The Observer for Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Page 1

Notre Dame 35, LOUISVILLE 17 | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com

Tough and tested Irish overcome slow defensive start, sloppy play to notch key opening victory over Cardinals

EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

Irish senior quarterback Ian Book looks to the end zone as he scrambles with the ball during Notre Dame’s 35-17 victory over Louisville at Cardinal Stadium on Monday. In his first season opener as a starter, Book completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 193 yards and a touchdown. He also added 81 yards and another touchdown on the ground.

Defense not perfect, but lots of positive takeaways Hayden Adams Associate Sports Editor

It’s no secret what Notre Dame lost last season on the defensive side of the ball. Linebackers Drue Tranquill and Te’von Coney, interior defensive lineman Jerry Tillery and All-American cornerback Julian Love all departed following Notre Dame’s 12-1 season and first berth in the College Football Playoff. Because of what the Irish lost, there was, quite reasonably, concern for what the defense would look like this season, particularly in the interior line and at linebacker. However, the season opener against Louisville, as up and down as it may have seemed offensively, was actually a promising showing for the defense. With that said, here are five reasons why the defense’s performance against Louisville should give Irish fans hope. see ADAMS PAGE 3

By HAYDEN ADAMS Associate Sports Editor

Under a clear night sky and surrounded by a few green specks in a sea of black-andred clothing, No. 9 Notre Dame opened its 2019 college football season Monday night on the road against the Louisville Cardinals. In Notre Dame’s first Labor Day game in program history, and only the second matchup all-time against the Cardinals (0-1), the Irish (1-0) overcame a slow start full of sloppy mistakes to win by a score of 35-17. Irish head coach Brian Kelly said he was satisfied with the overall outcome and game environment. “Pleased with the win on the road,” Kelly said. “I thought it was a great atmosphere and Louisville played really hard. [Louisville] created a great atmosphere for an opener and it’s hard to duplicate that for your team. So I thought we benefited from being on the road in a great environment and I thought we came out and started really well.” The Irish started off strong, driving 75 yards downfield

with 59 coming on the ground. Sophomore running back Jahmir Smith gave the Irish their first score of the season on a 3-yard carry to take a 7-0 lead. While the offense performed well on the first drive, they struggled early to find a rhythm. Likewise, the defense also got off to a rocky start. The Cardinals responded by marching down to score a touchdown of their own, testing Notre Dame’s inexperienced linebacking corps with their run game. The Cardinals then proceeded to force the Irish into a three-and-out to get the ball back. They continued to ground-and-pound the Irish, with redshirt sophomore quarterback Jawon Pass capping off a 75-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown carry — his second of the game — to put the Cardinals up 14-7. Notre Dame would return to their bread-and-butter in the rushing game, after giving senior running back Tony Jones Jr. the ball six times in nine plays on their third drive. Jones gained all the Notre Dame’s positive yardage on the drive as he ran for 78 yards and a touchdown to tie the game at

14-14 heading into the second quarter. While the run game was working for the Irish, the aerial attack left some to be desired. Senior quarterback Ian Book, who took three sacks on the night, talked about the emotions that came with the first game of the season on the road. “First game, [there were] maybe some jitters,” Book said. “Great environment here. Louisville played great; I respect them as a great opponent. And we just gotta put that behind us. We’re happy that we’re 1-0, and you know we’re gonna learn from this. Now we know what it’s like, the season’s starting now, and we’re good to go another week.” The Irish defense began to adapt in the second period to the Cardinal run game, forcing them into short possessions. Kelly said that was the point where the staff began to understand the Cardinals’ scheme. “We had to make some adjustments to their speed-option game and I thought we settled down and did that,” Kelly said. “Once we made those see OPENER PAGE 2

Jones provides strong leadership, legs for backfield By SHANE LEWIS Sports Writer

With the departure of Dexter Williams to the NFL, the Irish entered the year with the tall task of replacing the on-the-ground production from last season’s explosive feature back. That task grew even taller early in the first quarter of Monday’s season opener against Louisville, when starting junior running back Jafar Armstrong suffered what appeared to be a groin injury that kept him sidelined for the rest of the contest. Notre Dame responded with 225 yards on the ground, 110 of which came on the legs of senior running back Tony Jones. The hundred-yard outing was the second of Jones’ career, who took advantage of the extra carries that came along with Armstrong’s injury. “I felt amazing,” Jones said. “This was my second career-start, really, see JONES PAGE 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.