How Notre Dame's offense took a step vs. Louisville as ND's key to a College Football Playoff spot

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman wasn't thinking about the risk factor at home against No. 15 Louisville.

In a crucial game that has massive College Football Playoff implications for Notre Dame – those implications that remain on life support after the loss to NIU – Freeman went for it on fourth down three times.

He had a reason for it. He trusted his defense.

"It's why I'm so aggressive as a coach on fourth down," Freeman said. "You got a lot of confidence in your defense."

Freeman decided to go for it at the start of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Riley Leonard went up the middle and tried to bulldoze his way for three yards. He gained two.

That wasn't the story of the day for the offense, however. In perhaps their best offensive day of the season, Notre Dame took a step forward in its 31-24 win against No. 15 Louisville. It's a boon as the Irish try to unlock their offensive potential, which is the key to a College Football Playoff berth.

The Irish didn't have a better day than the Cardinals on paper.

Louisville outgained Notre Dame, both on the ground and through the air, and even got started first. After Devyn Ford fumbled the opening kickoff, Louisville went up 7-0 quickly.

Notre Dame answered that miscue with three straight scoring drives. The Irish led 21-7 in the first quarter and were enjoying their best offensive start off the season. That start was thanks to the lessons learned from the NIU game, as well as the wins over Texas A&M, Purdue and Miami Ohio.

Freeman learned how to win the moments that matter.

"The ability to win the plays between plays is what's really I think makes great teams great," Freeman said. "You first thought is to be upset and feel sorry for yourself, and the second thought is the most important, and that's to reload and refocus."

The first moment was after the fumble. Notre Dame's offense responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a touchdown.

The Irish followed that with their second and third touchdown drives.

It's not the first reaction that mattered for Notre Dame. It was everything after, which included a 34-yard touchdown throw from Riley Leonard to Jaden Greathouse.

"You don't control probably the first thought, but you control the second thought," Freeman said. 

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 28: Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with Jordan Clark #1 during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on September 28, 2024 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Leonard had his best game as a passer on Saturday. It was far from perfect. 

In the end, Leonard still had his first multi-touchdown passing game as an Irish quarterback. He completed 17 of his 23 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score.

Leonard talked about Notre Dame's second-half offensive drives and described them as "awkward." There seemed to be more plays this week that did work, however.

Namely, the 32-yard screen play in the fourth quarter that went for a touchdown. Leonard hit Jeremiyah Love, and Love took care of the rest.

"No better feeling as a quarterback than when coach calls a play and you know it's going to work," Leonard said. "We caught a couple there."

That's the potential the Notre Dame offense has.

Scoring 31 points against a top-15 team is a good sign. After scoring just 28 against the RedHawks, which was a week after scoring 66 against Purdue, the Irish are seeing success string together.

The quiet second and third quarters need to be corrected, but the offense notched the game-winner on a five-play, 75-yard drive that Love capped with his touchdown in that screen pass.

"Our whole entire offensive didn't play great in the second half," Freeman said. :It's easy to point the finger at Riley, but I'm proud of the way he performed today and led our offense to victory."

Now, Notre Dame gets a welcome idle week.

The Irish get to manage their injuries and rest their bodies. A team that lost multiple offensive linemen this season could use the rest.

The offense gets a chance to survey its first five games. What worked, and what didn't, will come to light. Leonard said he'll golf during the week off, and perhaps go fishing for a bass or two.

But the offense can rest knowing its begun to find its footing, which is key to remaining in the CFP race to earn one of the 12 spots the playoff has to offer.

"I see right now that the team is better than it was last week," Leonard said. "We got a lot of potential."