Notre Dame compliments, criticisms and conclusions vs. Louisville

Conclusions

Kyle Hamilton Is Poised To Be A Star

There have been numerous rave reviews about highly recruited freshman Kyle Hamilton this preseason. Even Brian Kelly, who tends to not sing praises of underclassmen players, quipped that Hamilton “looked awesome” in a post practice media session. It is rare for a true freshman to make an impact on defense right away. However, we saw glimpses of the standout abilities of Kyle Hamilton in the first game of the season.

Hamilton was tied for fourth on the team with four tackles — all of them solo — and had two pass deflections in limited action. The game did not — at any time — seem too fast for him.  This is a name that Irish fans need to familiarize themselves with, as he is poised to be an impact playmaker for years to come.

There are a lot of new faces in new places and patience is a virtue

While the Irish got off to a shaky start, especially on the defensive front, the team seemingly solidified in all areas as the game progressed. This team lost a lot of key veteran playmakers on offense, defense, and especially in their kicking game. As a result, a number of players were tasked with new starting roles and assignments against a much improved and well coached Louisville team.

Louisville’s ability to effectively run the option created issues on defense for an Irish team looking to fill key roles.  While they looked overwhelmed in the beginning, the Notre Dame defense was able to find its bearings and lock down the Louisville offense from the second quarter, on.

The new Irish kickers were effective, with junior place kicker Jonathan Doerer going five for five in extra point attempts. Freshman Jay Bramblett shanked one punt, but was gifted with a gracious bounce that did not adversely affect his overall numbers. As a result, he averaged a respectable 39.3 yard distance on his punts with a long punt of 46 yards.

As mentioned previously, sophomores Jahmir Smith and Tommy Tremble filled in admirably in the places of injured Jafar Armstrong and Cole Kmet. The improved play from the second quarter on helped to quell some of the concerns about the 2019 team.

This Irish team is deep with young talent and should improve with experience.

Preparation Over The Next Two Weeks Is Critical

The Irish have the benefit of a bye week, followed by a less daunting opponent in New Mexico to get healthy and sharpen their skill sets prior to going into a hostile Athens, Georgia to face the number three ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

The Irish will need to improve upon every aspect of their game and play near flawless football if they hope to have any chance to defeat an elite Georgia team. They will not be afforded the luxury of being able to play a half of sloppy football like they did against Louisville.

Brian Kelly is likely to have this team prepared and many of the issues that we saw against the Cardinals should be worked out in time for the Georgia game. If not, the end result could be a lopsided loss for the Irish, likely ending any hopes of making a second-straight College Football Playoff appearance.