Notre Dame Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Louisville in Week 1

1. Chase Claypool records a career-high in receiving yards

Just to highlight how difficult this achievement will be for Chase Claypool specifically, the senior from Canada previously set his career-high for receiving yards at 180 in a matchup vs. Wake Forest. Breaking that will be no easy task, and there’s a good chance that he never does. However, he’ll at least have the opportunity to do so Week 1 against Louisville.

Louisville’s pass defense went virtually untested throughout the 2018 season, as opposing offenses attempted an average of only 24.2 passes per game. For reference, only UMass and Bowling Green State had fewer passes attempted against them last season.

One obvious reason for this was the ease with which opposing offenses could run the ball against Louisville. The Cardinals defense let up an atrocious 278.8 rushing yards per game last season, fourth worst in the country. While this is a great sign for the Irish running backs, Claypool will have to make all of his targets count if he’s planning on getting close to his record this week.

Nevertheless, the Irish are going to want to give quarterback Ian Book and some of his inexperienced receivers as much time as they can get to gel, which may mean a few extra throws as long as the game-flow allows for it. If that’s the case, the much-improved Claypool may be able to work some magic and put forth a career-defining effort against the Louisville secondary.