CARDINALS

Notre Dame football falls to Louisville: Game Rewind

Jonathan Lintner
@JonathanLintner
Nov 22, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Reggie Bonnafon (7) carries the ball as Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith (38) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Refresh this page regularly (or click here) for updates during the University of Louisville's 3:30 p.m. Saturday football game at Notre Dame.

Final: U of L 31, Notre Dame 28.

"I think we got a little tight in the third quarter," said coach Bobby Petrino, who noted his assistants kept players composed on the sideline. "We went out and played hard in the fourth."

Reggie Bonnafon, the Cards' starter for the rest of the year, helped U of L moved to 8-3 on the season -- Petrino's fifth straight eight-win campaign at the school.

"I'm just really proud of him," Petrino said. "He's an awesome young man that's an outstanding leader and a great competitor."

Added Notre Dame's Brian Kelly as his team moves to 7-4: "It's very disappointing anytime you come back and have a chance to win it on your last possession…the kids fought hard, overcame a lot tonight, but I'm disappointed we weren't able to score on that last drive.

"...We needed to make one more play and we did not."

Instant Analysis: Notre Dame football falls to UofL

0:44, 4Q: U of L took a knee, and Notre Dame used its final timeout. The Cards have enough downs to run out the rest.

0:51, 4Q: After an Everett Golson overthrow set up a 32-yard field goal, Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza missed wide right. Ball game, and it appeared a poor hold on the attempt.

With Florida State's 3-point victory over Boston College locked up, the Cards -- assuming they can run the clock out on this one -- still have an Orange Bowl shot.

0:58, 4Q: A big sack by DeAngelo Brown moved Notre Dame back to the 15 for 3rd and goal as the Irish's field goal team readies.

1:42, 4Q: Terrell Floyd's having a rough half. Earlier, his tip resulted in a Notre Dame touchdown. Then he was beat for an 11-yard catch on this Irish drive, a play before his pass interference positioned Notre Dame at the U of L10-yard line.

3:12, 4Q: Notre Dame has converted a pair of 3rd downs on this drive, most recently with Tarean Folston's 26-yard carry that moved the Irish down to U of L's 36. Folston, Notre Dame's top back, left injured after the place.

5:03, 4Q: Greer Martini, the replacement for recently ejected Nyles Morgan, came up with a 3rd down sack that turned a short field goal into a 37-yarder for John Wallace. Normally good from that range, he pushed the attempt right.

Score remains 31-28, and it's worth noting DeVante Parker wasn't even on the field for the 3rd down play.

9:10, 4Q: Reggie Bonnafon just overthrew DeVante Parker on 3rd and long but got a roughing the passer for a shot to the head that'll move the sticks for the Cards.

Linebacker Nyles Morgan was ejected following the targeting call.

10:25, 4Q: We heard all about how Bobby Petrino wanted to use his tight ends more. That hasn't exactly come to fruition this year, but Gerald Christian remains a big-play threat. The Florida transfer just went for 38 yards, most of them after the catch, on his first reception of the day to move U of L into Notre Dame territory.

11:17, 4Q: Everett Golson scrambled around, first to the left and then back to the right, before heaving a pass toward the end zone. Terrell Floyd tried to bat it down, but the ball instead remained alive, falling into the hands of William Fuller for a 28-yard score.

The Irish went for a 2-point conversion and got that as well when Golson reversed the field and walked into the end zone. It's 31-28 Cards in South Bend.

14:55, 4Q: Brandon Radcliff got a breather. Then he extended U of L's lead.

The Cardinals running back went untouched left for a 15-yard touchdown, making it 31-20 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Of Radcliff's 120 yards, 101 have come in the second half.

0:00, 3Q: Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith, a linebacker who leads the Irish in tackles, just walked off the field with an injury. The Cards are buirising forward with their running game heading into the fourth quarter and with a 24-20 lead.

On a drive that has U of L with 2nd and 7 at the red zone, Brandon Radcliff has rushed twice for 47 yards and Michael Dyer twice for 14 yards.

3:06, 3Q: James Burgess, who left in the first half with an apparent leg injury, came bag to make a huge play, sacking Everett Golson for a loss of 12 on 2nd down. The Irish eventually punted for a touchback on a ball the Irish nearly downed at the 1.

5:46, 3Q: DeVante Parker made his mark on this one -- finally -- by breaking open for a 21-yard touchdown pass from Reggie Bonnafon. On the call for NBC, Doug Flutie noted "that's the first time (Parker's) been able to get that type of separation"

U of L leads 24-20.

7:04, 3Q: U of L has responded with plenty of Brandon Radfliff, now the Cards' leading rusher after converting a 3rd and 1 that has Bobby Petrino's bunch inside the Notre Dame 25.

9:20, 3Q: On 3rd and goal from the U of L 7-yard line, Everett Golson hit sophomore receiver Corey Robinson in the flat for what wound up a second score in just more than three minutes. The Irish lead again, 20-7, as temperatures drop and the sky darkens in South Bend.

10:46, 3Q: Notre Dame is rolling now. On another U of L punt, Greg Bryant returned it 61 yards after dodging a tackle on the catch, diving just short of the end zone. The Irish are set up inside the Cards' 5-yard line looking to lead for the first time since it was 3-0.

12:47, 3Q: Three plays and 51 yards later, Notre Dame has pulled to within a possession of U of L. Capped by a Tarean Folston 6-yard touchdown run, the drive made it 17-13 Cards.

13:32, 3Q: U of L's offense went three-and-out to open the second half, with Reggie Bonnafon sacked for a loss of 10 on 3rd down. Ryan Johnson's punt was taken for a fair catch at the Notre Dame 48.

15:00, 3Q: The Cards will open the second half with the ball.

When it comes to Notre Dame's offense, NBC reports coach Brian Kelly will stick with starter Everett Golson.

Halftime: U of L took one deep shot, a pass to double-covered DeVante Parker on 2nd and long, that fell incomplete -- and luckily not for an interception. The next pass was picked along the right sideline, though with only eight seconds left.

Notre Dame ran the clock out to head into the half down 17-6.

Said coach Bobby Petrino: Reggie Bonnafon "has done a lot of good things...We're going to have to handle the pressure and make some plays running the ball."

By the way, there's talk of an Irish quarterback change with Everett Golson nearly committing his second turnover. Sophomore Malike Zaire is the next man up. We'll see.

1:40, 2Q: An Everett Golson fumble an offensive linemain failed to fall on, knocking the ball back even farther, set up a loss of...32. Yes. Sheldon Rankins' forced fumble resulted in 3rd and 38 and another Irish punt.

U of L, with the ball back at its own 29, has one timeout left.

5:06, 2Q: Third and 7 turned into 3rd and 12 on a U of L false start -- four of the Cardinals' five linemen have been whistled for one already -- and a pass to Eli Rogers went short of the sticks.

U of L's second punt of the day sets up Notre Dame, trailing 17-6, deep in its own territory thanks to a holding call on the Irish.

7:27, 2Q: Everett Golson muffed a 3rd down snap and was tackled behind the line. Still no third down conversions for the Irish, who punted away to U of L trailing 17-6.

8:53, 2Q: As Notre Dame sets up at its own 32, some stats of interest...U of L has 11 first downs to the Irish's four. The Cards have controlled possession more than twice as long, racking up 192 yards to Notre Dame's 117. And the Irish have yet to convert a third down.

9:11, 2Q: Notre Dame blew up a 3rd and 4 rushing attempt, bringing on the field goal team for U of L. John Wallace's 26-yarder was true, moving the Cards ahead 17-6.

10:55, 2Q: Burned on a big pass player earlier, Charles Gaines just made up for it, breaking on an Everett Golson pass to make an interception. The Cards' first turnover sets up the offense at the Notre Dame 11, ahead 14-3.

11:02, 2Q: Under pressure, Reggie Bonnafon had to throw it away on 3rd and long. The Cards punted from near midfield for the first time today, downing it inside the Notre Dame 15.

11:33, 2Q: James Quick's first touch since his suspension quietly ended today went for negative three yards on an option pitch from Reggie Bonnafon.

13:30, 2Q: The Cards have converted three third downs of more than 10 yards -- including 14, 16 and now 10-yarders -- now with DeVante Parker running after the catch to move the sticks inside U of L territory.

14:51, 2Q: U of L's defense bended but didn't break again, giving up just a 37-yard field goal to Notre Dame. It's 14-6.

0:00, 1Q: Notre Dame ended the first quarter with a 48-yard connection between receiver William Fuller and quarterback Everett Golson that has the Irish driving inside U of L territory. Charles Gaines blew coverage on the play but caught up to the receiver on an under-thrown ball.

The Cards lead 14-3.

0:48, 1Q: NBC reports that Jarron Jones, the junior defensive end injured earlier, is done for Notre Dame. The Irish are now to their third stringer at that spot.

0:54, 1Q: Again, Reggie Bonnafon scored with his legs, following a 12-yard read option keeper with an 8-yard scramble to the right side of the end zone. U of L leads 14-3.

The freshman out of Trinity has completed 3 of 5 passes for 84 yards and ran five times for 30 yards so far.

1:52, 1Q: Reggie Bonnafon, poised and in the pocket, found Kai De La Cruz over the middle on 3rd and 16 for a 52-yard gain, helping U of L overcome three false start penalties on the drive. The Cards are down to the Notre Dame 13.

3:30, 1Q: The Cards were called for a false start on 1st down and brought Dominique Brown in for his first rush in a while, a 4-yarder. U of L later got out of the shadow of its own goalposts when Notre Dame was called for a face mask on a short Michael Dyer rush.

4:37, 1Q: U of L's defense held Everett Golson just short of the sticks on a 3rd down scramble, and the ensuing punt rolled inside U of L's own 10-yard line. Still, the Cards have the ball back, with the lead and in South Bend.

7:01, 1Q: Reggie Bonnafon's legs helped U of L to its first lead, 7-3, after a 12-yard read option keeper for a score on the Cards' opening drive. Bonnafon also had rushes of 3 and 10 yards on the series.

10:16, 1Q: Michael Dyer got U of L out of a 3rd and 14 hole, running right for a gain 21 out to the Cards' 42.

Notre Dame may have lost junior defensive lineman Jarron Jones on the first play. After sacking Reggie Bonnafon, he limped off the field.

11:54, 1Q: U of L's defense held strong on 3rd and 4 in the red zone, bringing Everett Golson down for a loss of one. Kicker Kyle Brindza came on to kick a 28-yard field goal, moving the Irish ahead 3-0 early.

14:00, 1Q: The Irish started with two big plays. First, Amir Carlisle's kick return was extended 15 yards to the 47 on James Sample's facemask. Everett Golson then completed a 27-yard pass over the middle, already moving Notre Dame into field goal range.

15:00, 1Q: Notre Dame won the coin toss, performed by Louisville native and Notre Dame great Paul Hornung, and will receive to open the game.

Said Irish coach Brian Kelly beforehand: The Cards "take the ball away on defense. Real good ball skills on the back end...their athleticism can cause some concern."

Before kickoff, Notre Dame honored a 29-member senior class. Two of those players are out injured, though a pair of underclassmen have switched to their jersey numbers as a tribute.

Andrew Trumbetti has No. 69 on in honor of Tony Springman, while Jaylon Smith has donned No. 38 for Joe Schmidt IV.

PREGAME: A game a long time coming for U of L football fans is finally here, and it appears the Cards, other than playing with Reggie Bonnafon rather than Will Gardner under center, will be near full strength.

Senior Lorenzo Mauldin and junior Pio Vatuvei, as expected, are in uniform and warming up at Notre Dame Stadium. For other pregame links and notes, follow this link: http://cjky.it/1r6HqBB

A drop in ticket prices and manageable drive meant a lot of U of L fans were expected to make the trip. But this many? It's been somewhat of an invasion. Check out the pictures: http://cjky.it/1HAb8t4

The Cards got some love on ESPN's College GameDay, with both David Pollack and Kirk Herbstreit picking them to hand Notre Dame a third straight loss. Also -- and keep in mind College GameDay was on site at the Harvard-Yale game -- a U of L fan with a Gerod "Holliman for Heisman" sign made it on TV.

Just the start of a big day for Cards football? We'll see. The winner of Saturday's game will move to 8-3 and likely land back in the top 25 polls.