<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4G2Ggh_0vkuTCj500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4G2Ggh_0vkuTCj500" width="1210" height="806" ></figure>—Spread check: Notre Dame by 6.5. —Notre Dame is officially rocking its all green jerseys for Saturday’s game. Marcus Freeman had left the decision up to his captains. Irish fans were already planning a “green out” for the game. —Louisville Report’s Matt McGavic is predicting a 17-14 Cardinal victory. —The key for the Louisville defense on Saturday is a secret to nobody: They have to slow down Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame rushing attack. <blockquote>This not the first time the Louisville defense has gone up against Leonard, who was the starting quarterback for Duke last season. The Cardinals shut out the Blue Devils 23-0, holding Leonard to just 13 yards on the ground.Redshirt-junior linebacker TJ Quinn spoke about the experience the defense has against Leonard and what they need to do differently this year in a new scheme. “This [has] been the third week we have played against a running quarterback; it would definitely help. What I remember from him last year, I know [Leonard] came into us hurt a little bit, and just what I have seen from him is [Notre Dame] like running with him a lot. So, we just definitely have to be prepared for that this week.”The linebacker room for the Cardinals is led by Quinn and Stanquan Clark, both leading the team in total tackles with 14 a piece.When asked about the leadership displayed by Quinn and Clark this season, Ivey praised their maturity, saying, “TJ took the vast majority of every snap from last season and did a really good job with it, I thought. Obviously, there are things to improve, but he did a good job. Then Stanquan, was the guy who was a freshman learning, he was anywhere from between 10-20 snaps a game, an average of around 15 snaps a game. Obviously now, he’s moved into that starter’s role. His snap count has of course, logically, escalated drastically. I was really pleased with what they’ve done.”Quinn also spoke highly of his teammate when asked about the growth of Clark. “I am definitely proud of the progress that Stanquan has had, and just moving forward, I just try to take him under my wing and just always have him in there with me in the film room. We’re out there together so we have to be on one accord. Just moving forward, for a young guy to go out there, making plays, stepping up and having that starting role, it’s just something that I am really proud of him for.”</blockquote>—Computer models across the board seem to like the Irish by about a touchdown on Saturday. —The Courier Journal sports staff is split on their Louisville-Notre Dame picks. —The ACC Digital Network previews Louisville vs. Notre Dame. <div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cn6rCtZ3mmk?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>—Our guy Cardinal Strong answers some Louisville-Notre Dame questions for our friends over at One Foot Down. —Athlon has Tyler Shough at No. 18 in their ranking of the 25 best quarterbacks in college football right now. Shough was unranked last week. —Should Rudy have gone to jail for manslaughter after Pete’s death. I discuss the most important Louisville-Notre Dame questions on the Locked On Irish podcast. <div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BIwjcIEgEiY?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>—Future spreads over at BetOnline have Miami as a 6-point road favorite over Louisville for their meeting on Oct. 19. —Louisville’s game at Notre Dame features contrasting tales of acquiring starting quarterbacks through the transfer portal, writes C.L. Brown. —UNLV and Air Force have turned down the reformed Pac-12 to remain in the Mountain West. —The Louisville men’s soccer team took a step back with a 2-1 loss to UAB. —My guy Ken Harbison made a banger. <div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8pu4NB6u1o?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>—After a 12-day break, the U of L women’s soccer team is back in action tonight at 7 at Virginia Tech. The game will be carried live on the ACC Network. —The 13th-ranked Louisville field hockey team will face No. 12 Boston College on Friday, and No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday. Here’s a preview of the big weekend ahead. —The schedule is set for the 2024 Louisville baseball Pizza Bowl. —The Cards cannot shake the injury bug. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">Sounds like Louisville is dealing with EVEN MORE injuries this week <a href="https://t.co/QlpI23c3nx">pic.twitter.com/QlpI23c3nx</a>— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) <a href="https://twitter.com/CardChronicle/status/1839344492673191942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>—Jeff Brohm has offered class of 2026 athlete Peyton Dyer. —The writers for Cal’s SI site are split on their Louisville-Notre Dame predictions. —Louisville’s hoops staff spent part of their Thursday checking in with five-star class of 2026 point guard Deron Rippey Jr. —Fighting Irish Wire has five keys to a Notre Dame victory on Saturday. —It feels so refreshing to be going on college basketball podcasts and having normal conversations about Louisville basketball again. <div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WYbbzlL9OO8?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>—One Foot Down looks back at Louisville’s loss to Notre Dame in South Bend back in 2020. —Trinity kicker Carson Hilbert, the son of former Louisville kicker Jon Hilbert, has committed to U of L. —Two of the three writers over at Fighting Irish Wire are predicting a Louisville upset. <blockquote>Geoffrey Clark – ContributorThis is tough to call because Notre Dame’s defense has shown that it can hang with anybody. The offense has left a lot to be desired though, which is a far cry from what we thought before the season started a month ago. Meanwhile, Louisville has won with solid offense, and Northern Illinois exposed that if any team gets enough of an opening or catches the Irish’s defense napping, there’s a blueprint for victory. Given current trends, this game has an Irish loss written all over it, and those national championship hopes will be on hold for another year.Louisville 26, Notre Dame 17Tim Healey - ContributorI struggled with this one. Louisville is ranked one spot ahead of Notre Dame and handled the Irish easily last season at home. And the Fighting Irish have only looked really good in the blowout at Purdue. The passing game, especially, has struggled. But this year’s game is in South Bend, if that matters, and this Irish team tends to play up to expectations against quality opponents. Plus a Notre Dame loss likely spells the end of their College Football Playoff dreams for 2024. All I really know for certain is that it will be close and probably low-scoring. Notre Dame in a squeaker.Notre Dame 23, Louisville 21Michael Chen - Site leadMy heart wants to pick Notre Dame, my head wants to pick Louisville. It’s a tough one, as the Irish defense and Cardinals offense match up fairly equally. It’s the home team’s offense that worries me, especially if the other side of the ball struggles. The game won’t be as one-sided as it was last year, but Notre Dame will be in the same position it last was October.Louisville 24, Notre Dame 17</blockquote>—Louisville Report goes behind enemy lines with a Notre Dame writer. —For the first time this offseason, Joe Lunardi has Louisville in his NCAA tournament projection ... playing Rick Pitino and St. John’s in the First Four. —Lamar Jackson and Donovan Mitchell being in the same freshman class will forever be incredible. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">Donovan Mitchell with a crazy story about being at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Louisville?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Louisville</a> as the same time as Lamar Jackson <a href="https://t.co/nEkJeRAuTW">pic.twitter.com/nEkJeRAuTW</a>— Jeff Lightsy Jr. (@jlightsy7) <a href="https://twitter.com/jlightsy7/status/1838651423053033964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">Lamar Jackson responds to Donovan Mitchell’s viral comments about him dunking. Says his Freshman class at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Louisville?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Louisville</a> was special. Mentions Donovan &amp; Asia Durr who also came to the 502 all at the same time and left their mark. : <a href="https://twitter.com/Ravens?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ravens</a><a href="https://t.co/S4dxJGqsqI">https://t.co/S4dxJGqsqI</a><a href="https://t.co/vm9x9bIcNp">pic.twitter.com/vm9x9bIcNp</a>— Jeff Lightsy Jr. (@jlightsy7) <a href="https://twitter.com/jlightsy7/status/1839063248970322012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>—Notre Dame is hoping last year’s loss to Louisville helps them avoid a similar fate this weekend. —Could Tyler Shough be poised to shine on the national stage in South Bend? —And finally, the Mike Rutherford Show is on this afternoon from 3-6 on 1450 The Big X. Stream it here. </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Thursday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Spread check: Notre Dame by 6.5. —Notre Dame is officially rocking its all green jerseys for Saturday’s game. Marcus Freeman had left the decision up to his captains. Irish fans were already planning a “green out” for the game. —Louisville Report’s Matt McGavic is predicting a 17-14...