3 Turnovers committed by Notre Dame in the last seven openers since 2013, a laudable feat considering sloppiness often is a hallmark in first games (it had five turnovers in the 2011 opening game loss to USF).
The Irish went four straight years from 2013-16 without a turnover in the opener, but did have one interception versus Temple and Michigan in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and then a lost fumble by senior quarterback Ian Book in the second quarter versus Louisville.
4 Straight years Notre Dame scored a touchdown on its opening possession to begin a season, navigating 75 yards on six plays in 2:21 versus the Cardinals for a quick 7-0 advantage, capped by a three-yard run by sophomore power back Jahmir Smith. The Fighting Irish had also marched 75 yards in just 1:25 last year versus Michigan, 70 yards in 33 seconds against Temple in 2017 and 78 yards in 2:32 at Texas in 2016.
In four straight years prior from 2012-15, Notre Dame tallied two touchdowns apiece in the first quarter — and did so again for a third straight year at Louisville, or seven of the last eight seasons.
6 First-time starters for Notre Dame on offense, defense and among kicking specialists. On offense it was sophomore Jarrett Patterson at center. Classmate Lawrence Keys III at slot did not start because the irish went with two backs in senior Tony Jones Jr. and junior Jafar Armstrong.
Defensively it was four juniors: tackles Kurt Hinish and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Mike linebacker Drew White and rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Freshman punter Jay Bramblett, who also doubles as the holder on placekicks, likewise made his starting debut.
Owusu-Koramoah recorded nine tackles, two for loss, in his starting debut. However, receiving the game ball was sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble (three catches, 49 yards and a touchdown), who saw his first action in a Notre Dame uniform.
10 Consecutive games lost by Louisville — the longest current losing streak in the nation. Rutgers had entered the season with the previous high at 11 but opened its campaign with a 48-21 win over UMass.
14-4 Notre Dame record in night openers, which began with a 19-13 loss at SMU in 1956 on its way to a 2-8 record. The Fighting Irish then won eight straight from 1974-96 before falling at Nebraska in 2001. With the win at Louisville it is now 6-3 is such games since the turn of the century, and 3-1 under head coach Brian Kelly.
The game at Louisville was the ninth night opener in the first 20 years of the 21st century after having nine in all the 20th century.
27 Percent chance of Notre Dame making the College Football Playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, after the victory versus Louisville. That is slightly higher than the 25 percent it was entering the game. Had the Fighting Irish lost it would have fallen to eight percent.
37 States Notre Dame has now played football in after making its debut appearance in Kentucky, even though it borders Indiana. Alphabetically, the other 13 states Notre Dame football has not played in are Alaska, Arkansas (where Notre Dame is scheduled to play the Razorbacks in 2025), Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming.
117 Games coached at Notre Dame by Kelly (82-35), who is in his 10th season with the Fighting Irish. The contest at Louisville moved him past 1964-74 Notre Dame icon Ara Parseghian (95-17-4) for sole possession of third place. Only Lou Holtz with 132 (100-30-2) from 1986-96 and Knute Rockne with 122 (105-12-5) from 1918-30 have officially had more games, even though they weren’t always on the sidelines for health reasons.
58,187 Announced attendance at the game, a Cardinal Stadium record. The previous standard of 55,632 was set during a Sept. 17, 2016 win over Florida State. Cardinal Stadium has a capacity of 60,800 people.
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