By Gabriel Wiest–

In Louisville football’s second-ever match up against No. 9 Notre Dame, the Cardinals took a 35-17 loss. Cardinal Stadium was packed with a record 58,187 attendance eager to see head coach Scott Satterfield’s revived Louisville football team.

Louisville introduced Satterfield’s new style of offense in the first quarter, focusing on simple rushing plays. Junior Jawon Pass put up a fight against the Irish, scoring two touchdowns along with rushing 61 yards.

Freshman Javian Hawkins rushed 71 yards in the first quarter helping the Cards secure three third-down conversions.

Louisville’s defensive line scrambled in the first, leaving the Irish wide open to make plays. Notre Dame scored two touchdowns leaving the score 14-14 at the end of the quarter.

Momentum went down in the beginning of the second quarter as both teams adjusted play styles.

Louisville and Notre Dame had back-to-back fumbles towards the end of the first half, resulting in a Notre Dame possession.

Notre Dame had the final say in the second quarter, cashing in on Louisville’s turn over with a touchdown leaving the score 21-14.

Both teams relied on their rushing game, with Notre Dame running 183 yards and Louisville running 161 yards in the first half.

The Cardinals were halted at the beginning of the second half after a fumble with the Irish taking the ball.

The Irish scored another touchdown in the third, leaving Louisville at a 14 point deficit. Despite Notre Dame widening their lead, Louisville’s defense kept up their heads up.

Going into the fourth quarter Louisville scored a field goal to narrow the Irish’s lead. Depth became a sizable issue with Louisville as players tired out against Notre Dame’s seemingly bottomless roster.

Coming back, Notre Dame scored another touchdown putting the score 35-17.

The Cards showed they are willing to compete with a revitalized energy from new coaching. Major weaknesses over the game were found in fumbling and turn overs which gave Notre Dame more opportunities to score.

Louisville plays Eastern Kentucky University at Cardinal Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Adrianna Lynch / The Louisville Cardinal