Notre Dame Football: 5 Problematic Louisville Players

The days of Jaire Alexander and Lamar Jackson are gone, but the Cardinals still possess some talent that can give Notre Dame football some trouble.

It seems like a decade ago Louisville was the third ranked team in the country, giving fifth-ranked Clemson all it could handle. In reality, it was just three short years ago. Things change quickly in college football. Notre Dame football fans are well aware of that fact.

Things have definitely changed in Louisville.

In that time, the Cardinals went from 3rd in the country to two wins last season. Talk about a fall.

Not all hope is lost for the Cardinals, as under new head coach Scott Satterfield, Louisville really doesn’t have anywhere to go but up. There’s no bigger way to make a statement than upset a College Football Playoff participant in your first game.

In order to do that, Louisville will need big performances out of some of its key players.

Jawon “Puma” Pass, quarterback

Pass’ 2018 season certainly won’t be mistaken for a Heisman-caliber year, but thinking Pass doesn’t have the ability to change a game is wrong. Pass is a former four-star recruit who had offers from teams like Alabama, Clemson and even Notre Dame.

None of his stats jump off the page — except maybe his 8-12 touchdown to interception ratio —but Pass showed flashes of being a capable quarterback last year.

His best game last year came against Georgia Tech: 299 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. If the Cardinals get more of that version of Pass, he could provide headaches for the Irish secondary.

Dez Fitzpatrick, Wide Receiver

If Pass is going to have a big game, look for Fitzpatrick to be his top target.

Fitzpatrick was second on the team in catches last year, but with former number one Jaylen Smith gone, Dez figures to be the number one.

His numbers dipped a bit last year: 31 catches for 422 yards and three touchdowns. But his freshman year was much more productive: 45 catches for 699 yards and 9 touchdowns. Like most receivers, his production depends on the quality of quarterback play.

If Fitzpatrick gets the opportunity, he can be a difference maker on offense.

Hassan Hall, Running Back/Kick Returner

Hall was second on the Cardinals with only 303 rushing yards. He figures to be the backup, but that’s not where Hall’s impact will be felt.

In a game where field position is always so important, Hall’s bread and butter is in the return game. He ranked fourth in the nation in kickoff return yards with 818 — and that was as a true freshmen.

He’s already proven he shows up in big games. In Louisville’s biggest matchup last year against the eventual National Champion Clemson Tigers, all Hall did was return 8 kicks for 247 yards and a touchdown.

Expect Hall to be even better in everything he does this year, and that includes returns.

Amonte Caban, Defensive End

The redshirt senior made a good impression in his first season at defensive end after moving from linebacker. At 6’1″, 256 pounds, Caban is one of six senior starters on defense.

Caban had five tackles for loss to go with two sacks. He also had a fumble recovery. Caban could be the perfect distraction to provide openings for Dorian Etheridge and Tabarius Patterson.

CJ Avery, Linebacker

The 5’11″, 221 pound junior is the team’s leading returning tackler. He’ll need to be big up the middle for the Cardinals, especially in replacing some of the production that was lost when safety Dee Smith left.

Avery had two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. If he can build on those numbers, Avery has All-ACC potential.

With 56 tackles, Avery knows how to make an impact. His best game was a 15 tackle effort against Boston College. The Eagles ran 58 times that game, so if Notre Dame decides it wants to run, we could see the same result.