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    • Jeff Brohm is no longer undefeated
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    Jeff Brohm is no longer undefeated

    Bronwen Cerys Posted on

    SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame’s iconic gold helmets were more eye-catching than anything the 14th- and 17th-ranked Fighting Irish had to offerThLouisville’s second-best football team was on the field Saturday.

    The teams combined for five turnovers in the first half, the first of which came on the opening kickoff. Notre Dame made fewer errors than Louisville and won 31-24, handing the Cardinals (3-1) their first loss of the season.

    After trailing 21-7 in the first quarter, the Cardinals attempted a comeback in the fourth, outscoring the Fighting Irish 10-7. That included Brock Travelstead’s record-breaking 56-yard field goal, which cut the score to 24-17 in the fourth quarter. But it wasn’t enough to completely offset the deficit and undo the self-inflicted mistakes.

    Notre Dame (4-1) now leads the series 3-2 and picked up a win in a game that had the biggest impact on the College Football Playoff of any Week 5 game, according to ESPN.

    Louisville, which most needed a win to build its resume, currently only has two other top-25 opponents on the schedule. The Cardinals host ninth-ranked Miami, which survived a scare against Virginia Tech, on Oct. 19 and then head to No. 15Th-Placed Clemson on November 2nd.

    It didn’t help that both teams were hit by injuries. The Cardinals were missing three starters: wide receiver Jadon Thompson, who is out for the season, running back Maurice Turner and cornerback Quincy Riley, who had never missed a game in his three years as a Cardinal.

    But receiver Caullin Lacy made his debut for U of L earlier than expected after missing the first three games with a broken collarbone, and freshman running back Isaac Brown made his first collegiate start. Corey Thornton returned to his starting cornerback position after being benched against Georgia Tech, and Tayon Holloway replaced Riley.

    Louisville did well to stall until the second half after winning the coin toss and still had the ball first at the end: Tamarion McDonald saved Notre Dame’s fumble on the opening kickoff. It only took the Cardinals three plays for quarterback Tyler Shough to find Brown in the end zone for the 10-yard touchdown.

    The momentum that U of L started with quickly faded as the mistakes piled up, leading to a 21-7 Notre Dame lead after the first quarter.

    The Cardinals reduced their penalties compared to the week before, but had more turnovers against Notre Dame (3) than against their previous three opponents.

    The excitement of a 46-yard run by Shough quickly faded when he fumbled the ball. On the ensuing drive, broken coverage allowed Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard to throw a 34-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jaden Greathouse, giving the home team a 14-7 lead at 4:59 of the first quarter.

    A quarter later, U of L receiver Ja’Corey Brooks bobbed a pass and cornerback Xavier Watts came in with the ball for Shough’s first interception of the season. The turnover led to a 48-yard field goal by Notre Dame and a 24-14 lead with 3:46 left in the second quarter. Shough’s best play came about nine minutes earlier when he sidearmed the ball to Brooks for a 5-yard touchdown.

    Louisville will look to bounce back from the loss next Saturday when it hosts SMU at noon.

    This story will be updated.

    Reach out to Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

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    Bronwen Cerys
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