LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ For a while this looked like the 2019 version of Appalachian State-Michigan. Louisville plucked coach Scott Satterfield from Appalachian State, and the Cardinals stormed out to a lead Monday night against heavily favored Notre Dame.
But normalcy prevailed on an 80-degree night in Kentucky.
The Irish took advantage of five Louisville fumbles (three lost) in their season-opening 35-17 victory. The defense all but shut down fleet-footed quarterback Jawon Pass after the first quarter.
Coach Brian Kelly forecast as much, saying about prepping for a first-year coach: "You look at who the coordinators are and try to extrapolate things they've done in the past. But some of it is a feeling-out process as the game unfolds. You have to be able to make some adjustments on the fly."
The game was in doubt until Ian Book zipped a 26-yard touchdown pass over the middle to tight end Tommy Tremble midway through the third quarter. It gave the Irish a 28-14 lead and prompted those who crossed state lines to shout: "Let's go Irish!"
Notre Dame's presence, by the way, resulted in a Cardinal Stadium record crowd of 58,187.
This was hardly a vintage Irish performance. Notre Dame seemed short of playmakers with Miles Boykin now catching passes for the Ravens and top tight end Cole Kmet out with a broken collarbone. The problem got worse after top tailback Jafar Armstrong, who looked bouncy on Notre Dame's first touchdown drive, had to exit early with a groin injury.
Tony Jones Jr. led the Irish with 112 rushing yards on 15 carries. Book posted a non-glamorous stat line of 14-for-23, 193 passing yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions. He fumbled twice, losing one after running into tight end Brock Wright.
Things went batty late in the second quarter. Despite the dry conditions, the teams committed fumbles on three straight plays, two by Louisville.
Notre Dame fans expecting a blowout based that on last year's results: The Irish went 12-0 before getting outclassed by Clemson in the College Football Playoff.
Louisville went 2-10 and ranked 128th (of 130) in scoring defense. The Cardinals were minus-12 in turnover margin and one of only five teams to allow more than 6 yards per carry.
But with Satterfield at the helm, Louisville looked respectable.
