Notre Dame Football: Top Offensive Matchups Against Louisville

It is finally game week (kinda), and here is what to expect from Louisville when Notre Dame football is on offense.

First and foremost, there should be no sugarcoating — Louisville’s defense was not good last year under former Notre Dame football defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. However, this year is a new team, new coach and their roster has talent. Here are the key matchups between the Irish offense and Cardinals’ defense.

Louisville Defensive Line vs. Notre Dame Offensive Line

If there was a strong point of the Louisville defense last year it was along the defensive line, and specifically the pass rush. The Cardinals have pro prospects in Jarrett Jackson, Amonte Caban and Tabarius Peterson, but we all know the Irish have pro prospects along the offensive line as well. If Book has time to set and throw, he should be able to pick apart the back end of the Louisville defense, but if the pass rush can get to Book consistently, this game will be closer than people think.

On a different note, the interior of the defensive line was poor last year — albeit young — but still very poor. Experience should play a role for a better season there, but if the Irish interior can dominate the point of attack, it could prove to be a very nice day for Jafar Armstrong, Tony Jones and company.

This should be a solid first matchup for a Notre Dame offensive line that is experienced, but in still need of proving its dominance.

Safety Khane Pass vs. Notre Dame Tight Ends

Cole Kmet is out, which is bad news for Notre Dame. With that said, Brock Wright has received a ton of praise from the coaching staff this off-season and is a former top recruit at the position. The back up for the first few games is ultra-athletic red-shirt freshman Tommy Tremble. Pass is an experienced player on the back end of the defense for Louisville, so much like the offensive line, the tight ends for Notre Dame will be tested in Game 1 to see where they stack up.

One thing during the Chip Long tenure at Notre Dame that hasn’t been as prominent as originally predicted is the tight end position. Going into this season, Irish fans thought that would change. Wright and Tremble could help alleviate some of those concerns until Kmet comes back.

Louisville Corners vs. Notre Dame Receivers

This is where Notre Dame should have a significant advantage against Louisville. Chris Finke and Chase Claypool form one of the more experienced receiving duos in the country, and the Louisville secondary is coming off — specifically at the corner spots — a season to forget. Russ Yeast and Rodjay Burns are the projected starters on the outside. Yeast is a former Notre Dame target with some talent, but he almost left the program this off-season and Burns is a transfer from Ohio State. While they should be okay as the season goes on for Louisville — and much improved over last season — Claypool and Finke are likely too tough of a matchup with the accuracy that Ian Book possesses.

Overall, we should see a much-improved Louisville defense in 2019, but they are facing a Notre Dame offense that is experienced with many starters returning from their 2018 squad. It is an offense that should be one of the better offenses during the Brian Kelly era. If the matchup was in the middle of the season, I would likely give more prudence to the defense improving, but Week 1 is a tough task to ask of any defense facing an established, confident offensive group.