Both the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Louisville Cardinals are coming off thrilling victories last week, with Notre Dame taking down Duke 21-14 after a late comeback win and Louisville winning a 13-10 slugfest over N.C. State.
Notre Dame is looking for its 31st consecutive victory over an ACC team this week and to start 6-1 and compete for a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Louisville is looking to start 6-0 for the first time since 2013 and continue to stay on track to compete for an ACC title this season, a first for the program. Here’s how to watch the game and which NFL Draft prospects to keep an eye on.
What Channel Airs the Notre Dame-Louisville Game?
- Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Channel: ABC
- Odds: Notre Dame -6.5
- Over/Under Total: 54
When Notre Dame has the ball, expect a physical, downhill rushing attack that sets up their play-action passing. Led by running back Audric Estime and likely top-10 pick left tackle Joe Alt, Notre Dame’s offense is predicated on running the kitchen sink at opponents to set up quarterback Sam Hartman, who has diced up defenses off of play-action passes.
Tight end Mitchell Evans enjoyed a breakout game last week over Duke and leads the Irish in receiving yards and receptions, becoming Hartman’s favorite target. He is tied for fourth among all tight ends in missed tackles forced and second in first downs when targeted.
Alt, one of the best pass protectors in college football, will have to square off against a talented Louisville pass rush led by Stephen Herron and Ashton Gillotte. Gillotte leads the country in total pressures with 26, and Harron is just behind him at 11th with 21.
The Cardinals’ defense is also allowing just 3.45 yards per attempt on the ground, led by linebacker TJ Quinn. They are one of the best teams at limiting yards after contact and are in sixth place with a broken/missed tackle rate of just 6.4%.
While the Cardinals’ front is their headliner on defense, they have talented players in their secondary as well. Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is one of the best playmakers in the ACC, and fellow corner Quincy Riley is also just as talented. The two of them have allowed less than half of opposing passes to be completed and just one touchdown this season.
Louisville’s offense, led by a dynamic trio of Jack Plummer, Jawhar Jordan, and Jamari Thrash, is one of the country’s best. The Cardinals are near the top of virtually every offensive metric thanks to the combined play of this trio under head coach Jeff Brohm.
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Their offense squaring up against the tough Irish defense will be the deciding factor in this game. Notre Dame has kept opposing offenses in check all season, allowing just 13 points a game. Defensive tackle Howard Cross III is third in the country in pressures and fourth in total run stops. Containing him might be Louisville’s best chance at winning this game.
