Louisville football: 5 things to take from Notre Dame into EKU

Louisville is much improved but don’t let up now – even on short rest

It’s true, despite the 18 point deficit that displayed itself when the clock struck 0 on Monday night, the Cards played Notre Dame very evenly. Louisville has more first downs, 21 to ND’s 18. Louisville had more rushing yards, 249 to ND’s 230. Both teams allowed zero sacks, threw zero interceptions and each respectively punted the ball six and five times.

The Cardinals had possession of the ball for more than half of the game, they were 6 of 15 on 3rd down conversions compared to ND’s 5 of 12, which is basically the same. We already know that we struggled in the passing game, but the Ian Book and the Irish only threw for 59 yards more than Pass and the Cardinals.

The spots where we were beaten handily: fumbles lost, 3 to 1 and penalties, Louisville’s 8 for 50 yards to Notre Dame’s 4 for 20 yards. These are things that should be relatively simple to fix and should get better on their own as the Cards play more football games.

There’s a lot of positives to be found within the stat sheet from what ended up being a tough loss. Remember to stay positive with this bunch, they have a long way to go, but they’re on their way to being something special.

Even in a quick turnaround, we should expect to see the momentum from Monday continue onward for a team hungry for their first win.

Getting the passing game going early, taking care of the football, and getting more reps for newer players will be keys for the Cards to be victorious for the first team this season.