Notre Dame Football

It wasn't pretty, but Notre Dame remained undefeated Saturday after grinding out a 12-7 win over Louisville in South Bend, Indiana.

By all statistical accounts, the Fighting Irish (4-0) dominated the game, winning the yardage battle (339-224), rushing for 232 yards and leading in time of possession, 35:40 to 23:45. Where they struggled, however, was turning their dominance between the 20s into points. 

Notre Dame got into the red zone five times Saturday. The Irish came away with a touchdown, two field goals, knelt down to finish the game after a 14-play drive in the fourth quarter and tried and failed at a fake field-goal attempt toward the end of the first half that seemed like a strange decision considering how strong the defense had been playing. 

IAN BOOK!

The Irish are back on top with Book taking it all the way himself! #LOUvsND pic.twitter.com/LpythZvjZP

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) October 17, 2020

Notre Dame still won, but for a team ranked No. 4 with national championship aspirations, this was not a convincing performance against the struggling Cardinals (1-4)—especially on a day when their primary competition in the ACC, Clemson, annihilated Georgia Tech 73-7.

                

Key Stats

Ian Book, Notre Dame: 11-of-19, 107 yards; 12 rushes for 47 yards and a score

Kyren Williams, Notre Dame: 25 carries for 127 yards; one catch for five yards

Malik Cunningham, Louisville: 16-of-19 for 134 yards and a score; seven carries for 48 yards

Javian Hawkins, Louisville: 15 carries for 51 yards; five catches for 46 yards

                

Is Notre Dame a National Title Contender?

Because they didn't really look like one on Saturday. 

Yes, a win's a win and all of the other appropriate cliches. But this was not a convincing performance, especially on offense against a Louisville team that gave up 47 points to Miami and 46 points to Georgia Tech in losses. 

This is now the fourth Notre Dame game I’ve seen this season and if this is one of the four best teams in the country…..

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) October 17, 2020

And to be fair, just two or three weeks ago I was out here trying to make a case that Clemson's road to an ACC championship could be bumpy.

Mmmmm. IDK. The conference does look much better than last year though.

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) October 17, 2020

Just a reminder that Louisville’s defense had given up about a thousand points prior to today. Notre Dame failing to do a lot against the Cardinals.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) October 17, 2020

No clue how Notre Dame is going to defend Clemson in three weeks. Eager to find out, though.

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 17, 2020

Notre Dame ran the ball well on Saturday—no surprise there for a team averaging 270.7 rushing yards per game coming into Saturday—and played stingy, physical defense. Book was good enough last season to think that the Irish could get their passing game back on track. But for now, Notre Dame looks to be very tentatively holding onto its top-four ranking. 

                   

Louisville's Defense Can Build on Saturday's Showing

This was easily the best defensive showing this season for the Cardinals, a unit that came into Saturday giving up 34.3 points per game. They'll need that defense to keep the positive momentum going, with a manageable schedule the rest of the way (Florida State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Syracuse, Boston College, Wake Forest). 

It isn't too late for this team to turn around its season and return to bowl consideration. 

Granted, the Cardinals need their offense and defense to show up on the same day. The offense was averaging 29 points per game coming into the matchup with Notre Dame, which would have been more than enough to pull off the upset Saturday. Finally, the Cardinals defense played well, only for the offense to find itself stuck in sand. 

Still, this Cardinals team is better than its 1-4 record would suggest. At the very least, the defense is trending in the right direction. 

                     

What's Next?

Notre Dame faces Pittsburgh next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, while Louisville will take on Florida State that same day at noon on WatchESPN. 

A pregame meal prior to a 52-0 victory over South Florida on Sept. 19 was partially responsible for a COVID-19 outbreak within the Notre Dame football team.

Head coach Brian Kelly said, per ESPN's Heather Dinich:

"Throughout our entire time together, we had not had one meal where we sat down together. Everything was grab and go. We get into our game situation where we have pregame meal together, and that cost us. Big. We had somebody who was asymptomatic, and it spread like wildfire throughout our meeting area where we were eating and then it got guys in contact tracing."

Kelly also explained how a player vomited on the sideline during the USF game. Trainers originally thought he was suffering from dehydration before his COVID-19 diagnosis was discovered Monday.

Moving forward, the Fighting Irish will have their pregame meals in larger spaces that allow for social distancing. Kelly also said the team might have to broaden the scope of its antigen testing if signs of a possible COVID-19 infection arise on the sideline.

Notre Dame postponed its game at Wake Forest, which had been rescheduled for Saturday, after seven players tested positive and another 13 were placed into isolation. On Monday, it confirmed the most recent round of testing yielded 18 more positive results.

September 28 - Testing Update pic.twitter.com/fubn0Dc0qD

— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) September 28, 2020

Per Dinich, Kelly told reporters he's planning to have around 90 percent of his roster to be available for Saturday's practice ahead of its Oct. 10 game against Florida State.

The Fighting Irish will resume practice Wednesday. They're looking to earn their third win of the season, having defeated Duke 27-13 prior to shutting out South Florida.

Notre Dame football announced Monday that 18 players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the school's latest round of testing. 

In total, 25 players are currently in isolation while 14 others are being quarantined for coming in close contact to players who have registered a positive test. 

September 28 - Testing Update pic.twitter.com/fubn0Dc0qD

— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) September 28, 2020

Notre Dame has started the season 2-0, with wins over Duke (27-13) and South Florida (52-0), but their game last Saturday at Wake Forest was postponed because of the program's coronavirus cases. 

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly released the following statement after the postponement was announced:

"With student-athlete health and safety our primary focus, we will continue to follow our prevention protocols and ongoing testing procedures. We managed an increase in positivity rates in August, and the players handled it wonderfully. We knew COVID would present challenges throughout the season, and we'll always put student-athlete health and safety at the forefront of our decision making. We look forward to resuming team activities and getting back on the playing field."

The schools had been discussing this Saturday as a potential makeup date since both had an open date; the game has now been rescheduled to Dec. 12. 

The latest test results are a bump in the road for No. 5 Notre Dame, which looks like one of the top teams in the country during its maiden season in ACC play. Such are the realities of holding a season during a pandemic. 

The ACC announced Wednesday the men's college football game between Notre Dame and Wake Forest, which was originally slated to take place Saturday, has been rescheduled for Dec. 12. 

Notre Dame released a statement Tuesday saying seven of its 94 COVID-19 tests Monday came back positive. It brought the Fighting Irish's number of players in isolation to 13, leading the program to pause all football activities and postpone the game against the Demon Deacons.

Irish head coach Brian Kelly commented on the decision:

"With student-athlete health and safety our primary focus, we will continue to follow our prevention protocols and ongoing testing procedures. We managed an increase in positivity rates in August, and the players handled it wonderfully.

"We knew COVID would present challenges throughout the season, and we'll always put student-athlete health and safety at the forefront of our decision making. We look forward to resuming team activities and getting back on the playing field."

The ACC confirmed one other schedule change Wednesday, with Wake's game against Campbell being moved from Oct. 9 to Oct. 2. The team will now have a bye week after taking on the Fighting Camels.

Notre Dame, typically an independent in football, opted to join the ACC for the 2020 season to help with scheduling issues brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

It opened the season with a 27-13 win over Duke and followed it up with a 52-0 blowout of South Florida in the team's only non-conference game of the campaign. The Bulls have also halted football activities after their head-to-head battle with Notre Dame until further COVID-19 testing results are available.

The Irish are now slated to have three weeks between games, however, as they won't return to the field until Oct. 10 when they welcome Florida State to Notre Dame Stadium.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest is off to an 0-2 start following losses to top-ranked Clemson (37-13) and NC State (45-42). It's the first time the Deacs have opened with two straight defeats since 2007.

The rescheduled game in December will now serve as the final regular-season contest for both teams. It'll also likely slot the ACC Championship Game, which had tentative dates of Dec. 12 or Dec. 19, to the latter date.

Saturday's game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons has been postponed after seven Notre Dame student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

Thirteen players are currently in isolation, with 10 quarantining. The university previously announced Monday that four student-athletes had tested positive for COVID-19.

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported the team had canceled practice Tuesday. Notre Dame previously suspended practice in August after five players tested positive.

Notre Dame opened its 2020 season with consecutive wins over Duke and South Florida. The Irish are playing an ACC schedule after joining the conference on a temporary basis amid the pandemic. Notre Dame is a member school in every sport except football.

Wake Forest and Notre Dame both have bye weeks for the first week in October, so it's possible their game could be rescheduled for then now that this weekend has been ruled out.

Notre Dame announced it has agreed to a contract extension with head football coach Brian Kelly on Saturday. 

Per the team's official statement, Kelly's deal was agreed to last December and will keep him with the program through the 2024 season:

NEWS |@CoachBrianKelly’s contract extended through 2024 season.

NOTE: Deal was agreed upon in December 2019.

RELEASE: https://t.co/dYqquiVifj pic.twitter.com/JsXSDvHtq3

— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) September 12, 2020

Kelly previously signed a six-year contract extension with the Fighting Irish in 2015 that was set to expire after the 2021 season. 

Saturday marked the start of Kelly's 11th season at Notre Dame. The 58-year-old owns a 71-36 record with the program, including the 2012 and 2013 seasons that were vacated for academic violations involving players on the team. 

Notre Dame has won at least 10 games in each of the past three seasons and played in the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2018. 

In 30 total seasons as a head coach at Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Central Michigan and Grand Valley State, Kelly owns a 242-93-2 record. 

Notre Dame announced Monday that it will limit home-game capacity at Notre Dame Stadium to 20 percent or less during the 2020 football season as a safety precaution amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement explained any student who wants to buy a ticket will be allowed to do so, while any remaining tickets will go to faculty and staff. All those who attend must also wear masks.

"Beyond limiting the number of spectators at the game, the unique approach being taken by the University is designed to promote safety by limiting attendance to those individuals who are current members of the Notre Dame campus community," it said.

Head coach Brian Kelly expressed his excitement about the news:

We are excited to have students in Notre Dame Stadium this fall! #GraduatingChampions https://t.co/RNP4H4eB9B pic.twitter.com/CO69Br9T8f

— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) August 31, 2020

                 

Notre Dame is typically an independent program without a conference affiliation for football, but this year will be an exception.

The Fighting Irish joined the ACC, which is where they play basketball, as a number of teams and conferences postponed play across the country. The postponements, including those from the Big Ten and Pac-12, would have impacted Notre Dame's schedule and left it scrambling to fill the void.

Instead, it will play an ACC schedule and perhaps compete for a conference crown.

It plays Duke, South Florida (nonconference), Florida State, Louisville, Clemson and Syracuse at home this season. The clash against Clemson stands out considering the Tigers won the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last year and are still a powerhouse program. The Fighting Irish will at least have some fans in the stadium if everything goes according to plan.

Notre Dame will start its season Sept. 12 against the Blue Devils.

Notre Dame announced Thursday that five of its football players tested positive for COVID-19 during two recent rounds of testing.

As well, six additional players are in quarantine since they are believed to have come in contact with the players who tested positive.

Notre Dame canceled Thursday's scheduled practice and is set to undergo more testing Friday. No definitive date was given for the team's return to practice, as it will do so only when given the go-ahead by the medical staff.

Notre Dame has conducted 851 coronavirus tests within its football program since June 18, and there have been nine positive tests.

The campus has seen 304 positive tests overall, prompting the university to move toward remote instruction through at least Sept. 2, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson.

Several conferences have decided against playing football in the fall, and Notre Dame has suspended its status as an FBS independent for one season and will join the ACC for the 2020 campaign.

Notre Dame is already part of the ACC in college basketball and several other sports.

Of the Power Five conferences, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 are committed to playing fall football, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 have opted out and will determine at a later date whether they will play football in the spring instead.

The ACC is playing a 10-plus-one schedule in 2020, meaning each team will play 10 conference games and one nonconference game apiece.

Notre Dame has won double-digit games in each of the past three seasons, including an 11-2 record last season and a 12-1 mark in 2018. Of any team in the ACC this season, the Fighting Irish may have the best chance to end Clemson's five-year conference championship streak.

The Irish are scheduled to play their first game of the 2020 season Sept. 12 when they host the Duke Blue Devils.

Notre Dame's football team will not practice Wednesday, and potentially Thursday, because of an outbreak of COVID-19 on the campus that has led to classes being moved online.

The university moved to remote instruction until at least Sept. 2 this week after there were at least 222 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus. A total of 1,287 people have been tested since students returned to campus, meaning about 17.2 percent of people tested positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a positivity rate of no more than five percent before opening.

Notre Dame plans on playing an ACC schedule in 2020, and the conference to this point has remained steadfast in its push to play this season. North Carolina's campus has also moved to online learning after an outbreak of the virus on its campus.

The Tar Heels football team is currently slated to remain on campus and play the 2020 season, despite most students being sent home.

The fight over the status of the 2020 college football season has become increasingly fraught, especially as players and parents of the Big Ten conference look for answers as to why their season was canceled. Outbreaks like the ones happening at Notre Dame, especially if it winds up carrying over to the football team, could provide the conferences that proceeded with caution some hard statistical backing. 

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For the first time since 1927, Notre Dame and Navy will not play each other in football. 

Navy was left off Notre Dame's revised 2020 schedule, which was released Thursday by the ACC. The Irish are joining the ACC for the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has essentially wiped out non-conference games across the country.

The ACC is planning to allow its members one non-conference game. Notre Dame's will be against Western Michigan on Sept. 19.

Notre Dame and Navy have one of college football's longest and most storied rivalries, though the Irish hold an overwhelming 79–13–1 record in their series. This year's game was originally supposed to take place Aug. 29 in Dublin, Ireland before being rescheduled to Sept. 5 or 6 at Navy.  

"Obviously, many will be disappointed that our longstanding competitive streak with Notre Dame will be interrupted due to the scheduling circumstances imposed by the pandemic. However, we have agreed that Navy and Notre Dame will continue as one of college football's longest intersectional matchups through our extension and I appreciate Notre Dame making this a priority," Naval Academy Athletics Director Chet Gladchuk said in a statement.

The 93-year rivalry was the longest non-conference streak in college football.

Navy and Notre Dame are expected to resume their series in 2021. The two sides extended their series through 2032 as part of Thursday's announcement.