What went wrong: Louisville exploited Notre Dame in these two matchups
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No. 10-ranked Notre Dame dropped its second game in three weeks, falling at No. 25 Louisville on Saturday night.
The Irish (5-2) were knotted up at seven with the Cardinals (6-0) at halftime before a collection of blunders and poor play led to a 33-20 loss. Notre Dame had its 30-game win streak against ACC opponents broken and hosts No. 9 USC (5-0) next Saturday before its bye week on Oct. 21.
Inside ND Sports analyzes two matchups that Louisville won head-to-head against Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's offensive line vs. Louisville's defensive line
Notre Dame's offensive line got pushed around in ways we hadn't seen all season. Quarterback Sam Hartman was under constant duress and was sacked five times. Outside of Jeremiyah Love's 11- and 13-yard runs, Notre Dame's running attack produced no substantial gains.
Offensive guard Billy Schrauth saw action early on and allowed Louisville's defensive linemen to power right past him and disrupt the backfield. Offensive tackle Joe Alt also got packed by a Louisville defensive end in the first half and gave up his second sack of the season.
Offensive tackle Blake Fisher committed two penalties, including a facemask in the third quarter that negated a first-down run from Hartman. His other penalty was a holding call in the first half.
Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph's group looked out of sorts and the Cardinals' defense took full advantage.
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker vs. Louisville co-defensive coordinators Mark Hagen and Ron English
Louisville's offense, led by head coach Jeff Brohm and Louisville offensive coordinator Brian Brohm, gave Notre Dame's defense fits with their option calls. Coordinator Al Golden's defense was outplayed, but was left on the field too long as the Irish offense struggled as it did against Ohio State and Duke.
In the first half, offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Gerad Parker gave running back Audric Estimé only six carries. Parker also called a reverse sweep on third-and-one that resulted in a lost fumble between Hartman and wide receiver Chris Tyree. Tight end Mitchell Evans had only one reception on one target in the first half.
Hagen and English didn't throw many exotic looks at Notre Dame but their 4-2-5 scheme gave Parker fits. Louisville's secondary wasn't tested down the field and got the best of Notre Dame's wide receivers in man-to-man coverage outside of a 36-yard touchdown from Hartman to wide receiver Jordan Faison. Hartman finished with two interceptions.
Notre Dame's offense routinely lit up the scoreboard in the first four games but has looked pedestrian under Parker's leadership as of late.
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