A win is a win
For this week’s Throwback Thursday, we’re looking back at the 2020 matchup between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish held on for a gritty 12-7 victory in a low-scoring battle, improving their record to 4-0 on the season.
Kyren Williams continued his impressive run with over 100 rushing yards for the third straight game, while Ian Book made key plays with his legs when his arm couldn’t find its rhythm. The Irish defense was lights out, holding the Cardinals to just over 200 yards of total offense.
Wide receiver Javon McKinley, coming off a career game against Florida State with five catches for 107 yards, struggled against the Cardinals with dropped passes and missed opportunities. McKinley did make a clutch catch late, but Notre Dame needed consistent play from its veterans, especially in tight games. The Irish fell behind after a 13-play, 83-yard touchdown drive by Louisville to start the second half, marking the third time in four home games that Notre Dame had trailed at some point.
In a game that seemed to fly by, Notre Dame had just one possession in the third quarter. The entire contest wrapped up in under three hours — quite the contrast to their previous games, which averaged 3 hours and 29 minutes.
A bright spot came from wideout Kevin Austin Jr., who made his first catch since 2018, an 18-yard grab on Notre Dame’s third play. Austin brought a different dimension to the offense when he was on the field and in space. The Irish offense started strong, dominating much of the first quarter with two trips into the red zone. But settling for field goals after outgaining Louisville 109-13 in the first quarter wasn’t enough, especially with top-ranked Clemson putting up 73 points on Georgia Tech that same day.
Freshman tight end Michael Mayer also made his mark, hurdling a Louisville defender on a key catch in the second quarter. NBC’s Mike Tirico put it perfectly: “This dude’s a freak. Wow!” That win marked Notre Dame’s fourth straight home game — a rare occurrence, last seen in 1934 during Elmer Layden’s first season as head coach.
Relive the highlights from the game here: https://youtu.be/m18QOSfEwKs
Notre Dame vs. Louisville Series Breakdown:
Notre Dame and Louisville have met four times, with each team claiming two wins:
- 10/7/2023 (Louisville, KY): Notre Dame 20, Louisville 33
- 10/17/2020 (South Bend, IN): Notre Dame 12, Louisville 7
- 9/2/2019 (Louisville, KY): Notre Dame 35, Louisville 17
- 11/22/2014 (South Bend, IN): Notre Dame 28, Louisville 31
Notre Dame’s largest victory over the Cardinals came in 2019 with a dominant 35-17 win. Louisville’s biggest win occurred just recently in 2023, defeating the Irish 33-20 in Kentucky.
Notable Team Stats:
Notre Dame:
- All-Time Record: .730 (951-339-42), ranked 4th of 135 teams
- All-Time Wins: 951, ranked 5th of 135 teams
- Consensus All-Americans: 109, ranked 1st of 135 teams
- Bowl Record: .500, 20-20-0, ranked 46th of 135
- Weeks in AP Poll: 878, ranked 4th of 135 teams
- Weeks at AP No. 1: 98, ranked 4th of 135 teams
Louisville:
- All-Time Record: .526 (553-497-17), ranked 77th of 135 teams
- All-Time Wins: 553, ranked 92nd of 135 teams
- Consensus All-Americans: 3, ranked 78th of 135 teams
- Bowl Record: .519, 213-12-1, ranked 41st of 135
- Weeks in AP Poll: 158, ranked 59th of 135 teams
- Weeks at AP No. 1: 0, ranked 44th of 135 teams
Cheers & Go IRISH!