Notre Dame Football: Report card for tough win vs. Louisville in Week 1

Defense

In the first half, Louisville seemed to be able to get whatever they wanted on offense. When they stalled, it wasn’t always thanks to good plays by Notre Dame. They had some unforced turnovers, and they missed a few big plays. However, you have to credit the Irish with forcing so many fumbles and recovering the ball.

Defensive Line: B

They failed to get consistent pressure, but I liked some of the things Notre Dame’s defensive line was able to do. However, they simply gave up too much in the run game. They were good when they played at their best, but they just seemed to struggle too often. After a few drives where Louisville marched down the field, the Irish were able to tighten their defense up. I just was expecting to see more from them in this game. You like the ability to fix mistakes as the game continues, but you can’t give them a perfect score after how they started in this one.

Linebackers: B-

The Notre Dame defense lost so many players from the last year’s team, but I liked what I saw from the linebackers. There were mental lapses on the whole defense that caused some big plays, and the linebacker were no exception. However, I’m optimistic in their growth as the season progresses. The physical traits are mostly there, but they need to be able to read what is happening better.

Secondary: B-

With Louisville being a run-heavy team, the secondary was going to have to handle more of the running game than the passing game. That being said, they held their own in pass coverage. Pass had a bad completion percentage, and the Irish had a lot to do with that. However, the Cardinals had a few big runs on the boundary, and that’s on the secondary to stop. Replacing Julian Love is a tough task, and I think Notre Dame is going to have to do a little more to get where they want to be, but I like this start.

Special Teams: A-

The special teams did not get a ton of opportunities, but they made the most of what they could do. The kicker didn’t miss an attempt, and the punter didn’t have any truly bad punts. The coverage units did their job as well. Nothing elite, but they certainly did their part.

I might be too harsh on this team based on how the first quarter went. I love how they were able to respond and grow in this game, but there simply needs to be more from a team hoping to make it to the College Football Playoff.