ND's Kelly concerned with ball-hawking Holliman

Two of the biggest story lines this college football season are on a collision course for Saturday.

Notre Dame (7-3) has the eighth-highest number of turnovers in the nation, with 23 in 10 games. The Irish lost nine — five interceptions and four fumbles — in their last two games, both losses that swept them out of College Football Playoff contention.

The looming matchup against Louisville's defense and safety Gerod Holliman only compounds Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly's concerns. The Cardinals (7-3) have forced 25 turnovers, and Holliman's a big reason for that.

Holliman, with 13 interceptions this season, has three more games to tie and/or break the NCAA's single-season interceptions record of 14 picks set by Washington's Al Worley in 1968.

Kelly is all too aware of all that, and so is Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson.

"If he stares down anybody in (Holliman's) ZIP code, he's going to take the ball away," Kelly said. "He's got great ball skills. His scheme allows him some freedom. He's always in position to be that extra player roving."

It's obvious that the recent rash of turnovers bothers Kelly, who spent much of his weekly press conference on Tuesday addressing those concerns.

With a young defense, Kelly thought his team's offense would have to outscore opponents to keep the Irish in the win column this season. The last two games, though, have changed that feeling.

"You have to start to reevaluate the way we go into games," Kelly said. "When we turn it over, it's critical, catastrophic turnovers. The self-inflicted wounds on offense have been the story of this season so far. We've made it really much more difficult than it had to have been."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).​