Notre Dame Football Looks To Regain Confidence Against Louisville
By Nick Wilder
@NickCWilder
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Just two weeks ago, Notre Dame was ranked No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings and they were gearing up for their biggest game of the season against Arizona State, who was No. 9 at the time. The Fighting Irish eventually lost to the Sun Devils by a score of 55-31, and since then the team has been on a downward trend.
Going into last week’s game against a floundering Northwestern team, the Fighting Irish were confident they could get back on track and claim a relatively easy victory in South Bend. Well, they ended up blowing an 11-point fourth quarter lead, in part due to a questionable decision by Brian Kelly to go for a two-point conversion late in the game.
After having an outside chance of making the College Football Playoff prior to their two-game losing streak, Notre Dame is now unranked in every major college football poll. It’s been a steep fall for the team in a short period of time, but they do have a chance to record perhaps their most significant win of the season against a solid Louisville team on Saturday.
Louisville (7-3) also enters this matchup unranked and looking to record their first victory of the season against a formidable opponent. Offensively, the Cardinals are much better moving the ball through the air as opposed to on the ground. They are 54th in the nation in pass yards per game (239.3) and 86th in rush yards per game (148.1). The defense for Notre Dame, which has struggled consistently in recent weeks, will likely prioritize containing Louisville’s passing game throughout this matchup.
In terms of the Fighting Irish’s offensive game plan, the team should look to pass the ball against the Louisville defense. Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson has committed 19 turnovers this season after a strong start, but the Cardinals have been excellent against the run this season, as they are second in the nation in rush yards allowed per game (87.4) and have only given up six rushing scores this season.
The confidence for the Fighting Irish is understandably low at this point, but they can regain it by obtaining a quality win against Louisville. In doing so, it could re-energize the team for the last few games of the season and help qualify them for a respectable bowl game at season’s end.
Nick Wilder is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickCWilder and add him to your network on Google.
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