Shutting out the Falcons and putting up 52 points in the process too.

The first quarter the Irish would score 21 points on 3 touchdown passes from Senior quarterback Ian Book. The first a 17 yard pass to Sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble which would be his second receiving touchdown of the season and first since the first game vs Louisville. Next a 21 yard pass to Junior tight end Cole Kmet which would be his second touchdown of the season the other vs Georgia two week ago. Lastly a 34 yard pass to Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool his third of the season with one against Georgia and one against New Mexico.

The second quarter the Irish would score two more passing touchdowns the first of which would be a 8 yard pass to Chase Claypool for his second of the game and foruth of the season. The second touchdown reception would be to Senior wide receiver Javon McKinley for 25 yards for his third receiving touchdown of the season with the other two against New Mexico. Book would finish the half going 16-20 on passing attempts for 261 yards and 5 passing touchdowns.

Notre Dame would put in their backups to start the second half. However, the Irish would still manage to score 10 points in the second half the first being a 27 yard field goal by Junior kicker Jonathan Doerer which would be third field goal of the season. Then the Irish would score a touchdown on a 7 yard pass from Sophomore quarterback Phil Jurkovec to Junior Avery Davis for his second touchdown of the season with his other against New Mexico. Davis who started the season on the defensive side of the ball as a cornerback but prior to this season was a running back, and due to all the injuries at running back he was asked to convert back to running back and has not missed a beat since.

The fourth quarter the Irish would only manage to score one touchdown this time on the ground. On a one yard run by Sophomore running back C’Bo Flemister. This would be his third touchdown on the year all on the ground with his first two coming against New Mexico and the University of Virginia. The game would end with a score of 52-0.

The Irish passing yard leader would be senior quarterback Ian Book who would throw for 261 yards and 5 touchdowns going 16-20 on passing attempts, The rushing yards leader would be Senior running back Tony Pride Jr. who had 5 carries for 102 yards. Their leader in receiving yards would be Senior tight end Javon McKinley who had 5 receptions for 104 yards and a receiving touchdown.

The Fighting Irish next game is on October 12th against rival USC at 7:30 pm.

Week Three

Week three saw the Irish travel to Sanford Stadium to face the #3 team in the nation Georgia. The Irish and the Bulldogs have faced off two times prior to this meeting with Georgia winning both of the prior meetings the first in 1981 a game in which Georiga won 17-10, and again in 2017 in which the Bulldogs traveled to South Bend and beat the Irish 20-19. Coming into the game the Irish were big underdogs with nobody really giving them much of a chance against the Bulldogs. Georgia and the Irish came into the game with strong starts to their seasons which both of the schools being undefeated to this point. The Irish beating Louisville and New Mexico in their first two game, and the Bulldogs beating Vanderbilt, Murray State,  and Arkansas State in their first three games. This would be a big game early in the season with potential playoff emplications for both teams.

The Irish got the ball first and on their first drive they ended up punting after a seven play drive that only went 20 yards and just under 3 minutes of possession time. The Bulldogs did not start any better on their first drive only lasting five plays and 3 minutes and 36 seconds of possession time then punted. The Irish then got the ball with good field position to start their next drive but it would not amount to much as after a one yard run by Senior running back Tony Jones Jr., a false start penalty and a couple incomplete passes by Senior quarterback Ian Book the Irish attempted to go for it on fourth down and did not convert on the play. The next drive for Georgia did not go anywhere and they ended up punting. The Irish took over on their own side of the field with just over 2 minutes left in the first quarter. The Irish got 2 first downs and the ball out to their 42-yard line  before the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter the Irish started on their own 42-yard line after a run for no gain, a fumble recovered by the Irish to keep possession and a false start penalty the Irish were left with a 3 and 11 on their own 41-yard line they then threw a completion which left them way short of the first down and had to punt the ball again. The Irish would would have a 46 yard punt which Georgia’s Senior punt returner and wide receiver Tyler Simmons would fumble after catching the punt and the Irish would recover the fumble and get another chance to put some points on the board the fumble was recovered by Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool. The Irish would take over with a first and goal on the Georgia 8-yard line the first play would be a 3 yard completion to Graduate student wide receiver Chris Finke, next an incomplete pass which would get flagged for defensive pass interference in the end zone which put the ball on the 2-yard line and an automatic first down. Then after an incomplete pass Ian Book would run for a yard making it third and goal on the 1-yard line. The next pass would be incomplete and then the Irish once again went for it on fourth down this time however the Irish scored a touchdown on a pass to Junior tight end Cole Kmet who would be returning from a broken collarbone. Georgia would respond on their next drive and score a touchdown on a 3 yard run by Junior running back D’Andre Swift. The score would be tied with the Irish getting the ball back on their own 25-yard line with 2 minutes and 27 seconds left in the first half. Ian Book led the Irish down the field with 4 straight completions which got the ball down to the Georgia 12-yard line then after a false start penalty and another 5 yard completion the Irish sent out Junior kicker Jonathan Doerer to attempt a 27 yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the half he made it and the score was 10-7 with the Irish leading going into halftime.

The third quarter which would end up being dominated by Georgia started with the Bulldogs getting the first possession and ending up punting after a 7 play drive. The Irish would get the ball and after 3 plays Ian Book would be intercepted and Georgia would take over at the Irish 22. The Irish defense would be tough and only held the Bulldogs to only a 40-yard field goal by Senior kicker Rodrigo Blankenship which tied the score at 10. After a Notre Dame punt on the next drive the Bulldogs would again get the ball and drive down the field and end up with a field goal this time a 31 yard field goal giving them the lead 13-10. The Irish would again punt on their next drive and Georgia would get the ball with 2 minutes and 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Starting on their own 18-yard line the Bulldogs would get the ball out to the 45-yard line before the end of the third quarter. The score going into the fourth would be the Irish 10 and the Bulldogs 13.

The fourth quarter would start with the Bulldogs still in possession and driving the ball down field. Four plays into the fourth quarter the Bulldogs would extend their lead after a touchdown pass from Junior quarterback Jake Fromm to Graduate student wide receiver Lawrence Cager. After another interception by the Bulldogs they would kick a 43 yard field goal and the score would be 23-10. The Irish would get the ball back with 3 minutes and 42 second to score 13 points and tie the game. They would get closer on this drive after they scored a touchdown on a pass to Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool which would leave 3 minutes and 12 seconds left. The Irish forced a three and out on the next drive giving them a chance to drive down the field and score a touchdown to win the game or at least tie the game. They would start the drive with great field position on their own 48-yard line with 1 minute and 51 seconds left in the game. The Irish would get a quick first down to the Georgia 40-yard line after that the drive would stall out and they would end up having to go for it on fourth down to extend the game. Ian Book would have his pass deflected which would fall to the ground and end any chance the Irish had to score a touchdown. Georgia then took a knee and then the clock ran out. The final score was 23-17 with Georgia winning their fourth straight game to open the season.

The Irish next game is on September 28th at home against the #18 University of Virginia Cavaliers at 3:30 pm.

Week Two

Week two the Irish welcomed New Mexico to South Bend for the first matchup ever between the schools. Both teams coming off week one wins and having to deal with injuries that would keep out some key players for both teams. New Mexico would have to play without their starting quarterback Junior Brandt Hughes and starting defensive lineman and team captain Senior Aaron Blackwell. Along with those injuries, New Mexico would have to travel to Notre Dame without their head coach Bob Davie due to a health issue that he would have to be hospitalized following their victory against Sam Houston State. Bob Davie who was a former head coach at the University of Notre Dame where he coached the Irish for 5 seasons from 1997-2001 with a record of 35-25 for the Irish over those 5 seasons. He was also a defensive coordinator under famous Irish head coach Lou Holtz prior to taking over as head coach.

Notre Dame had injuries to deal with as they were missing running backs Sophomore Jahmir Smith and Junior Jafar Armstrong who both suffered injuries last week. Jafar only had two carries in the first quarter against Louisville then suffered an injury to the groin area. While Jahmir was injured during a scrimmage on Saturday. For the Irish Junior cornerback Avery Davis would switch back to the position in which he played the previous season running back to help replace the injured players.

The game started with Notre Dame receiving the kickoff which was returned 59 yards by Sophomore Wide Receiver Lawrence Keys III to the New Mexico 49-yard line which gave the Irish great starting field position on their first drive. The field position did not amount to anything as the Irish ended up punting. On New Mexico’s first drive they would get three first downs but then threw an interception which was returned for a touchdown by Freshman defensive back Kyle Hamilton. The next three drives would all end in punts leaving the Irish with the ball on the New Mexico 42-yard line with 38 seconds left in the first quarter and would extend into the second quarter.

The Irish would march down the field dominating the Lobos with the run and they would end up with a first and goal on the 4-yard line. Back to back 1 yard runs by Sophomore running back C’Bo Flemister would leave the Irish with a third and goal. After a run for no gain Irish Senior quarterback Ian Book would take the fourth-down snap and sneak it in for a touchdown giving the Irish a 14-0 lead. After back to back punts, The Lobos would get the ball with just over 8 minutes left in the half they would drive from their 38-yard line to the Irish 44-yard line setting up a third and 13. Lobos Senior quarterback Sheriron Jones would drop back to pass but it would be intercepted by Senior safety Jalen Elliott. The next play Ian Book would throw a shuffle pass to Junior running back Avery Davis who would take the ball 59 yards for a touchdown just ten seconds after the interception making the score 21-0. Two drives later the Irish would take two plays to score on a pass from Ian Book to Senior Wide Receiver Javon McKinley who broke four tackles on his way to the 65-yard touchdown. Then following an interception by Irish Graduate Student Shawn Crawford two plays later Notre Dame would score on a 37-yard reception by Senior Chase Claypool. On the Lobos last drive of the half they finally cracked the scoreboard with a touchdown on a 47-yard run by Redshirt Sophomore Bryson Carroll. Notre Dame added a field goal to the score on the last play of the first half. The score going into halftime was Notre Dame 38 – New Mexico 7.

The third quarter was dominated by the Irish scoring on every drive they had in the quarter. Starting with a 54-yard touch pass to Graduate Student Chris Finke from quarterback Ian Book. Then Javon McKinley caught his second touchdown pass of the game which was a 20-yard completion from Book. Then after a missed snap on a field goal by New Mexico which was recovered by Sophomore defensive back TaRiq Bracy, the Irish would go on a drive which took them into the fourth quarter.

The end of the drive was a touchdown by C’Bo Flemister on a 1-yard run which was his second touchdown of the game. The next two drives after a New Mexico punt both ended with touchdowns. Notre Dame scored on a 22-yard reception by Sophomore wide receiver Braden Lenzy on a pass by Freshman quarterback Brendon Clark. The Lobos would then score their second touchdown of the game on a 37-yard run by redshirt Sophomore running back Bobby Cole. That would be the last score of the game, and it ended with a score of 66-14.

Notre Dame’s next game is against the current #3 team in the nation Georgia on September 21st at 8 pm.

Week Two Preview

This week the Irish welcome the University of New Mexico Lobos to South Bend for the first meeting all-time between these schools. Both teams are looking to start their respective seasons with back to back wins. The Irish traveling to Kentucky beating the University of Louisville 37-17, and New Mexico beating FCS school Sam Houston State 39-31.

Both teams come into this week with injuries they will have to deal with. Notre Dame is missing Junior running back Jafar Armstrong who had two carries vs. Louisville for 10 yards before having to leave with an injury which is going to sideline the Junior for at least a month maybe two. Senior running back Tony Jones Jr. and Sophomore running back Jahmir Smith will have to handle an increased workload with the injury to Armstrong. It did not affect the duo to much against Louisville with Jones Jr. carrying the ball a team-leading 15 times during the victory, and Smith carried the ball for two touchdowns.

New Mexico has some major injuries and health issues. Their head coach will not make the trip to South Bend with the team because of a recent health scare which led him to be hospitalized. They are also going to be without injured starting quarterback Brandt Hughes, who tore his labrum in the game vs Sam Houston. New Mexico will also be without team captain top defender Aaron Blackwell who suffered a season-ending ACL injury during week one.

Last week Notre Dame attacked Louisville on the ground and in the air with 423 yards of total offense, rushing the ball for over 200 yards as a team with Senior running back Tony Jones Jr. leading the team with 110 yards rushing carrying the ball 15 times and a touchdown. While Senior quarterback Ian Book threw for 193 yards going 14 for 23 on passing attempts. Senior wide receiver Chase Claypool led the team in receiving Catching 5 passes for 94 yards.

New Mexico had 490 yards of total offense vs. Sam Houston State, rushing the ball for 150 yards led by senior running back Ahmari Davis who rushed for 107 yards carrying the ball 16 times and two touchdowns in the victory. Junior quarterback Brandt Hughes threw for 218 yards going 12 for 29 passing before getting injured forcing backup quarterback Senior Sheriron Jones into the game who threw for 122 yards going 6 for 11 on passing attempts. The Lobos leading receiver was Redshirt Senior Anu Somoye catching 3 passes for 62 yards.

Kickoff is set for 2:30 pm with the game broadcast available nationwide on NBC.

Week One

Week one of the Fighting Irish season saw them travel to the University of Louisville. This is the second all-time meeting between the two programs with the first in 2014 in which Louisville went to South Bend and beat the Irish 31-26. This would be head coach Scott Satterfield’s first game in charge of the Cardinals football program. Prior to him taking the Louisville head coaching job Satterfield was the head coach of Appalachian State. Where he took them from the FCS level to the FBS level in the Sun Belt Conference and then within the five years in the Sun Belt win the Conference the last three seasons from 2016-2018. Appalachian state also won three bowl games during his tenure with the team. Louisville struggled in 2018 and only were able to win two game the whole season neither of which were in their conference the ACC. Which in turn led to the Cardinals firing their coach Bobby Petrino on November 11th of that season. The Cardinals however were still trying to find their identity after their former Heisman winning quarterback Lamar Jackson went pro two years ago.

Notre Dame were the completely the opposite of the Cardinals the prior season. A season in which the Irish had a perfect regular season and one in which they were selected to their first college football playoff in school history. However, that experience was short lived as in the semifinal game against Clemson University was a very one-sided game in which the Irish were defeated 30-3. Clemson then went on to defeat the University of Alabama in the National championship game 44-16. The Irish are often overlooked by many because they do not play in a conference, but they often play one of the hardest schedules in college football because they are not constricted to only playing conference games. This year the Irish are led by Senior quarterback Ian Book who took over the starting job part way through last year from Brandon Wimbush who is now at the University of Central Florida. The team hopes to repeat last year and get into the college football playoff again.

The game was a Monday night primetime game at Louisville stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The game started with a 6 play 75-yard run dominated opening drive touchdown for Notre Dame on a 3-yard rush by Sophomore running back Jahmir Smith. Louisville responded the next drive with a 12 play 88-yard drive which was capped off with an 8-yard run by Redshirt Junior quarterback Jawon Pass. The next drive by Notre Dame which was dominated by the Louisville defense was a three and out. Louisville took over at their own 25-yard line with just over 6 minutes left in the first quarter. It only took the Cardinals 2 minutes to march down the field and score on a 17-yard run again by their quarterback Jawon Pass. Notre Dame would get the football back with 4 minutes left in the first quarter on their own 25-yard line. The Irish marched down the field and with 30 seconds left in the first quarter they evened up the score at 14 a piece heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter was not as action packed as the first quarter with teams exchanging punts until the Cardinals had the ball with just under 3 minutes left in the second quarter after back to back runs for no gain to open the drive the Cardinals quarterback ran the ball for 6-yards but then fumbled the ball and the Irish recovered with great field position to get an end of the half touchdown and take a lead into the locker room. The next play after the fumble the Irish quarterback took the snap and while attempting to scramble, he ran into his tight end and the ball ended up on the ground again which was recovered by the Cardinals. Louisville caught a break after fumbling the ball right before the half, or so they thought until the next play in which the Louisville quarterback Jawon Pass fumbled the snap and Notre Dame recovered it with 1 minute and 3 seconds left in the half. Notre Dame then had the ball on the Louisville 20-yard line the first play was a 12-yard run by Ian Book which took the Irish down to the 8-yard line with 52 seconds left in the half. Tony Brown Jr. followed with an 2-yard run down to the 6-yard line, Ian Book then threw an incomplete pass then the Irish were flagged for a false start penalty which moved them back to the 11-yard line with 23 seconds to go. The next play however Book ran 11-yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half to make it 21-14.

The Second half was dominated by the defenses with each team punting the ball 5 times total. Notre Dame were the only team to score a touchdown on the second half which they scored two. The first on a 26-yard completion to Sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble, the second was on a 1-yard run by Jahmir Smith. Louisville did end up with a field goal in between the touchdowns which was a 42-yard field goal by Redshirt Senior Blanton Creque. That was however the only offense the Cardinals could provide in the second half and the game ended with a score of Notre Dame 35-Louisville 17.

The Irish next play New Mexico at home this Saturday September 14th at 2:30 pm.

Introducing Me

My Name is Hayden I am currently a senior at Radford University. I am from Nokesville, Virginia which is a small town in Northern Virginia about an hour south of DC. I have two younger brothers one of which is currently a Third Year which is what they call a Junior attending the University of Virginia, and one which is a Junior in High School. The reason I am starting this blog is for my social media marketing class, that I am taking this semester. In this blog I am going to write about college football mainly talking about the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish which is my favorite college football team.

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