Notre Dame vs. Louisville: Fighting Irish pull away after halftime for comfortable win

James Crabtree-Hannigan

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Notre Dame vs. Louisville: Fighting Irish pull away after halftime for comfortable win image

Late in the first half, No. 9 Notre Dame and Louisville fumbled on three consecutive plays. The Fighting Irish were the beneficiaries of that sloppy back-and-forth, cashing in on a short field to take a lead that ballooned in the second half of their eventual 35-17 season-opening victory. 

The Cardinals, looking to bounce back from a disastrous 2018, scored touchdowns on each of their first two drives. But Notre Dame's defense allowed just a field goal in the final three-and-a-half quarters, allowing the Fighting Irish offense to wear down Louisville's defense. 

Notre Dame scored a touchdown apiece in the third and fourth quarters, with quarterback Ian Book finishing 14-for-23 for 193 yards and a score through the air, as well as 81 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Running back Tony Jones had 87 rushing yards in the first quarter alone, ending the night with 110 yards and a touchdown.  

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The Cardinals had chances to give Notre Dame a scare, but three turnovers (all lost fumbles) were costly. Quarterback Jawon Pass coughed it up twice and lost another possession after a borderline snap. He finished 12-for-27 for 134 passing yards but had two touchdowns on 67 rushing

The Cardinals will be heartened by their defense's performance after being one of the worst in the nation late in the 2018 season. Notre Dame's defense was stellar outside of the first two possessions, while the offense averaged 5.5 yards per carry, giving reason to believe it can produce better overall performances than Monday's.

Here's how it unfolded in real time.

Louisville vs. Notre Dame score

  1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q F
Notre Dame 14 7 7 7 35
Louisville 14 0 0 3 17

Louisville vs. Notre Dame updates, highlights

(All times Eastern)

11:27 P.M.: End of game. Louisville hung around for a bit, but some turnovers proved costly and the defense wore down in the later stages. The Fighting Irish allowed just three points in the final 49 minutes. 

11:15 P.M.: Notre Dame takes over on downs, and ths one is over, for all intents and purposes. The Fighting Irish will come away with a comfortable win, but the Cardinals will have plenty of positives to take away after their disastrous 2018 season. 

11:02 P.M.: TOUCHDOWN, NOTRE DAME. The Fighting Irish slowly worked their way down the field and Smith punches in his second short touchdown of the night. It will be an uphill climb for the Cardinals from here. Notre Dame 35, Louisville 17. 

10:50 P.M.: FIELD GOAL, LOUISVILLE. The Cardinals just missed on a huge trick play when wide receiver Tutu Atwell's pass was just long, and they settle for a field goal about 90 seconds into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame 28, Louisville 17.

10:44 P.M.: The Cardinals are driving entering the fourth quarter, with a 37-yard pass putting them on the 27-yard line.

Third Quarter: Notre Dame 28, Louisville 14

10:36 P.M.: After allowing touchdowns on Louisville's first two possessions, Notre Dame's defense has locked down. The Cardinals' past nine drives: five punts, three fumbles and the end of the half.

10:26 P.M.: TOUCHDOWN, Notre Dame. In two plays, the Fighting Irish go 57 yards and score. Book hit Chase Claypool for 31 yards and then Tommy Tremble for 26 yards. Notre Dame 28, Louisville 14.

10:13 P.M.: Pass puts the ball on the turf again, and the Fighting Irish recover. That's fumbles on the past three drives for Pass and the Cardinals. 

10:08 P.M.: Louisville takes an early timeout, facing 3rd-and-2 on the Notre Dame 40 on the first drive after halftime. 

Halftime: Notre Dame 21, Louisville 14

9:45 P.M.: Some halftime stats: 

Notre Dame QB Ian Book is 7-for-12 passing for 63 yards, and has 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

Louisville QB Jawon Pass is 4-for-13 for 47 yards through the air but has rushed for 51 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Fighting Irish RB Tony Jones had 87 rushing yards in the first quarter, and he enters halftime without having added to his total.

Notre Dame is outgaining Louisville, 246-208, and the teams are even with 10 first downs. The Fighting Irish are winning the turnover battle, 2-1.

9:38 P.M.: TOUCHDOWN, NOTRE DAME. Book makes good on the second chance at the short field, rushing in from 11 yards out. The Fighting Irish take a 21-14 lead with just 17 seconds before halftime. Notre Dame 21, Louisville 14.

9:36 P.M. : Three fumbles in a row! Pass can't handle the snap and the ball is back in Notre Dame's arms. 

9:35 P.M. : Book returns the favor on the very next play! Scrambling, the senior runs into his own man and the ball pops loose. Louisville recovers after many bounces. 

9:33 P.M.:  Notre Dame's defense comes up huge, earning the first turnover of the game by forcing a fumble from Pass on a doomed third-down run. Safety Alohi Gilman knocked the ball loose and fell on it, giving the Fighting Irish the ball on the Louisville 26-yard line with 1:20 left before halftime. 

9:22 P.M. : The defenses have found their feet a bit, with neither team having scored since the first quarter. The Fighting Irish take over at their own 29-yard line with 4:36 remaining in the half, still tied at 14. 

9:03 P.M.: Notre Dame had a strong drive going into Cardinals territory, but Louisville stands up a Jones run to force a 4th-and-4, which the Fighting Irish go for. Book's pass is complete but doesn't allow his receiver to turn upfield, and he falls down a couple of yards short.

First quarter: Notre Dame 14, Louisville 14 

8:48 P.M.: TOUCHDOWN, NOTRE DAME. The Irish converted the 3rd-and-long with a 35-yard run from Tony Jones, who scores two plays later. He's up to 87 yards already, with 78 coming on that drive alone. Louisville 14, Notre Dame 14.

8;46 P.M. : Notre Dame takes timeout to avoid a delay of game facing a 3rd-and-13 with 1:25 left in the first quarter. A sack of Book has this drive in danger of stalling. 

8:39 P.M.: TOUCHDOWN, LOUISVILLE. The Cardinals should've scored on the play before, but Pass' throw was bobbled out of bounds by Tutu Atwell. Instead, Pass took an option run 17 yards to the end zone untouched. Louisville is hanging early. Louisville 14, Notre Dame 7 .

8:20 P.M. : Louisville gets the first stop of the game, forcing a 3-and-out with a pair of incompletions and a scramble that comes up a yard short. 

8:22 P.M.: TOUCHDOWN, LOUISVILLE. It wasn't quite as easy as Notre Dame's drive, but the Cardinals answer, relying on Pass' legs. He ran for a pair of third-down conversions to extend the drive and finished it with an eight-yard touchdown. 7-7.  Notre Dame 7, Louisville 7.

8:11 P.M.: TOUCHDOWN, NOTRE DAME . The Fighting Irish go 75 yards in six plays, including five on the ground. Jahmir Smith caps it off with a two-yard score. Notre Dame 7, Louisville 0.

8:07 P.M. : After a fair catch, Ian Book runs a career-long 37 yards on the first play from scrimmage to get into Cardinals territory.

7:15 P.M.: Here's Notre Dame's pregame hype video.

James Crabtree-Hannigan