Notre Dame Football: Top Defensive Matchups Against Louisville

Notre Dame football kicks off the 2019 season away from South Bend. The Irish will be heading south to take on the Louisville Cardinals on Monday night.

There is always a ton of anticipation amongst fanbases leading up to their team’s first game of the season. More often than not, however, those first games are against sub-par opponents. Yes, Louisville is a Power Five school, but there is a reason why Notre Dame football is favored by 20.5 points as the away team.

In these weekly articles I will be identifying the key matchups for Notre Dame’s defense. On that side of the ball, the Irish have talent at each level.

That talent starts with their group of defensive ends. Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem are one of the (if not the) best tandems in the country. The two players immediately behind them on the depth chart, Daelin Hayes and Adetokunbo Ogundeji, could easily start at most other Power Five schools.

Immediately behind the defensive line is the group with the most questions surrounding it: the linebackers. One question that has been answered is at the rover position, where junior Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is poised for a breakout year.

The back end of the Irish defense boasts an elite safety tandem of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. It also features one of the most athletic cornerbacks in college football (Troy Pride Jr.) and one of the most resilient (Shaun Crawford).

The group as a whole should be one of the better defenses in the country in 2019. Here are some of the key matchups for that unit in their first game of the season.

Notre Dame Pass Rush vs Louisville Offensive Line

The Irish defensive ends are probably the best position group on the team. Their effectiveness in passing situations is vital if we are going to see a successful Notre Dame football season. That all starts Monday.

This group needs to put its stamp on this game. They need to make Jawon Pass uncomfortable in the pocket all night, force him to hurry his throws, and (hopefully) cause some turnovers.

If the Irish defensive ends can consistently generate pressure, then Clark Lea will not need to call many blitzes, which minimizes schematic vulnerabilities on the back end of the defense.

If you are looking for a good individual matchup, keep an eye out for when Okwara and Kareem go up against offensive tackle Mekhi Becton. It is hard to miss Becton as he is 6’7″ and weighs 370 pounds.

Notre Dame Secondary vs Louisville Receivers

The Louisville offense loses their top receiver from last season, but they bring back their next best four. Redshirt junior Dez Fitzpatrick leads the Cardinals’ receiving corps, and guys like Tutu Atwell, Seth Dawkins, and Devante Peete will all be key contributors. Those four combined for 1,407 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season.

The Louisville passing attack was not good in 2018. Of all FBS teams, they ranked 89th in passing yards per game and 108th in yards per attempt. The blame for that can be divided amongst the receivers, quarterbacks, offensive line, and coaching staff.

Shutting down the Louisville passing game will make things much easier for the Irish defense on Monday night. If Notre Dame can make Louisville one-dimensional, they should not only win the game, but also cover the 20.5-point spread in the process.

Notre Dame Linebackers vs Louisville Running Backs

If Notre Dame is able to win the two matchups I mentioned above, it would make the jobs of the Irish linebackers infinitely easier. However, when push comes to shove, those linebackers are going to need to win some individual battles to help the defense get off the field.

Louisville’s rushing leader last season was quarterback Mailk Cunningham, which says a lot about their running game. On the bright side, they do bring back their top running back from 2018, true freshman Hassan Hall. Hall rushed for 303 yards and three touchdowns last year.

Fellow freshman Javian Hawkins only received two carries last season, but he has impressed the coaching staff this offseason and is competing with Hall for the starting job. The two have similar builds and running styles, so they would not need to rotate on a situational basis.

If the Notre Dame linebackers can keep that duo in check, the Irish should be able to win this contest comfortably