We saw a mixed bag from the Notre Dame defense against Louisville, but the questions seem to have answers on the roster

Notre Dame football avenged their loss to Louisville last season, defeating the Cardinals 31-24 on Saturday. It was a mixed performance from the defense, who had some really good moments but was also very inconsistent. In the end, that unit did enough to help capture the victory.

Here are the main standouts, and one position that still needs to take a step forward, overall it was a positive performance from Al Golden’s group, but it was far from perfect.

STUDS

S Xavier Watts

There is at least one instance each week where I say to myself, “Why are they throwing at Xavier Watts?” He came back in 2024 to raise his NFL Draft stock, and so far that’s exactly what Watts has been doing. During this game against Louisville, Watts hauled in another interception, while breaking up another two passes, and collecting three total tackles. Watts was tremendous.

S Adon Shuler

While his stats weren’t anything special, Shuler has once again proven himself to be a tremendous starter next to Watts. He collected three total tackles and a TFL in this one, but it was his ability to run the alley that really showcased itself. It feels like every week, Shuler gets better and better. The New Jersey native has the track to become the team’s best safety once Watts leaves after this season.

CB Leonard Moore

It wasn’t a perfect day but considering that Moore was thrusted into duty seemingly out of nowhere, it was a really positive showing from the true freshman. He actually ended the game leading the team with seven total tackles, which isn’t necessarily a good thing but Moore made some great plays as well. This type of performance will be great for him long term. Moore continues to show that he absolutely belongs.

DUDS

The linebackers

It was an inconsistent day for the linebackers. There were some guy moments from players like Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa but it wasn’t nearly consistent enough. Jack Kiser was underwhelming in the snaps he got, and Jaylen Sneed really struggled. His eyes have been super inconsistent working as a true inside linebacker, having a really poor fit for a long run during the contest. This unit is going to have to consistently reach their potential moving forward.