Mike Tirico said it best on the NBC broadcast: “One team goes [into halftime] with the lead, the other goes in feeling good.”
For the second quarter in a row, Notre Dame is having trouble shaking off Louisville’s defense. Like the first 15 minutes, the offense kept the ball for a long time and had little to show for it. But also just like last time, they’ll gladly take a 6-0 lead as the clock hits zero. Still, Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees will have one heck of a time talking to their guys.
The saving grace is that the Irish remained dominant on defense, so it’s not like Louisville has had much success with the ball either. The Cardinals also have hurt themselves with penalties. Without those, we could be talking about a different game right now. Credit also goes to punter Ryan Harwell for giving the Irish tough field position whenever his own offense stalled out.
The big issue for Notre Dame seems to be the Cardinals’ secondary. On several occasions, the Irish’s receivers have tried to get open, but to no avail. That’s made life more difficult for Ian Book, who’s had to wait so long to make decisions that he finds himself getting wrapped up. A lot of tactical adjustments will need to be made, especially after a failed fake field goal punctuated a 14-play drive that lasted nearly seven-and-a-half minutes, which would have led to the Cardinals getting on the scoreboard but for little time left and a missed 52-yard field goal from James Turner at the halftime gun.