Louisville vs. Notre Dame: Score and Twitter Reaction

Notre Dame's senior day didn't exactly go according to plan, as Bobby Petrino and the Louisville Cardinals rolled into South Bend and defeated the Fighting Irish, 31-28. Yet the victory didn't come easy for the visiting team.

A solid kickoff return by Amir Carlisle put Notre Dame in great starting field position at the team's own 47-yard line. Immediately, Everett Golson took to the air, finding William Fuller for a 27-yard gain deep into Cardinals' territory. Three Tarean Folston runs later, the Irish were faced with a 3rd-and-4 at the Louisville 9-yard line. Golson couldn't avoid pressure brought by the Cardinals rush and settled for a 28-yard Kyle Brindza field goal.   

A quick lead forced Louisville to respond, and quarterback Reggie Bonnafon was up for the challenge. He was sacked by Jarron Jones and Romeo Okwara to begin the drive, but running back Michael Dyer's ensuing 21-yard scamper got the offense out of trouble. The signal-caller found the dangerous DeVante Parker two plays later for a 14-yard gain that entered Notre Dame territory.

The remainder of the drive was all on the ground, as Dyer took the team down to the 12-yard line, and Bonnafon capped off the 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run, giving Louisville a 7-3 lead.

Bleacher Report's Dan Hope tweeted his take on the drive:

Notre Dame couldn't get anything going on the following drive, and a great punt by Brindza pinned Louisville at its own 7-yard line. A personal foul on the Irish and an 18-yard completion to Kai De La Cruz quickly got the Cardinals out of the shadow of their own goalpost, and then the game's first big play struck, as Bonnafon connected with De La Cruz on a 52-yard strike.

According to Louisville Football, that completion was the longest of the quarterback's career:

Two plays later, Bonnafon took off for an eight-yard touchdown scamper—his second rushing score of the game.

CBS Sports CFB tweeted the updated score and game time:

Despite a limited amount of time to work with, it appeared the Irish would strike back, as Golson found Fuller for a 48-yard gain, all the way down to the Louisville 24-yard line. Unfortunately, the drive would stall shortly after, and Notre Dame settled for another short Brindza field goal.

The remainder of the second quarter didn't produce many points, but it was eventful. 

Notre Dame's defense finally clamped down on Bonnafon and Co., forcing a punt. However, Golson threw a terrible interception on the ensuing play, giving the ball right back to the Cardinals at the Notre Dame 11-yard line. The Irish defense held strong again, forcing a short John Wallace field goal.

After three consecutive punts to follow, Louisville went on the march again as time was ticking away in the first half. A pair of runs from Dyer and Bonnafon saw the Cardinals approach midfield; however, a poor throw by the quarterback on second down was intercepted by Drue Tranquill.

Mark Ennis of ESPN 680 tweeted an interesting fact about Notre Dame as the game entered halftime:

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly must have delivered a great halftime speech, because his team came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter. The defense forced a quick Louisville punt and then went 51 yards on three plays to notch its first touchdown of the game.

Folston's six-yard run got the Irish within four points. Here's a look at the scoring drive, via The Fighting Irish:

The Irish defense continued to step up on the following drive, forcing yet another Louisville punt. This time, Greg Bryant found daylight and returned the kick 61 yards to the Louisville 3-yard line. Three plays later, Golson hit Corey Robinson on a seven-yard touchdown strike, giving Notre Dame its first lead since early in the first quarter.

Here's a still-shot of the score, via Notre Dame on NBC:

That score led to a change in the Cardinals' offensive strategy. The team came out featuring running back Brandon Radcliff in an effort to get a spark. It certainly worked, as the ball-carrier rushed five times for 45 yards on the drive. Bonnafon capped it off with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Parker, regaining the lead.

Rotoworld's Josh Norris tweeted how the talented wide receiver was able to get open:

Things continued in Louisville's favor shortly after. The defense forced a Notre Dame punt after applying some nice pressure on Golson, and then Radcliff took over once again. He rattled off a 41-yard run deep into Notre Dame territory, and began the fourth quarter with a 15-yard scoring scamper, putting the Cardinals up by 11.

CBS Sports CFB chimed in with the update:

The Irish would respond.

On the ensuing drive, Folston got things going with a nice 22-yard run, quickly moving the Irish into Louisville territory. Golson followed that up with a 21-yard completion to C.J. Prosise. Three plays later, the quarterback struck again, hitting Fuller on a 28-yard touchdown off a deflected pass.

Notre Dame Football enthusiastically tweeted the score:

Up by three points, Louisville's offense took the field once again. Radcliff continued to torch Notre Dame's defense, rattling off short, clock-killing runs while the team moved down to the 6-yard line. However, a well-timed sack by Greer Martini set the Cardinals back 14 yards, forcing a longer field-goal attempt.

That would prove to be devastating, as Wallace missed the 37-yard attempt.

With five minutes remaining, Notre Dame began to methodically move the ball down the field on some quality Folston runs. The Irish found themselves with a 4th-and-goal at the 15-yard line, setting up a game-tying field-goal attempt.

It just wasn't to be for Notre Dame, as a bad hold resulted in a missed 32-yard field goal for Brindza, ending the game with a devastating three-point loss for the Fighting Irish. Hope tweeted the scenario:

After starting 6-0 on the season, Notre Dame appeared to be one of the nation's top teams. Unfortunately, it was hit by a tough spell which included a decline in defensive production, an increase in turnovers and issues with special teams. The result has been an ensuing 1-4 stretch.

The Irish have one more game on their regular-season slate. At 7-4, they will travel out west to face USC in an effort to end the season on a high note. Despite several talented seniors leaving this team, there's plenty of youth on both sides of the ball, and the future looks bright for Notre Dame.

Louisville snuck into the College Football Playoff selection committee's Top 25 in Week 12, and upon a huge road win against Notre Dame Saturday, the Cardinals certainly proved they deserve to be there. It wasn't a pretty win, but Louisville was under some difficult circumstances in a hostile environment.

With the win, Louisville moves to 8-3 on the season, and following several losses by higher-ranked teams, expect this squad to move up the standings prior to Week 13. A victory against Kentucky on Saturday could propel the Cardinals into a rather prestigious bowl game.