Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Louisville Cardinals Complete Game Preview

While Notre Dame fans are still reeling from an overtime defeat at the hands of woeful Northwestern, the coaches and players have no choice but to turn their attention to Louisville. And fresh off a bye week, the Cardinals come to South Bend looking to deliver a knockout punch to a team that's clearly wobbling against the ropes. 

In the final home game of the season, the Irish have another opportunity to get their eighth victory, a win that would make head coach Brian Kelly the first Notre Dame coach ever to win eight or more games in his first five seasons on the job. 

But getting there looks much harder than it did a month ago. The Irish have gone from College Football Playoff contenders to a group that's in danger of free fall, courtesy of a defense that's fallen apart and an offense that continues to turn the football over in critical situations. 

After finding a way to get outscored by one of the least-explosive offenses in all of college football, the Irish now take on one of the best defenses in the nation. It's a matchup that has many people doubting Kelly's young team, with the point spread moving drastically in Louisville's favor after opening up with Notre Dame favored by 9.5 points. 

Let's get you ready for the very first meeting between Louisville and Notre Dame, with Bobby Petrino set to bring the Cardinals to South Bend. 

Date: Saturday, November 22

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Place: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana

TV: NBC

Radio: IMG College Sports, SiriusXM Channel 129

Spread: Notre Dame by 3.5, according to Odds Shark.

Notre Dame Keys to Victory

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Take Care of the Football... Especially if Everett Golson Can't Play

Another Saturday, another four turnovers for the Irish. And after finding ways to make painful mistakes on the offensive side of the ball, the unit raised its game in the heartbreak category. 

Senior captain Cam McDaniel fumbled away near certain victory late in the fourth quarter when he was inserted to run out the clock. Junior Chris Brown extended the ball at the goal line, fumbling the ball into the end zone and giving Northwestern the ball on the 20-yard line. 

Everett Golson threw an interception and then teamed with Tarean Folston to blow an exchange on the zone read, turning another scoring opportunity into zero points and Northwestern's ball. Even the extra-point team got in on the act, a dropped snap turning into a block and two-point return for the Wildcats. 

Louisville's defense have to be licking their chops. The Cardinals have already forced 25 turnovers on the year, the 10th-best total in the country. Giving up just 17.8 points a game, Todd Grantham's defense is also one of the best against the run, giving up just 2.8 yards per carry, meaning the game will be in Golson's turnover-prone hands—if he's healthy enough to play. 

A shoulder injury Golson played through for most of the second half could give Malik Zaire his first significant duties of the year. We'll get an update on it Tuesday from Brian Kelly, but if the shoulder sprain worsens this week, Zaire's introduction to the starting lineup could be a very difficult one. 

Find a Way for Moderate Defensive Competence

Over the last five football games, Notre Dame has given up 211 points. It's the worst five-game stretch in the program's history, topping the 166 allowed during the rock-bottom 2007 season's five-game opening run.  

Against a Louisville offense that's breaking in new starting quarterback Reggie Bonnafon, expect Petrino to lean on the running game with Brandon Radcliff and Michael Dyer. And that might be enough to open up the Irish defense, as injuries take another bite out of an already-too-thin depth chart. 

How the Irish do stopping the run remains to be seen, especially with knee injuries to Sheldon Day and Daniel Cage further gutting the defensive tackle rotation. With Nyles Morgan learning as he goes at middle linebacker, Louisville might be able to do enough damage on the ground to win this football game, even before getting wide receiver DeVante Parker involved. 

Parker missed the first seven games of the season with an injury. In the three games he's been back he has 26 catches for 490 yards and a touchdown. That's a recipe for disaster against a secondary that'll likely need to play man coverage. 

Right now, the Irish are playing the worst defense we've ever seen, a toxic blend of inexperience and strategic blunders. Finding a way to get some consistency is key this weekend. 

Louisville Keys to Victory

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Make the Game Easy Early for Reggie Bonnafon

Louisville starting quarterback Will Gardner was lost for the season after suffering another knee injury against Boston College. After already missing the majority of three games earlier in the season, Petrino will be forced to once again call on freshman Reggie Bonnafon to run the offense. 

That means relying on the running game to move the offense. It also means calling plays that'll utilize the dual-threat quarterback's mobility. Getting out to a good start is critical, especially if the Cardinals don't want to rely on their passing game to win. 

Bonnafon got crucial experience earlier in the season with Gardner missing time. Playing at Notre Dame on senior day will challenge the true freshman, but he's already played key minutes against Virginia and Clemson. 

Make Notre Dame's Offense One-Dimensional

There's a chance that even after playing 10 games Louisville's defense is a bit of a paper tiger. That's what happens when you play a schedule that features games against Murray State and Florida International, and an in-conference schedule that features bottom dwellers Virginia, Wake Forest, Syracuse and North Carolina State. 

But regardless of the overall strength of the defense (the Cardinals gave up 35 second-half points to Florida State in a 42-31 defeat), Louisville's been stout against the run, putting Grantham in a spot where he can potentially stop the Irish's rushing attack without having to bring an extra man into the box. 

Shutting down Folston, who has run for 100 yards or more in three of the last four games, will give the opportunistic Louisville secondary a chance to make some plays on the football. And if the Cardinals can get enough passes in the air, the trend over the past six games tells you that they'll force some turnovers. 

Notre Dame Players to Watch

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Will Fuller

Notre Dame's sophomore wide receiver was a rare bright spot against Northwestern, scoring three more touchdowns to push him into a tie for the nation's lead with Rashard Higgins of Colorado State. Against the Wildcats, Fuller beat a statistically tough passing defense via the vertical route, the screen pass and every way in between. 

Saturday will once again test Fuller to be the best player on the field. Louisville will counter him with stud receiver DeVante Parker. They'll cover him with safety Gerod Holliman. And it'll be up to Fuller to step up and provide the production that the Irish offense desperately need. 

Fuller's 13 touchdown catches have him within striking distance of Golden Tate's 15, a single-season record set during Tate's Biletnikoff Award-winning season in 2009. The sophomore still drops too many passes, a frustrating part of his game that's still evolving, but he's the best option available in a passing game that'll be key to winning on Saturday.

Jarron Jones

Jones might be the only man left on the inside of the Irish's defensive line. The junior defensive tackle is batting ankle and knee injuries of his own but will need to stand strong on the interior of the battered front seven. 

Jones had seven tackles against Northwestern last week, also knocking down a pass and making one tackle for loss. He'll need to control the line of scrimmage and do his best to keep blockers off of middle linebacker Nyles Morgan, with the hope that the Irish can find a way to control the line of scrimmage.  

Louisville Players to Watch

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DeVante Parker

An August foot injury robbed Parker of playing in the first seven games of his senior season. But after returning to the field, the 6'3", 211-pound senior is intent on making up for lost time. 

Parker's exploded in all three games he's played for the Cardinals, providing a big-play threat at receiver for an offense that's struggled to score points at times. He roasted Florida State's secondary as Louisville pushed the defending champs to the brink, catching eight passes for 214 yards. 

In each of his three previous seasons, Parker has led Louisville in touchdown catches. With freshman Reggie Bonnafon likely given a condensed playbook against the Irish, expect just about every pass play to start with Parker as the first read. 

Gerod Holliman

After being stuck behind first-rounder Calvin Pryor, Holliman has emerged as the premier ball-hawking safety in the country. With 13 interceptions through 10 games, Holliman is four picks clear as the nation's leader and currently tied with David Amerson for the ACC's single-season record. 

At 6'2", 213 pounds, Holliman is a redshirt sophomore who is being compared to Ed Reed. He's shown an obvious nose for the football, the hands of a wide receiver and an ability to change a game from center field. 

Against Golson, Holliman will have his opportunities to make plays. He'll also do more than just roam the back line of the defense, as he's a capable tackler in the box as well. 

What They're Saying

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"Coach Petrino does a great job on offense. The defense has been one of the best in the country, top 10. It's going to be a great battle. They've had the week off to get ready for us, so we're going to have to be at our best."

—Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly on playing the 7-3 Cardinals. 

"Being here in Louisville, with the Catholic community that we have, and [former Irish Heisman Trophy winner] Paul Hornung, and all the ties that the city of Louisville has to Notre Dame, I think that's significant. I think we'll have a good crowd up there. I know everybody was talking all summer long about [having] tickets and making their way up there."

—Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino, about the school's first football game against Notre Dame. 

Prediction

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It's hard to find much positive about the Irish after a really disastrous loss to Northwestern. The Irish killed themselves in all phases of the game, playing wretched defense, sloppy offense and terrible special teams on their way to an overtime loss to heavy underdogs. 

Louisville is a much better team than Northwestern, and Notre Dame only has a few days of practice to remedy some mistakes that will surely be exploited by the Cardinals. 

All that being said, Brian Kelly's team isn't just going to lie down. On senior day, a home crowd will be there to honor a class that's had a very good run in South Bend. And at some point, the light bulb will go on for the Irish offense—or at the very least, some good luck will go their way in the turnovers department. 

A point spread that's already been beaten down nearly a touchdown has the Irish a little bit more than field-goal favorites. A week after blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead, I expect Brian Kelly to hold on to a tight victory in the end. 

Final Score: Notre Dame 30, Louisville 27

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.