On an afternoon when it seemed that neither team wanted or deserved to win, Notre Dame’s defense had the final say. Trailing by 31-24, Louisville took possession near midfield but could not gain traction as Tyler Shough’s long fourth down pass sailed into oblivion. A fitting end to an ugly game marred by turnovers, coaching blunders, injuries, and a few spectacular pass plays.

The first play of the afternoon set the tone for what was to come. Devyn Ford took the opening kickoff for the Fighting Irish and promptly fumbled it away at his own 24. Shough quickly capitalized by hitting Isaac Brown in the corner of the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Undeterred by the awful start, Notre Dame came right back with a well-conceived 75-yard drive. Jeremiah Love covered the last four yards to tie the score at seven.

Then things got weird. The Cardinals fumbled the ensuing kickoff but somehow managed to recover it inside their own ten. On first down, Shough took off on a 40-yard ramble before he was caught from behind. Cornerback Leonard Moore stripped him of the ball and Jaiden Ausberry recovered at the Irish 47. Notre Dame moved into scoring territory before Riley Leonard stunned the Louisville defense with a downfield shot to a wide-open Jaden Greathouse. The 34-yard touchdown gave the hosts a 14-7 advantage just ten minutes into the contest.

The Cards stalled on their next offensive series and dropped back to punt. A poor snap skidded past Brady Hodges and a mad scramble ensued. When the dust cleared, Kennedy Uhrlacher had scooped up the rolling pigskin and advanced it to the Louisville four. Leonard needed only one play to pound it into the end zone for a 21-7 lead.

Notre Dame could not handle prosperity, though. After forcing a Cardinal punt, Jadarian Price promptly fumbled the ball away at his own seven-yard line. Shough turned this gift into seven points with a ridiculous off-balance slingshot to Ja’Corey Brooks at the back of the end zone.

Later, Shough threw his first interception of the season. His pass over the middle hit Brooks in the hands but clanked off them into the grasp of Xavier Watts. Notre Dame had good field position but could not convert a third and one. Mitch Jeter came on and drilled a 48-yard field goal for a 24-14 halftime lead.

The Irish offense went into a coma in the third quarter. Penalties and missed blocks by the offensive line kept punter James Rendell busy. Fortunately, Notre Dame was winning the field position battle and the Cardinals could not sustain their drives. A sack by linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa ended Louisville’s most promising threat in the period.

Notre Dame opened the final stanza in search of a clinching score. Leonard sustained a drive with a fourth down run but came up short on the next series. The Cards responded with a 56-yard field goal by Brock Travelstead to cut the margin to 24-17.

Leonard regained the momentum for his team on the ensuing possession. His 34-yard pass to Jayden Harrison crossed midfield and lifted the Irish morale. Two plays later, Leonard retreated to his right and threw a screen pass to Love in the left flat. The Louisville defense was nowhere to be found, and Love crashed into the end zone from 32 yards out. Notre Dame led by 31-17 with 9:16 remaining.

Shough was unwilling to concede defeat. He drove his team down the field and hit Brooks with another perfect pass for a 24-yard score at the 5:17 mark. Leading by a touchdown, the Irish had a chance to burn the clock as Louisville had exhausted its timeouts.

At halftime, Coach Marcus Freeman had talked about being aggressive rather than playing not to lose. Unfortunately, Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock did not get the message. He called three successive runs by Leonard into the teeth of the Cardinal defense. These plays gained all of four yards and brought Rendell back onto the field. His short punt gave Louisville a chance to tie the game from its own 45.

Coach Jeff Brohm inexplicably chose to run the ball. Three plays later he faced a fourth and inches at the two-minute warning. When Louisville returned to run its fourth down attempt, the play clock expired and cost them five precious yards. Now forced to pass, Shough heaved one under pressure toward Caullin Lacy. The ball sailed long as Lacy was well covered by Jordan Clark and Adon Shuler. Denbrock then reached into his bag of tricks and called for a kneel down by Leonard to end the game.

Both teams and coaching staffs will have plenty of mistakes to review early this week. When Freeman said in his postgame remarks that he wanted his team to be consistent, I did not know whether to laugh or cry. Once again, the Irish took their fans on a rollercoaster ride. This time, the football gods were merciful.

Let’s look at the answers to our pregame questions:

• Which defensive line will be able to stuff the run? Louisville’s front four dominated the Irish offensive line and rushing attack. Leonard had 52 of Notre Dame’s paltry 117 yards on the ground. The Irish were gashed for 173 yards on the ground, although the stat sheet shows 131 to account for 42 lost yards on the misfired punt snap. Notre Dame finally stiffened against the run in the fourth quarter, which was very helpful to their cause.
• Can Notre Dame’s secondary prevent big plays by the Cardinal passing game? No. Shough and his receivers made several outstanding throws and catches. Even Benjamin Morrison was victimized for the Irish. Christian Gray did not play due to a shoulder injury. Freshmen Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs filled in and did a credible job overall.
• Will Brohm catch Notre Dame off balance with a trick play? He didn’t need to resort to gimmicks. The Cardinals outgained Notre Dame by 395-280. Their total is really 437 yards when you add back the 42 yards lost on special teams.
• Can Leonard improve his accuracy and minimize three and out series? Leonard got off to a hot start and made quality throws on the touchdowns to Greathouse and even the screen to Love. He is showing improvement although there is plenty of room left for more.
• Will the Irish offensive line rise above its recent mediocrity? No, they were awful again and got worse as the game wore on.
• Can Notre Dame’s special teams contribute in a positive way? A mixed bag. Ford’s fumble was inexcusable. The recovery by Uhrlacher to set up a touchdown evened the score in this department. Notre Dame won the battle of field position most of the day until the last series when Rendell hit a lousy punt at the worst possible time.
• Which team will commit key mistakes and turnovers? Louisville had not committed a turnover this season until they hit the trifecta in this game. Numerous penalties and horrible play calls by both coaches were also part of the equation. Two fumbles by the Irish were particularly careless.
• Will Denbrock be predictable or can he keep the Louisville defense off balance? Denbrock looked competent on the opening drive by Notre Dame but he quickly reverted to awful. His final series was undoubtely the worst representation of Notre Dame football in the history of the program. Is it entirely his fault? Maybe not. He has to call the plays he believes the team can execute (see below).

There were three other notable takeaways from this game. One was the disturbing number of injuries suffered by both teams. Notre Dame’s Boubacar Traore appeared to have a lower leg issue that did not look good. Jack Kiser limped off the field in the final period as did guard Sam Pendleton. Jack Swarbrick may be gone but his awful fake turf will continue to haunt the program.

The second was the difference in tackling prowess and overall aggression by the back seven of each defense. Louisville’s linebackers and secondary flew to the ball and arrived in an angry mood. Comparatively, the Irish had far too many whiffs, arm tackles, and yards surrendered after contact. That needs to be fixed.

Third, Notre Dame’s offensive line is a hot mess. Attrition has wreaked havoc with this group as several backups have been forced into action. Still, the execution should be better. Intensity is lacking, which is why there are so many penalties. Too many plays go nowhere due to breakdowns up front. Love rarely has room to run while Leonard is taking some vicious shots. Denbrock gets much of the blame but his play calls are not all bad. The players would make him look a lot smarter if they did their jobs more often.

It was an exhausting afternoon for everyone who played or watched this drama. It contained an endless supply of momentum swings fueled by great plays and boneheaded errors. The Irish have a bye week before playing Stanford on October 12. While the players could use extra time to deal with their physical infirmaries, the fans are much more deserving of a mental health break.

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