The Irish Force Three Fumbles, Notre Dame Outlasts Louisville 35-17

Notre Dame spoiled Scott Satterfield’s debut as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals.

Both offenses got out to a hot start, scoring a combined 28 points in the first quarter. QB Jawon Pass scored both of Louisville’s touchdowns on runs of 8 and 17 yards. After scoring touchdowns on both of their first two drives, the Cardinals were held to just 3 points on their remaining 12 possessions of the game.

In the final few minutes of the first half, a crazy sequence of three straight fumbles occurred in a matter of 10 seconds. Notre Dame capitalized on the opportunity with an 11-yard go-ahead touchdown run by Tony Jones Jr. The score made it 21-14 at halftime.

The Irish carried that momentum into the second half, jumping out to a two-touchdown lead midway through the third quarter.

Louisville would close the gap with a 42-yard field goal to begin the fourth quarter, but it just wasn’t enough. Notre Dame marched down the field on a 12-play, 75 yard drive that ate up over five minutes. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jahmir Smith. Smith’s touchdown would be the final of the game, as the Irish held on for a 35-17 victory to open the 2019 campaign.

Here are the highlights:

1st Quarter… Jahmir Smith 3-yard TD run, 7-0 Notre Dame